Who has lost weight with little or no exercise?

Losingthedamnweight

I think people just starting out get the wrong idea that to lose weight, you have to hit the gym every single day for hours at a time and only eat lettuce and carrots. And the second you don't, you've failed. Time to binge eat!

I think it's important they see that yes, diet and exercise is important but even if you have a super busy schedule and you're trying to hit the gym (or you have a serious disability), if you can't or don't have time. It's ok. Fix your diet and you're most of the way there.

I'll start! I don't get much exercise outside of work besides going on walks and I've already lost more than 30lbs

MoveitlikeManda

I lost 11.5lbs in August (my first month using MFP).
I didnt join the gym until 1st September, so that 11.5lbs was all down to changing my eating habbits

MoveitlikeManda

Although Im sure some of this was water weight

IsaackGMOON

I've lost weight without exercising, sometimes my schedule or injuries get in the way. After a couple of weeks I eventually hit a plateau.

arditarose

I lifted...which is exercise. But I definitely did very little cardio.

williams969

I'm a walker, and that mostly consists of what is required to transport myself from one building to another on my campus. Other than that, my workouts consist of a whopping 30 minutes 4 times a week. Calisthenics only (pushups, pull ups, body weight squats, etc.).

That's it. I'm too busy (okay, lazy and cheap) to do the gym thing. My doctor, my body measurements, and my scale agree that I'm doing it right.

pap3rw1ngs

My momma has lost over 50lbs with zero exercise.

As for myself, I walk at 4mph for a minimum of 30 minutes each day.

dawsonjd

i believe you can lose weight without exercise, but for me I want to eat more cause i love meat, so i prefer to create my caloric deficit with exercise. I think it depends on your body, if your plan is to be sub 10%bf and you want to look like a athlete then obviously you would want to workout... i guess it really depends on your goals, but when its all said and done, caloric deficit is the only way to lose weight how ever you come about it.

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

After water weight, I've lost 6lbs this month alone. That is with counting calories and 10-15mins total of recumbent bike and elliptical. (both of which I bought new for under 200 bucks combined) I'm stoked!

jess_blonde

I lost 20lbs just restricting and tracking on MFP with maaaaybe an occasional half-arsed jog thrown in about two years ago.

Gained it all back and then some, so now I'm working towards a lifestyle change, with runs three to four times a week and StrongLifts every other day along with a healthier, cleaner diet. Thus far I've discovered the joy of eating exercise calories which is awesome 'cause I love food!

dawsonjd

jess_blonde wrote: »

I lost 20lbs just restricting and tracking on MFP with maaaaybe an occasional half-arsed jog thrown in about two years ago.

Gained it all back and then some, so now I'm working towards a lifestyle change, with runs three to four times a week and StrongLifts every other day along with a healthier, cleaner diet. Thus far I've discovered the joy of eating exercise calories which is awesome 'cause I love food!

props to you, it sounds like your doing things the right way....i use to drink beer all the time and fast food was my drug....now its the gym, i still miss Mexican food and chicken wings but i love the gym so much more.

Christine_72

I've lost 6kgs (13lbs) in just over a month doing alternate day fasting. Zero exercise

jamebb

I've regained some weight, but when I first actively trying to lose, I exercised every day for about 3-4 months and lost 10lbs during that time. When I started consistently tracking my food and eating about 1500-1700 cal a day (plus some "off" days) I lost about 17lbs in a month.

osoperezoso

I've lost about 30 pounds this year (20 since June 1st) with only occasional exercise. Its very reassuring to know that my weight isn't dependent on maintaining a good gym regimen.

That being said, having just today gotten to a sub 25 BMI today (Male, 5'8", 164lbs), I was taking a look in the mirror and thinking I really need to start hitting the weights.

NK1112

I lost 15 pounds in 3 months from cutting back on calories. I'm minimally active.

ana3067

arditarose wrote: »

I lifted...which is exercise. But I definitely did very little cardio.

2nd

cookmtn

I play badminton twice a week, 2 hours each time. Other then that, nothing so far. Have lost 40 lbs.

