This is the correct answer.
When it comes to losing weight, diet is much more important than exercise.
Lose the weight, and your abs will look much better…
Your abs might look flat, maybe even “firm” (depending on how old you are and how big your gut has ever been) if you lose enough weight, but it’s not like we all have a 6-pack hiding under a layer of fat. The idea is ridiculous. Your bicep isn’t bulging and well-defined if you never work it, and neither are your abs.
Again, there are no shortcuts (outside of picking the right parents), and there is no “single-path” approach.
You’re not going to have a 6-pack unless you’re A: a < 1 in a million genetic freak, or B: you eat sensibly AND hypertrophize your abs AND do cardio work.
Are you a chick or a dude?
Over the past few years I haven’t altered my diet in any respect. My weight has gone up or down solely depending on the amount I’ve exercise I’ve engaged in.
Admittedly though, I’m talking about a small weight range (+/- 7 or 8 pounds), maybe it’s different if you’re trying to shift a load.
Do you think this in any way invalidates what he said?
Nobody said, or ever would, that exercise doesn’t play a role in weight loss.
A lot depends on what is meant by “toned” - a six pack may not be what is desired, perhaps the poster just wants the good posture tone rather than the paunch that occurs no matter what your body fat percentage with the slouch of shoulders rounded forward and back swayed forward?
And for that I’d add in one in which you stand back against a wall, heels, butt, shoulder blades, and head all touching the wall, and then, holding all of them there make the small of your back go flat against the wall and hold it ten seconds or so, then still holding it (head to heels all flat against the wall) raise your arms up along the wall from your side to above your head, not letting the small of the back open back up.
Try it.
Its harder than it sounds and a great way to strengthen and stretch a variety of core muscles all at the same time.
The link below includes results from a study in 2001 to find the best ab exercises.
Just tried it - seems really good. But, “baby got back,” so I am unable to stand flat against the wall. Is it just as effective if I do it with my feet a few inches away (so my heels aren’t touching the wall, but everything else is)?
So long as you are getting as close as you can as you do it.
x-ray, thanks for the link.
But my point is that exercise played the ONLY role in mine. My diet was utterly irrelevant and the amount of exercise I did was crucial. I certainly do think that runs contrary to the statement that “diet is much more important than exercise”. Otherwise I wouldn’t have said it :rolleyes:
Your diet wasn’t utterly irrelevant. I assure you, if you had gone on the all-lard diet or started pounding down 20 double cheeseburgers per day, you would have noticed some weight gain. Your diet was only irrelevant insofar as you didn’t personally have to worry about it, because you were already eating an appropriate amount of food for weight loss once you added in some exercise.
We have hashed this out in other discussions. Summarizing:
For the average person, a permanent modification to the diet is a much more realistic and effective way to lose weight vs. exercise. Studies have proven this.
We are not saying *not *to exercise; quite the contrary, exercise is good for you. We are also not saying exercise does not contribute to weight loss; since exercise burns calories, it can certainly contribute to weight loss.
What we’re saying is that, for the average Joe living an average life, permanent weight loss is primarily achieved via a permanent modification of the diet. Exercise is secondary.
For core strength, I’m a big fan of planks. It won’t help with fat reduction, but a nice strong core is a good thing to have.
Running is out since it requires good running shoes & the OP stipulates not having to buy anything.
It absolutely does not.
Besides, walking will give you most of the benefits of running (albeit taking more time exercising) and you can pretty much do that in anything comfortable.
It absolutely will not. There is no anaerobic effect from walking-- there’s hardly any aerobic benefit. There is no impact benefit (yes, high impact exercise is good for you, despite what elliptical machine marketers want you to think. It strengthens your bones.) Walking is better than sitting on the couch, but it’s hardly exercise, unless you’re walking several miles at a very brisk pace, and if you can do that, you can run.
If you think you need fancy running shoes, read this.
Here’s another quote, from the same article:
Yet for health both are important, while weight loss, less so.
Great point.