A few years ago, I bumped into a friend in the lobby of a theater. While we waited for the show to start, he asked me what I was up to. I explained I had just finished a DVD on fat loss. He laughed and said, "Is there something new? Like something other than eat less and exercise more?"
And that is the perception of many people. If you want to lose weight (meaning fat), all you need to do is cut calories and increase your activity. And, this is a true statement. You will lose weight. But, the question is, what kind of weight have you lost?
The combination of what you eat and what kind of exercise you do makes a big difference in weight loss. People who eat a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet and lift weights lose mostly fat. People who eat a higher carbohydrate and lower protein diet who lift weights also lose fat but they lose more muscle as well. And people, who only walk for exercise lose the most muscle - up to 35% of the drop in weight (diets higher in protein lose less muscle at about 20%)*.
Not all exercise is the same and not all calories are the same. You can cut calories and even add exercise to shape your body but end up with a body out of shape.
*Layman, D. K., E. Evans, et al. (2005). "Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women." J Nutr 135(8): 1903-10.
