By: Adam Pounds, EIM Owner

Often, when people try to lose weight and get in shape, they focus on either their diet or their exercise routine while dismissing the fact that the two go hand-in-hand.

I’ve seen it many times. A person starts working out every day, and this leads them to mistakenly believe that since they’re burning extra calories, they can eat whatever they want and still get in shape.

Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case; the average person cannot out-train a bad diet.

But let’s back up for a minute.  What exactly is a “bad diet?”  

To put it simply, a bad diet consists of:

• Fast food

• Processed food

• Anything that comes out of a box or a bag

• Anything that is calorically dense

These types of foods are considered empty calories because they provide your body with little to no nutritional value. It’s nearly impossible to be in shape and healthy when these foods make up a large part of your diet.

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet, and here’s why.

1. You won’t burn enough calories.

It’s all about intake vs output. If you maintain a bad diet, you won’t burn enough calories to lose weight.

For example, an average male who trains intensely for an hour burns 400-600 calories. If that same person eats a pizza that contains 1000 calories, he’s still 500 calories in the hole. He would have to train twice as long to negate that one meal.

Let’s face it. It’s very easy to consume a large amount of calorically-dense food, and very hard to burn it off.

2. Your hormones will store fat rather than burn it.

When you eat, hormones are alerted to either burn or store fat, boost or crash your metabolism, and either build or breakdown muscle.

Take a Snickers bar vs. broccoli for instance. The calories in a Snickers bar have a different hormonal effect on your body than the calories in broccoli.

The sugar in the Snickers will drive up your insulin which alerts your body to store fat. The calories in broccoli produce glucagon that tells the body to burn fat to be used for energy.

3. You won’t be able to perform your best.

You won’t be able to hit your peak if you’re consuming an unhealthy diet.

If you’re looking to change your physique, that can’t happen without the right foods and intense exercise. You won’t have the physical endurance to push through tough workouts if your diet isn’t good.

If you eat like crap, you’re going to feel like crap, and this will be apparent during your workouts.

4. You won’t feel like exercising.

Consuming high fat foods, especially in the evening, can disrupt your sleep, leaving you tired and not wanting to go to the gym or workout at all.

It’s easier to stay motivated to work out when you’ve been fueling our body with the right foods. Plus, when you miss a workout, you’re more susceptible to moments of weakness with unhealthy foods.

5. You’re more likely to get sick or hurt.

When you’re not getting enough nutrients from fresh foods, your immune system can be compromised. If you stay on a low carb or low fat diet, it can be mentally draining and have a negative impact on your heart health.

Also, low carb diets lead to a deficiency in micronutrients which can leave you susceptible to injury.

6. You won’t be able to tone your target areas.

There’s a lot of truth to the saying, “Abs are made in the kitchen.”

When you consume excess calories, and you aren’t able to burn them all off during your workouts, then they head straight to your trouble zones.

While women tend to gain weight in their hips and thighs, men are prone to gaining weight around their midsections. You could do a thousand crunches or lunges, but you’re not going to be able to see the results if your diet is poor.

The bottom line

When it comes to reaching your weight loss goals, exercise and nutrition complement each other. They go hand-in-hand. But, ultimately, the nutrition part will always win when you’re looking to see drastic changes in your body.

Reach out to the professionals at EIM if you’re tired of trying to out-train a bad diet. Our team can put a plan together for you so you can reach your goals, and feel and look great!