Diet, Exercise, or Both: Which Loses Weight Faster

Diet and exercise together reach a 30 lb goal in about 30 weeks on a 1,000-calorie daily gap, while diet alone at 500 calories takes about 60 weeks and exercise alone at 300 calories takes about 100 weeks. Combining methods is faster and easier to sustain because neither side carries the whole burden. The chart shows the weeks-to-goal gap between the three approaches.