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Is dieting alone enough to help you lose weight 1260x542
10 Sep 2010

Is dieting alone enough to help you lose weight?

2 mins to read
While a number of diets promise to help you lose weight without exercise, there is some doubt about their long-term effectiveness. Online personal trainer Andrew Cate looks towards the scientific research to set the record straight.
Weight management

Diet only vs. diet with exercise

There are many different ways of approaching weight loss, including exercise on its own, dieting on its own, or a combination of the two. All three methods help to change your kilojoule balance by reducing your kilojoule intake, increasing your kilojoule use, or doing both at the same time. When your goal is to lose weight, it helps to know which strategy is the best to adopt.

The research

A recent meta-analysis looked at 18 studies comparing the effect of diet-plus-exercise interventions vs. diet-only interventions on weight loss for a minimum of 6 months among obese or overweight adults.

The research found that the diet-plus-exercise interventions resulted in significantly greater weight loss than diet-only interventions. The analysis included seven trials with a duration of two years or longer. The research suggests diet-plus-exercise programs provide greater long-term weight loss than a diet-only approach to weight loss.

The exercise advantage

There are a number of reasons why exercise makes such a difference for weight control, including:

  • It may help your body burn stored body fat as fuel more effectively than dieting alone.
  • It may help to boost your metabolic rate, so you burn more kilojoules, even at rest.
  • It can boost your cardiovascular fitness, which can potentially improve your body’s ability to use body fat as fuel.
  • It helps protect and tone lean muscle tissue, so you stay strong and energised.
  • It may boost your self esteem, giving you a sense of wellbeing, and a positive feeling about changing your lifestyle.

Lifestyle implications

If your intention is to modify your lifestyle to lose weight, there are some important implications from this research, including:

  • Don’t rely on exercise alone. Find ways to reduce your kilojoule intake gradually, such as cutting out sugar-laden drinks, or reducing your portion sizes. 
  • Don’t rely on dietary changes alone. Incorporate physical activity consistently into your lifestyle, with activities such as walking, cycling or sport.
  • Think twice about starting a diet or weight loss program that promises to help you lose weight without exercise.

Did you know? Approach with caution any diet or weight loss program that promises to help you lose weight without exercise.

References available on request

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