Training or Diet--Which 1st?

[Blondell]

If someone is looking to make a change in their physique, overall health etc; and would like to work slowly into it, which would you all suggest they change first and why?

[Alicrmt]

I'm (obviously :lol:) not qualified to answer this but I'll give my opinion anyway on what I think I need to do to get back in the swing of things :grin:

I'm going to start training consistently first. Make that a habit. I will probably monitor my diet, although by monitor I mean be aware of what I'm eating, portion sizes, try to get protein, veg and fruit and good fats in...as well as eating more than once or twice per day :oops:

Stricter dieting will come once I've made the gym a habit again. Then I will plan, track and count macros/calories.

I've often made the mistake of trying to do too much at once, putting too much pressure on myself and then slipping. I think this plan is realistic for me in making it a LIFESTYLE, rather than something I just do in fits and spurts.

That's the plan, anyway :lol: I'll let you know how it goes :oops:

[shortie]

I'm (obviously :lol:) not qualified to answer this but I'll give my opinion anyway on what I think I need to do to get back in the swing of things :grin:

I'm going to start training consistently first. Make that a habit. I will probably monitor my diet, although by monitor I mean be aware of what I'm eating, portion sizes, try to get protein, veg and fruit and good fats in...as well as eating more than once or twice per day :oops:

Stricter dieting will come once I've made the gym a habit again. Then I will plan, track and count macros/calories.

I've often made the mistake of trying to do too much at once, putting too much pressure on myself and then slipping. I think this plan is realistic for me in making it a LIFESTYLE, rather than something I just do in fits and spurts.

That's the plan, anyway :lol: I'll let you know how it goes :oops:

:yeahthat: great post.

[Fitwolf]

Great post Ali...

If someone is interested in training that's great.

I was inclined to say diet though...

I don't have an answer for this; I've tried to figure it out for a friend. One thing I think is really important is really thinking deeply about how motivated one is and how much they are willing to change. For instance, my friend wants to lose weight but still wants to enjoy all her meals and eat impulsively...

an easy change that seems to help folks is getting a pedometer and watching steps... correlates to calories out...

with my friend I had a hard time getting her to change foods...

portions and knowing appropriate portions are big too. This can mean weighing/measuring foods... (which my friend resisted too...)

[Neely]

I think it's kind of an individual thing... which aspect, training or diet, does the person find to be more challenging to get under control?

But as a generalization, it seems to me that more people have problems with getting their diet in check. So I'd say to start there :shrug:

[Alicrmt]

I think it's kind of an individual thing... which aspect, training or diet, does the person find to be more challenging to get under control?

But as a generalization, it seems to me that more people have problems with getting their diet in check. So I'd say to start there :shrug:

Good point because you can certainly make physique changes with diet modifications alone, but how many people do you see in the gym day in and day out with no visible changes :shrug:

If they aren't addressing diet, they can train till the cows come home and nothing changes.

[Noel Clark]

I agree with with neely. You can workout and be consistant with your workouts yet eat like a pig and see no progress..or very little. But if you get your diet in check you will see differences. :shrug:

[soontobefit]

From my personal experience, I got my diet under control first, then incorporated working out, obviously adjusting for activity and such. Since nutrition is the biggest piece of the puzzle, I figured I should get that under control first! I am happy with how that started my journey and how it has gotten me to today. I know there is still a long way to go and so much more to learn...which is why I am on here so much and why I work with Erik!

JMO

[Alicrmt]

Michelle, I'm curious as to what you mean by getting your diet "under control" :scratch:

From what I learned when I worked with Erik, my training days differed from my off days slightly, nutrition-wise. So I guess what I'm asking is, how did you modify your diet before you started training?

[jaleena]

It might depend on how the diet is, how the current activity level is, etc.
Neely says diet first because people have a harder time with it--but maybe that means training should come first for these people? You want to create habits, not have people feeling like they're falling completely off the wagon all the time...
And since it's not just physique, but also health, that was asked about--being consistent with training (if formerly sedentary) and even making improvements to 50% of the meals would improve health markers. Or if the meals stay pretty much the same, but fish oils are added to the diet, even just that would have some impact.

[Inatic]

I think it's kind of an individual thing... which aspect, training or diet, does the person find to be more challenging to get under control?

But as a generalization, it seems to me that more people have problems with getting their diet in check. So I'd say to start there :shrug:

WHen i woke up to life being out of control, the first thing I rained in was diet. When i saw that i was losing wt I was motivated more and then added exercising.

[soontobefit]

Michelle, I'm curious as to what you mean by getting your diet "under control" :scratch:

From what I learned when I worked with Erik, my training days differed from my off days slightly, nutrition-wise. So I guess what I'm asking is, how did you modify your diet before you started training?Well I went from "see food, eat food" to "plan food, eat food." I actually started my weight loss journey about 4.5 years ago. But the bulk of it was done in the past 2 years. I went on an unnamed pop diet and once I had lost about 16 pounds, started working with a trainer (the one who gave me all the egg whites, LOL) and worked on my diet further and my training.

[Cindy Day]

I think I have the Craig Ballentine info that says you must build muscle first if you are under this weight at these heights:

if you are at this height and below the
corresponding weight, my (Craig's) rule is you MUST gain MUSCLE...


5'4" - 130 lbs
5'6" - 140 lbs
5'8" - 150 lbs
5'10 - 160 lbs
6'0' - 170 lbs

And so on...5 lbs per inch in either direction.

