If you’ve been paying close attention to the news lately, you might have seen this headline: Diet – not exercise – is the key to weight loss, according to a Loyola University Health System study.

But if you think that gives you an excuse to sit around all day, think again.

“The problem lies in the words ‘weight loss,’” eDiets Chief Fitness Pro Raphael Calzadilla says. “The goal should be to retain or increase muscle mass and lose body fat. This approach stimulates the metabolism and creates a healthy functioning system. Our society is too focused on the scale and not on a holistic approach to health and fitness.”

As part of the study, researchers compared both the activity level and diet of African American women in metropolitan Chicago with those of women in rural Nigeria; the Chicago women weighed an average of 184 pounds while the Nigerian women averaged 127 pounds.

Researchers expected the slimmer Nigerian women to be more physically active than the other group, but both groups of women burned roughly the same number of calories through exercise. So what do the researchers attribute the weight difference to? In a word, diet.

In the study, Loyola nutritionist Amy Luke noted that the Nigerian diet was high in fiber and carbs but low in fat and protein. Conversely, the Chicago women ate a diet made up of highly processed foods and 40-45 percent fat. The study, however, doesn’t mention how many calories each group consumed.

Although diet may play a crucial role in weight loss, you should combine diet with a proven fitness program for the best results, according to Raphael. He explains how focusing on diet alone will help you lost weight — at the expense of muscle.

“For example, person A reduces calories and does not exercise,” Raphael says. “They subsequently lose 15 pounds, but those 15 pounds might be water, fat and muscle. In addition, they’ve done nothing to increase their energy level and may even appear less firm.”

And what about the person who diets and exercises regularly?

“Person B reduces calories to an appropriate amount and loses fat and water weight,” he says. “However, this person also gains or retains muscle from exercising and increases their energy level as well… the key is removing ourselves from the term ‘weight loss’ and shifting our perspective to fat loss and muscle gain/retention.”

Developing a holistic approach to your health doesn’t have to be hard. eDiets offers everything you need to not only help you lose weight but also keep you active – and healthy.

“When you consider a holistic health approach, it’s important to implement an effective nutrition program, exercise based on one’s current capacity, expert advice, quality information and readily available support — eDiets offers all of these benefits,” Raphael says. “With access to nutritionists, personal trainers and trained eDiets staff, one can rest assured that a total solution approach is eDiets’ main objective when helping people reach their goals.”

So what are you waiting for? Get one FREE week of meals with your first eDiets’ meal delivery order