A nutritious diet combined with a solid exercise plan continues to be the most effective way to lose weight. If you try to do one without the other, you could slow down your results. The nutritional medicine experts at IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health in Honolulu, HI, weigh in on the importance of both diet and exercise for weight loss.

Diet

As nutritional medicine experts can confirm, weight loss is 75% diet. Even if you stick to a vigorous exercise plan, you may have trouble losing weight at a decent pace if your diet isn’t on point. This is because it’s much simpler to reduce your calories than to burn them off. If you, for example, ate a hamburger that’s 400 calories, you would have to ride a stationary bike vigorously for at least 30 minutes to burn it off.

Eat a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates, like white bread and pasta, and fried foods. Also, never cut your calories to less than 1,200 a day. Eating too few calories can slow down your metabolism and cause you to lose muscle.

Exercise

While it’s possible to lose weight without exercising, that doesn’t mean you should avoid working out. Exercise stimulates muscle growth, helping you look leaner and more toned. The good news is that you don’t have to work out for hours every day to lose weight. All it takes is about five to seven 50-minute exercise sessions at moderate intensity every week. Do a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercises. One day you could go for a jog or bike ride and lift weights the next day.

If you need help improving your diet, talk to a nutritional expert. IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health specializes in nutritional medicine, sports medicine, and orthopedic surgery, and they truly care about their patients’ well-being. They aim to empower them to live healthier lifestyles. To schedule an appointment, call (808) 521-8170 or visit their website for more information on their services.