[jaleena]

I could be almost 110lbs :funny:

[Ali]

I think I have the Craig Ballentine info that says you must build muscle first if you are under this weight at these heights:

if you are at this height and below the
corresponding weight, my (Craig's) rule is you MUST gain MUSCLE...


5'4" - 130 lbs
5'6" - 140 lbs
5'8" - 150 lbs
5'10 - 160 lbs
6'0' - 170 lbs

And so on...5 lbs per inch in either direction.


:shock:

[Ali]

I'm going to say get in the gym. I bet everyone and their brother has tried a diet. I just think the health benefits are greater for working out than dieting. It gives me a great feeling...being in the gym. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. A sense of doing something. Which is really important to me.

The second reason is that for some reason, my diet seems to follow when I start working out, again. It just puts me in that 'mode' of being healthy and not wanting to ruin my good work. (or do everything I can to support my hard work).

I dunno...I agree that diet is a huge part of changing one's physique, but I guess for me to motivate someone to go to the gym would be a great feeling for me...to create that habit in someone and to help them. I think that is a great gift. I don't get that same feeling from telling them to cut calories and not eat doughnuts. :lol:

[synergyb3]

Diet first for me. It is always the priority.

Good nutrition is key. Can't imagine working out consistently and eating junk. Getting the diet right also makes one feel & function better which motivates one to add the training & do it well enough to stick with it.

[soontobefit]

I'm going to say get in the gym. I bet everyone and their brother has tried a diet. I just think the health benefits are greater for working out than dieting. It gives me a great feeling...being in the gym. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. A sense of doing something. Which is really important to me.

The second reason is that for some reason, my diet seems to follow when I start working out, again. It just puts me in that 'mode' of being healthy and not wanting to ruin my good work. (or do everything I can to support my hard work).

I dunno...I agree that diet is a huge part of changing one's physique, but I guess for me to motivate someone to go to the gym would be a great feeling for me...to create that habit in someone and to help them. I think that is a great gift. I don't get that same feeling from telling them to cut calories and not eat doughnuts. :lol:While I agree with what you are saying, I have known lots of people to join gyms, work their hearts out and still not get the results they want...then they quit! I know it is not the best thing, but it happens for sure. That's why I found getting diet in check first was the best since I was able to see results fairly quickly (then again, it depends on what the state of your body is at that time....I was 230 pounds at 5"10...results happened QUICK with diet for me.

All-in-all, I don't think it matters what is done first, as long as the person realizes that one without the other is not the best idea/condusive to not meeting goals in the long term. They have to realize there will be peaks and valleys in their results and just have to be willing to work to overcome them!

JMO

[Ali]

mmmm...yep. i think it's highly individual.

you could say the same for diet...people try to stick to a diet, they don't, and gain all their weight back. To me...as long as they are in the gym, they are getting some health benefit whether they are actually losing fat or not. So at least they are fitter fat.

To get ideal results, you have to do both for sure...and do it right. :nod:

[Erik]

I think I have the Craig Ballentine info that says you must build muscle first if you are under this weight at these heights:

if you are at this height and below the
corresponding weight, my (Craig's) rule is you MUST gain MUSCLE...


5'4" - 130 lbs
5'6" - 140 lbs
5'8" - 150 lbs
5'10 - 160 lbs
6'0' - 170 lbs

And so on...5 lbs per inch in either direction.

With men in mind obviously mind you.

[Ali]

With men in mind obviously mind you.

oh, good! :lol:

[Blondell]

With men in mind obviously mind you.

Thanks, I was confused by that. :lol:

[jaleena]

Thanks, I was confused by that. :lol:

Really? Cuz for my height...that seems really little :o
I mean I know a lot of people are that size and they're fine, but...still seems really little.

[Ali]

Really? Cuz for my height...that seems really little :o
I mean I know a lot of people are that size and they're fine, but...still seems really little.

That's a minimum...so it probably is little for men. MY hubby is 6'0 and struggles to maintain 170. :shock: JUSt different builds, i guess.

[Erik]

That's a minimum...so it probably is little for men. MY hubby is 6'0 and struggles to maintain 170. :shock: JUSt different builds, i guess.

I still find that hard to believe. He looks bigger than 170. That's like 60lbs lighter than me. He doesn't look that much smaller.

[jaleena]

Definitely different builds :nod:

[Ali]

I still find that hard to believe. He looks bigger than 170. That's like 60lbs lighter than me. He doesn't look that much smaller.

i know. The huge difference is the legs. his chest and arms are good size. your legs are probably twice the size, though. :oops: And he is always lean...sickening.

[Erik]

i know. The huge difference is the legs. his chest and arms are good size. your legs are probably twice the size, though. :oops: And he is always lean...sickening.

Oh, so you're calling me fat now?

[Ali]

Oh, so you're calling me fat now?

:unsure:

No!

But he has constant abs. :shrug:

[Ali]

i know. The huge difference is the legs. his chest and arms are good size. your legs are probably twice the size, though. :oops: And he is always lean...sickening.

:thumb:

[Meechel]

hmm I am 5'4 and have 130lbs of muscle :scratch:

[Alicrmt]

hmm I am 5'4 and have 130lbs of muscle :scratch:

No, I think it means if you are 5'4" and under 130 lbs, you should gain muscle FIRST before dieting :shrug:

But apparently these stats are for men....

[Cindy Day]

Hey Erik and Alicrmt and whoever else repeated it... thanks for the clarification on that being for men. It was early before my coffee and I didn't think about it clearly. Obviously. Sorry for any confusion.