Calorie Deficit Weight Loss vs Exercise

[The Problem Child]

Hey fellas. To make it short...

I have lost around 30 pounds in the past 7 months or so WITHOUT EXERCISE (185-155). Just calorie deficit, eating less calories. Eating pretty much whatever I feel like, just once a day. (candy/junk food included)

I have lost muscle mass WITHOUT a doubt.

HOWEVER, I'm curious... would I look different had I done it with exercise (pure cardio... I dont lift weights)? And what I mean by that is, physically, would I look better? (look of skin/shape of face/body). AGAIN, without weight lifting, just cardio.

I know it's ****** but its something I've been wondering. Thanks for the help.

EDIT: ALSO, I'm planning on lifting some weights soon to regain muscle mass... Would that work and make up for the muscle lost?

[Redd Foxx]

Building muscle takes work so don't expect to just be able to make up for lost mass casually. Building muscle while losing fat (or keeping fat off when you've been heavy) is even harder. Honestly, your diet sounds horrible and you're going to struggle to keep the weight off in the future. I don't stay that to put you down or disrespect the progress you made, I say that as someone who has an education in nutrition and worked in the dietary field. It's great that you've lost 30lbs, but I highly recommend switching up to something healthier and more sustainable.

I think you already know that a body that exercises looks FAR better than one that doesn't so I won't spend any more time on that subject. But, seriously, it's great that you made it this far, I just urge you to adopt a smarter diet if you want this to last.

[Facade]

First off, what you are referring to is creating a calorie deficit through cardiovascular exercise or creating a calorie deficit through consuming less calories. In both cases the calorie deficit is the tool.

The shape of your body would probably not be that different. The shape of your body is in large part determined by your muscle mass and your frame. When you would have done cardio to create a deficit, but nothing else, your body would not have had a stimulus to retain muscle. Just like when you don't exercise. So you probably would have lost a lot of muscle mass in both scenario's, which has consequences for the shape of your body. Not to say that cardio doesn't have other benefits, but retaining muscle generally isn't one of them. It's hard to determine where you will lose fate. Even if you lift weights, you should expect losing fat in your face as well which changes the shape (for better or for worse).

As for the rest; the tone of your skin etc. I personally haven't heard much about how exercise by itself is good for that aspect of things. On the contrary, if you were to start exercising extensively on a bad diet, you would cause quite a bit of stress from which your body would be unable to recover. That overall doesn't result in a very good look. That vitamins and other micro-nutrients have a positive effect on your appearance is something you hear more often. I personally believe diet is key in this aspect, not exercise.

Regarding muscle building: you will have to do something about your diet to complement your workout plan. In short you would need a calorie surplus and I would also recommend having your macro's in order at least.

[RAV3N]

At the start of last year I started doing heaps of exercise (up to 3 hours a day), heavy bag, double ended bag, shadow boxing and jumping rope.

I lost 30kg (I went from 105kg to 75kg) in 7 months, felt light im my feat, had great muscle tone and even now I have under 10% body fat but I exercise a lot loss and just maintain what I have.

You need to eat good food and make a lifestyle change for the better.

You like boxing, go setup a heavy and get into it, you will enjoy it.

[SalimShady1212]

You'd be more lean if you lost weight doing purely cardio as exercise such as running is very good for toning in general (arms, legs and so on). I don't think it would have made a significant difference in terms of size but you would look more toned/ lean if that makes sense. Best way to lose weight is half deficit/half cardio. So eat 250 less, and burn 250 calories a day 7 times a week and you lose a lb (3500 calories) a week.

[The Problem Child]

Building muscle takes work so don't expect to just be able to make up for lost mass casually. Building muscle while losing fat (or keeping fat off when you've been heavy) is even harder. Honestly, your diet sounds horrible and you're going to struggle to keep the weight off in the future. I don't stay that to put you down or disrespect the progress you made, I say that as someone who has an education in nutrition and worked in the dietary field. It's great that you've lost 30lbs, but I highly recommend switching up to something healthier and more sustainable.

