Is the core of weight loss about exercise or starvation?

I once watched a weight loss science video that deeply impacted me.
It mentioned the fundamental principles of fat burning:
one is respiration,
the other is hunger.
I can’t recall the specifics now, but in that moment, I suddenly realized:
The core of weight loss is prolonged hunger.
The “prolonged” part refers to your breathing. You can increase your breathing rate for the day through exercise, which is one reason why exercise works. But does that mean you stop breathing when you don’t exercise? No, you’re still alive, so:
Maintaining hunger without exercise can still lead to weight loss because you’re still breathing;
Maintaining exercise without any dietary control won’t work because you’re no longer hungry.
This weight loss principle was a true epiphany for me!
It made all my subsequent weight loss efforts so much easier.
Back to the question:
Is the core of weight loss primarily exercise or starvation?
The core is absolutely not solely exercise, nor solely starvation.
It is sustained deep breathing (exercise) + maintaining hunger + long-term persistence.
If you can achieve [increased breathing, no overeating of forbidden foods, and sustained long-term commitment], I truly believe anyone can lose weight.
A few days ago, I took a swimming lesson. Due to a scheduling mix-up with the instructor, what should have been a one-hour session stretched to two hours. Afterward, I didn’t snack—just drank some plain water. The next morning, I weighed 2 pounds less.
This perfectly aligns with the theoretical points I’ve observed.
It’s far more significant than when I hike, get exhausted, and then binge eat—the next day’s weight loss is much greater.
Deep breathing during cardio + maintaining hunger + the added value that comes with time.
In my view, the hardest part of weight loss is actually time.
The longer you persist, the greater the mental anguish.
You must find a motivating factor that resonates with you—like desperately wanting to look beautiful, longing to fit into a wedding dress, craving defined waistlines, or believing that slimming down will unlock earning potential through your looks. Only then can you sustain the drive to keep losing weight.
Otherwise, our daily pressures alone are enough to crush any weight-loss motivation.
For most people, weight loss is a pseudo-necessity.
The real necessity is spending a little money daily to easily get a delicious meal that soothes today’s wounded soul.
Weight loss, however, means continuing to punish yourself and work hard after a tough day at work, already full of resentment.
It’s fundamentally anti-human nature.
Life is already tough enough.
Being able to soothe yourself with a little mental opiate meal for just a few bucks—
isn’t that happiness?
Weight loss pales in comparison to the addiction of joy.
Why is Coke called “happy water for couch potatoes”?
Because when you’re really hot and exhausted, that sip of soda makes you feel pure bliss.
Who can resist happiness?