Exercise is just as important as nutrition. Fact! Without exercise, you will not burn half the amount of calories you need to burn FAT, not just water. Ah I can't believe I've just read someone saying that they don't think exercise is helpful. Either you need to research the benefits of physical activity or you are ignoring the obvious. The amount of times that I see people ( mainly women) lose weight through just 'dieting' and are left with so much lose skin and no shape at all to the body...''Why?'' Do I hear you ask? Because not only are they losing 'weight', they are losing muscle mass too. The skin is ten times more elastically and loses it's firmness. Let's not forget what physical activity does for us on the inside people. Exercise builds a stronger heart, meaning your heart has to work a lot less than someone who is sedentary. It also reduces are risks of developing osteoporosis early and other conditions, such as colon cancer and breast cancer.
I've lost over 80 lbs ( over five stone) and trust me, I wouldn't have the body I have now if i just relied on a calorie deficit. Too busy to exercise? Well, increase your daily activity by parking away from work and walking or just walking to work. Get a bike! Use the stairs, not the lift. Get a fitbit flex activity tracker watch and track total daily expenditure and set yourself challenges via the fitbit app. No matter how busy you are, there is always an opportunity to get more exercise into your daily routine and doesn't mean popping a exercise video in the dvd. Seriously, get a fitbit flex watch. I had one to review on my blog and they were really useful, especially if you prefer cardio like running, walking, etc.
As for the scales and bmi, it's only useful if you are looking for a starting point. Some people have no clue that they weight x amount because they've avoided the scale for so long and as a result, put more weight on. Get on the scale, measure, take a before photo and use it as a starting point. Don't hog the scale, leave it well alone and get on it monthly. Just remember that the scales don't take water, muscle, tissue into account. Don't weight on the evening either!!! Morning and after you have emptied yourself.
When I started losing weight, I quickly realized that in order to get proper fit and look good, I'd have re-educate myself and move away from all the misconceptions to do with losing weight. Now i'm 80 lbs lighter and in the middle of my personal trainer diploma. Be careful when looking online though and there are some really unreliable content out there in regards to weight loss and fitness. If you have read one article that makes you think that exercise doesn't do 'jack shit' for you, you really need to do A LOT more research and not look for an excuse not to exercise. If anything, you better off eating a normal diet where you treat yourself more than once a week to whatever you want, with the odd sweet everyday, but then exercise 3 times a week. Than no exercise and just a diet, which for most is usually a fad diet anyway.