In order to lose weight, most people need to maintain a calorie deficit over a sustained period, says Bethan Crouse, a performance nutritionist at Loughborough University. “This can be done by increasing exercise to boost your calorie expenditure and therefore create a deficit,” she says. “In that case, exercise might be the key to losing weight. But you could approach it the other way: by choosing less calorie-dense foods and reducing your energy intake, you can create a deficit without changing how much you exercise.”
Relying on workouts alone for weight loss can be challenging. “If you’re aiming to burn an extra 300 to 500 calories a day, that’s an awful lot of exercise. You’re likely to need some kind of nutritional intervention as well to create that gap between energy intake and output.”
She recommends focusing on diet, ensuring meals are built around a good source of protein, plenty of vegetables and fruit, healthy fats and a wholegrain carbohydrate – but don’t make carbs the majority of the meal. When it comes to movement, Crouse suggests thinking about overall daily activity rather than formal workouts. Sedentary office workers, for example, could use their lunch break to get some fresh air and steps in, while social plans might shift towards more active options – swapping the cinema for table tennis, or the pub for a walk in the park.
Crouse is keen to underscore the benefits of exercise, beyond weight loss. She encourages people to meet NHS guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) a week, plus strength training on two days.
“It has mental health benefits, improves cardiovascular fitness, supports bone health and strength, and becomes especially important as you get older for things like fall prevention,” she says.
