Diet vs Exercise! the best for Burning Carbs!

 To stay slim and trim, John runs five miles almost everyday. Because of his vigorous workouts, he feels he’s earned the right to eat whatever he wants. His wife, Sue, however, would rather read the fine print on the insurance policy than get anywhere near a treadmill or gym. Her solution to weight control is carefully selecting what she eats. That’s why you’re more likely to see her reach for a piece of fruit instead of a cookie or slice of cake.

So which one has the more effective approach to staying slim? Well, a lot depends on whether your weight goal is short- or long-term. If your objective is to reduce body fat and keep your weight at a healthy, comfortable level, research has confirmed that regular exercise is the most important factor for long-term success.

You can lose weight without exercising. People do it all the time. “[But] the ones who manage to keep off lost weight for at least a year are involved in a regular exercise program,” says the nutritionist Bonnie Freedman. “[By comparison], a substantial number of people, dieting for an extended period of time is just too difficult. It’s like treading water – you can do it for a while, but pretty soon you’re going to sink. In dieter’s terms, that usually means ending up frustrated, unhappy and even more inclined to overindulge.

“Also, exercise is a very effective and lasting way to shed pounds because it changes the energy equilibrium in your body – your metabolism – by increasing the amount to energy you expend in an average day,” Freedman says. Exercise helps your body burn calories more quickly. “And people with exercise on a regular basis tend to be more physically active throughout the remainder of the day, adding to their calorie expenditure,” Freedman adds.

Want a double whammy of carbohydrate sensitivity?  Schedule your workouts in the morning and consume ALL of your carbs early in the day. We call this "best of both worlds" scenario Carb Syncing™because you "sync" your carbohydrate intake with a time window in which your body is literally CRAVING carbs. Carb Syncing™ and Optimized Nutrient Combining™ are the two daily tools you'll need to keep your body in a fat burning state 24 hours a day, but there's also a very important long term strategy that is an absolute must if you want to keep your metabolism happy week after week:

Most important, exercise increases muscle mass by increasing the size of muscle fibers. Calories from fat stores are needed and burned to maintain these fibers. In other words, the more muscle you add, the higher your metabolism rate will be. Even so, if you’re looking to shed some weight, you’ll have to be patient if you’re going to do it by exercise alone. A pound of body fat contains about 3,500 calories through exercise through exercise.

If you’re truly interested in losing the weight, you should consider combining exercise with a program of caloric restriction, since you may be surprised by the modest numbers of calories you actively burn in exercise you do. Although there are many other benefits to exercising, such as clearing your head and relieving stress, it does require a lot of time for the relatively small reduction of daily calories.

For example, a typical breakfast muffin could contain 500 calories. “Burning off 500 calories could take a couple of hours on a stationary bike. That’s a lot of effort for a five-minute indulgence,” says John Joyce, fitness director at Belly Total Fitness. Add more vegetables and fruits to your meals. They’re low in calories but full of water and fiber. You’ll feel full without taking in the extra calories.

And if you get your spouse and children involved in eating right, and exercising on a regular basis, your new healthy lifestyle can improve the way your whole family looks and feels – a change you all you can enjoy.