Is Diet More Important Than Activity in Weight Loss? A Personal Look at a Modified Vegan Approach

As the saying goes, you can’t outrun a bad diet. Ultra-processed foods may be driving much of today’s disease burden. Many people have known this for years, but it often takes time before such ideas reach the mainstream.

I think I lost about 5+ lbs. 2 months.
Don't laugh at the hair....
I'm going to regrow it. 
Lesson learned.

I’ve been working on my own diet for some time, and I think it’s starting to pay off. I’m active and work out often—not so much with weights, but with a variety of activities ranging from yoga to kickboxing.

There were times when I spent hours in the gym every day. While I looked decent, I still couldn’t reach the level of performance I wanted. Things started to come together only after I adjusted my diet. At first, I went vegan to push myself to eat more fruits and vegetables, relying on plant-based proteins like beans and spinach.

Later, I added fish and small amounts of other meat back into my meals. What I didn’t do was run out and grab burgers or steaks. I don’t believe meat is inherently bad—clean, high-quality meat can be beneficial—but I was experimenting, and the shift felt right. A big factor was probably eating nutrient-rich but not calorie-dense fruits and vegetables.

I don’t own a scale (there may be one in the closet but I haven't seen it in a while), but I did have to buy a new belt recently because my pants kept sliding down—so I guess it’s working. The study below also shows that we tend to burn about the same number of calories now as in the past and across different activity levels (excluding extreme athletes), which reinforces the idea that diet plays the bigger role.

You can't outrun a bad diet. Food — not lack of exercise — fuels obesity, study finds

 *I have a fitness trainer license and yoga license in case you need some help. I can give you a pretty good rate.