Diet vs. Exercise
A two-year research study suggests that dieting produces weight loss followed by regain after treatment ends, whereas exercise alone produces smaller weight losses but better maintenance.
According to nutritional biochemist Gale B. Carey, exercise training makes fat cells more sensitive to hormones that tell them to release fat. Adenosine, on the other hand, tells cells to hold onto their fat. Exercise helps fat cells ignore adenosine. If you exercise without reducing your caloric intake, or even overeat, fat cells lose their ability to ignore adenosine. Dietary overindulgence attenuates the effects of exercise.
So what does this mean? Eating a wide variety of foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, limiting processed carbohydrates and fats in combination with regular exercise are the best ways to lose weight. Now, the challenge is to follow through.