This may be familiar to a few people reading this, but for those who aren't familiar with it, get comfortable and enjoy learning why you simply cannot out-train a poor diet.

Firstly, please stop using the word 'diet'. Using this word means that there is a start and end date. To me, this implies you don't want to make the changes permanent. As in, forever!

Is your goal a 12-week one, or a 12-year one?

Firstly, let's summarize what you need to lose weight;

Good, nutritious, whole foods
A calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume)
Consistency
A resistance training program
Good sleep and recovery methods

That's not an exhaustive list, but it's a solid enough foundation to build off.

What would happen though, if we still created a calorie deficit by exercising for hours on end. Would we still get results?

As in, eating more foods, perhaps poor choices and then just exercising for longer to 'cancel out' these extra calories, and remain in a deficit.

This would be the outcome;

Reduced energy levels
Poor training intensity
Erratic sleep habits
Loss of lean muscle mass
Slower metabolism

How this occurs is by the following;

Eating high GI, or poor food choices will spike blood sugar levels and then have a sharp drop. Energy levels yo-yo up and down
Energy levels decrease due to the above-mentioned point, plus a longer training duration
Less training intensity due to the length of the training session. You can't work at 100% forever!
Sleep disrupted by the same reasons. There are only so many hours in a day to train.
Training for longer, at a lower intensity will not stimulate muscle growth. The body may even use protein as a fuel source if inadequate supply of carbs, breaking down hard-earned muscle!
Less muscle mass also means a slower metabolism. The slower the metabolism, the less calories we burn at rest.

So you see how it can spiral out of control quite quickly. Even if you do manage to see the numbers go down on the scales, it's only a matter of time before it starts going back the other way.

Yo-yo-ing up and down like this as a result of this method is going to leave you struggling to change your body down the track.

The body's immune system will start to weaken, leaving you susceptible to illness and your drive to push on will deteriorate until you eventually have to stop.

I certainly don't wish for anybody to attempt this style, as it is in no way efficient.

If you can start to implement good eating strategies, plus a solid training program I am sure you will get the results you desire. Ranging from increasing muscle mass, decreasing body-fat and even increased fitness levels!

The yo-yo goes up and down, until you don't come back up.

If you have a bad 'diet', don't aim to out-train it.

Try to fix the root of the problem which is the food side of things.

You'll be much more likely to achieve what you want.

I hope you have learnt something and taken some good points away from this article. If you did, pass it on to someone who could use it.

Until next time,

Happy Training.

Jesse

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You can't out-train a bad diet