The Right Balance Of Diet And Exercise

Current Weight: 218 lbs.
Body Fat: 29.5%
Change 23: Eat More Vegetables

Dieting alone can help you lose weight, however, studies have shown that a significantly reduced caloric intake will decrease your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This is a noted cause of the quick regain of weight lost after a diet. Dieting alone will also cause you to lose Lean Body Mass in addition to the Free Fat Mass you are trying to lose. Adding an exercise routine can limit the loss of Lean Body Mass and reduction in RMR, however, it cannot prevent either.

Increasing caloric intake will increase your RMR. However, if your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) does not burn the increase in calories, they will be stored as fat.

Your RMR accounts for 60-75% of your TEE, but it can be hard to increase it other than through increase in Lean Body Mass. The Thermogenic Effect of Feeding (TEF) is 5-10% of your TEE, and the Thermogenic Effect of Activity (TEA), energy expended through exercise, is 20-30%. You can significantly increase your TEF through an increased consumption of fibrous fruits and vegetables and you can increase your TEA simply by exercising more, but it has been shown that High Intensity exercises have a greater impact.

Instead of focusing on restricting calories, a better diet would simply change the foods you eat to more fruits and vegetables.

For more details on your Total Energy Expenditure and Resting Metabolic Rate, check out Diet & Exercise Can Alter Metabolism at Bodybuilding.com.