Good article in TIME on diet vs exercise.
Key points:
1. Over-eating to “gain muscle” is counter-productive
Gaining muscle doesn’t mean you should eat THAT much to sustain it. Muscles doesn’t need that much energy. 10 labs of extra muscle only burns 40 calories a day. So if you think you can eat like crazy because you are more muscular than before, think again. That’s actually how/why people who exercise get FATTER.
This was a trap in which I fell into myself. After exercising for a year or two I was actually fatter because I was eating too much in order to “gain muscle”. This is a common misconception. See the truth about bulking for more.
2. The ‘post-exercise reward’ factor
The average person can only have so much self-control. So when that person has had the self-control to exercise that day, later his self-control “muscle” is weaker. Then he will rationalize that he can allow himself a double muffin since he just exercised anyway. AND he will post-rationalize that he needs extra calories for bulking and sustain his new muscles anyway – see the point above.
3. Spread exercise around your day
It’s unrealistic to get fit by exercising for 30 or 60 minutes a day but sitting on your ass the rest of the time. You may be better off distributing your exercise in short bursts thorough the day – walking, running a flight of stairs, do some push-ups, etc. This is what we used to do back a few centuries ago – small physical activities all day long.
4. Focus on food
To lose weight and keep it off, focus more on food than on exercise; it’s what and how much you eat that matters most.
Check out this other article for more details on exercise, the truths and the myths.