I think you already know that a body that exercises looks FAR better than one that doesn't so I won't spend any more time on that subject. But, seriously, it's great that you made it this far, I just urge you to adopt a smarter diet if you want this to last.

I get ya, boss.

Let's say I already hit my goal weight. Now I will just focus on maintaining weight and building muscle, how long will it take and how hard will the process be?

ALSO, I have taken 1-2 week intervals to sort of grow into the weight. For example, there have been weeks where I just maintain weight and in some days, I exceed the calorie amount. I haven't ballooned up more than 1-2 pounds. I think my body has adapted to the change. BUT AGAIN, this entire weight loss process has been sort of put together by me, so it is a very amateur/somewhat made up approach.

If I eat correctly, the right amount of calories per day, why would it be hard to keep the weight off? I have been eating part healthy but also I eat whatever I crave as long as its under the calorie deficit. SO I don't expect to bing eat and go crazy at one point since I dont have any cravings at all.

What do you mean by sustainable? I am eating cleaner when I get the chance. I DON'T COOK, I always eat out. But I get a Turkey Footlong from subway with light mayo every one in a while, some chicken/turkey wraps and whatnot. I stopped drinking sodas entirely. I haven't been able to quit candy or junk food yet.

Appreciate your response and time.

[The Problem Child]

First off, what you are referring to is creating a calorie deficit through cardiovascular exercise or creating a calorie deficit through consuming less calories. In both cases the calorie deficit is the tool.

The shape of your body would probably not be that different. The shape of your body is in large part determined by your muscle mass and your frame. When you would have done cardio to create a deficit, but nothing else, your body would not have had a stimulus to retain muscle. Just like when you don't exercise. So you probably would have lost a lot of muscle mass in both scenario's, which has consequences for the shape of your body. Not to say that cardio doesn't have other benefits, but retaining muscle generally isn't one of them. It's hard to determine where you will lose fate. Even if you lift weights, you should expect losing fat in your face as well which changes the shape (for better or for worse).

As for the rest; the tone of your skin etc. I personally haven't heard much about how exercise by itself is good for that aspect of things. On the contrary, if you were to start exercising extensively on a bad diet, you would cause quite a bit of stress from which your body would be unable to recover. That overall doesn't result in a very good look. That vitamins and other micro-nutrients have a positive effect on your appearance is something you hear more often. I personally believe diet is key in this aspect, not exercise.

Regarding muscle building: you will have to do something about your diet to complement your workout plan. In short you would need a calorie surplus and I would also recommend having your macro's in order at least.

Dammit.

Fck.

I see, I see. Well I haven't eaten total trash, I sneak in a Subway Turkey Sub every once in a while, and chicken and whatnot. I don't drink sodas, I do drink a LOT of water, it is my favorite drink.

I look good, I get compliments (mostly due to how slender I look) but I feel like I could look better... Maybe it has to do with the fact that the last time I was in shape was at 19 (I'm 25 now), and the face feels a bit puffier, my facial structure is somewhat different. Imagine Leonardo Dicaprio during Titanic, and now. Not as dramatic but something similar.

SO, IF I make a conscious effort now to eat healthier, be more conscious of the nutrients I put in my body, and lift weights, will it reflect physically and right my wrongs? Or did the mistakes I made during the weight loss end up being irreparable to the point Id have to do the process all over again the right way?

PS: Would vitamins help? I just dont like eating healthy all the time... I like my burgers every now and then, I like my boneless BBQ wins from Wendys, I like my Chinese Food...

[The Problem Child]

At the start of last year I started doing heaps of exercise (up to 3 hours a day), heavy bag, double ended bag, shadow boxing and jumping rope.

I lost 30kg (I went from 105kg to 75kg) in 7 months, felt light im my feat, had great muscle tone and even now I have under 10% body fat but I exercise a lot loss and just maintain what I have.

You need to eat good food and make a lifestyle change for the better.

You like boxing, go setup a heavy and get into it, you will enjoy it.

My main concern is... let's say I would have taken different paths to get to where I am NOW.

A) The exercise path with a healthy diet.

or

B) The calorie deficit diet eating healthy/junk food, no exercise path.

Both got me to the same goal but what are the challenges or results that I will face by going with B instead of A? Aside from looking more toned/defined.

Im mostly worried about the shape of my body/face perhaps not being the best they can be due to some stored fat that wasn't burned by exercise at any point, also the loss of muscle mass in my body shape / face structure that might have me looking a bit more ******* like than Id like.

ALSO, if I start exercising NOW, after the path I took, will I be okay?

I already have a heavy bag, which I only use about once every two weeks. I feel strong, my stamina feels okay... But I could be fooled since I haven't physically tested myself against another person so I cant measure what real strength / fortitude feel like.

[Facade]

When talking about fat loss everybody is different. You cannot control where you lose fat. Perhaps in your case your face is the last place you lose fat. For most men it's the stomach and back. You will have to find that out on your own. Regardless of that, your path has not affected the shape of your face. When I cut down for instance, my face is one of the first places where I lose fat which changes my appearance. I cannot prevent that from happening, nor can you.

You don't need to worry about irreparable damage. You only made the road longer, because you have lost muscle mass you now want to try and rebuild. If you had lost weight in a more sensible manner, you would have lost fat and retained muscle. But no worries you can fix that. It will take a lot more work than you've put into it so far though. Now you have a choice to make. Cut further or build muscle up again and cut sensibly afterwards. Taking your weight in account I suggest the latter, unless you are very small.

If you have trouble getting vitamins out of your regular diet, you could consider supplementing them. Next time you cut down, you could perhaps check the IIFYM program. I have a feeling you might like it.

[The Problem Child]

When talking about fat loss everybody is different. You cannot control where you lose fat. Perhaps in your case your face is the last place you lose fat. For most men it's the stomach and back. You will have to find that out on your own. Regardless of that, your path has not affected the shape of your face. When I cut down for instance, my face is one of the first places where I lose fat which changes my appearance. I cannot prevent that from happening, nor can you.

You don't need to worry about irreparable damage. You only made the road longer, because you have lost muscle mass you now want to try and rebuild. If you had lost weight in a more sensible manner, you would have lost fat and retained muscle. But no worries you can fix that. It will take a lot more work than you've put into it so far though. Now you have a choice to make. Cut further or build muscle up again and cut sensibly. Taking your weight in account I suggest the latter, unless you are very small.

If you have trouble getting vitamins out of your regular diet, you could consider supplementing them. Next time you cut down, you could perhaps check the IIFYM program. I have a feeling you might like it.

Luckily, my face has been treating me well. It's one of the best looking parts shape wise at the moment.

My last place to lose fat has been the love handles area, you cant notice them from the side, like they dont stick out but if you look at me from the front you can sort of make them out... barely. Now I'm becoming very self conscious of any extra curves in my body.

HOWEVER, my face feels a bit pudgy, the structure looks defined but the skin/texture feel somewhat different. THEN AGAIN, I am not 19 anymore. I'm 25, and this is the first time I have been this weight since 19. Maybe I wasted precious years of my youth (20-24) not doing anything about my weight, which is what really bothers me.

****** question but, does the face lose muscle mass?

I'm not going to cut weight anymore, now I will focus on regaining muscle mass. I'm willing to do the work and the time. This calorie deficit process has not been easy at all, it has taken so much discipline and will power, its taken a tax on me emotionally.

I truly appreciate your time and detailed help. Vitamins are a must, I dont take into consideration any type of nutritional values when I choose what to eat. I only look at calories, sadly. I will look into the program.