F00LofaT00K

I've lost around 50lbs without going to the gym. I work 8 hours a day then go to school for 5 hours a night. I'm away from my apartment M-F from 8am-11pm. If I tried to exercise on top of it, I would probably have a mental breakdown. Scientifically speaking, your weight is DIRECTLY a result of the number of calories you burn vs. eat on an average basis. Yes, the foods you eat are important: you need a healthy balance of fat, carbs and protein tailored to your lifestyle for health, BUT you can technically eat only pure table sugar in a caloric deficit and lose weight. You'd feel terrible and look gross. . . but you could. Just don't.

fearlessleader104

I will lose 67lbs by just watching what I eat!

rosehips60

It can be done without extra exercise, I work as a school custodian so I'm pretty active at work, but aside from a walk occasionally, not much else. I lost 30 pounds since March and reached my goal Labor day

shai74

I've lost 60lbs in 6 months. I don't do anything really. I have a desk job, I'd be lucky to do 1000 steps most days. I ride my horse on the weekend for a couple of hours. I do 2 flights of stairs morning and night at work. My fitness is not bad, my muscle tone is fine.

It really is all about what you stick in your mouth, no question.

Exercise will a) make you fitter and stronger and tone you up, and b) allow you to eat more, but it's not neccessary to actual weight loss.

Gotta laugh at the people who work out at the Gym 6 days a week, eat rubbish, and wonder why it's not working.

ljashley1952

I'm interested in this thread because I was pretty diligent the first 30 days and didn't lose anything. I realized later that I had retained some water. Once gone I was down the couple of pounds that I expected to be. I don't get a lot of exercise due to knee issues. The wt loss for me is agonizingly slow, but I think younger people would lose faster. I just want to be losing and I can deal with slow loss, as long as it's happening.

higgins8283801

I just joined the gym a few weeks ago, but have lost 25lbs over the course of almost 4 months without it. Up until I joined the gym, I was just walking and doing very minimal. I still have not started anything serious at the gym (strength training) just yet.

ithrowconfetti

I've lost over 60 pounds in two years, without having a proper exercise regime, and I'm still losing. I believe that intermittent fasting, and feeding myself with proper nutrition have been key. I don't deprive myself of any foods, because I've never believed in diets. I just eat everything in moderation. I find that I don't have any cravings for snacks or junk food ever. I suppose, not craving sugar has worked to my advantage. If I do foresee having a big meal coming up, such as a family gathering late on in the week, I'll create a calorie deficit throughout the week, and then eat what I want, until I'm full (not until I hate myself) during the big occasion. I've learned so much over the years, like how the plateau you hit when you have extremely low-calorie diets could be the cause of water retention, and theories like "whoosh" days, the starvation myth and unfounded "detox cleanses" really opened my eyes, because such things went against everything gym and health fanatics have been standing by. That said, I'm not against exercise or certain diet trends. Everyone should follow a healthy lifestyle according to their own standards.

lynn_glenmont

I started on MFP in August 2013 and lost 27 pounds in the first three and a half months (so 14 or 15 weeks, for just under 2 lbs a week) before I joined a gym. During those first months, my exercise consisted mainly of walking (my daily work commute already included about 40 minutes of walking, so I started walking to a further subway station when I had the energy and time, and occasionally adding a short evening walk, and trying to walk for at least one errand on the weekend, like going to the library, which was about a 50 minute roundtrip), taking the stairs at work once or twice a day (nine flights), and turning on music and dancing in my living room now and then. After about 10 weeks I did pick up a Pilates DVD on one of my walks to the library, and tried to do 10 or 15 minutes of that several times a week. So, I didn't do it completely without exercise, but it wasn't much more than I had been doing before counting calories. And I really didn't feel like I was denying myself food along the way; I mostly focused on getting enough protein and fiber, and making sure I was below maintenance for the week (I didn't expect to be at or below the MFP net calorie goal every day).

Since joining the gym--where I take dance classes once or twice a week, do a variety of cardio activities (treadmill, swimming, the occasional Zumba or other class), and initially used the weight machines, before switching to free weights a few weeks ago--I've lost another 17 pounds in 11 months (so about one and a half pounds a month--much slower). I think that's partly a factor of the early weight being easier to lose, and being more comfortable with having a smaller deficit and sometimes going over, rather than evidence that going to the gym impedes weight loss I've been mostly happy with my progress -- even when it felt like months were going by without losing anything more, I could tell that I was getting fitter and clothes were getting looser, and various health markers (BP, blood glucose, cholesterol panel) improved substantially. Plus, even without much loss, I was happy that I wasn't gaining the weight back, which is such a common thing to happen.

nicsflyingcircus

I've lost dang near 90 lbs without exercise. I have only recently (last week or so) even started going for dedicated walks. in an attempt to boost my daily step count.

Calorie deficit = weight loss
Exercise = fitness

Kalikel

Lots of people lose without exercise. Hell, tons of anorexics don't exercise and if there is one thing they're good at, it's losing weight.

I have a very tough time losing and exercise is my godsend. I'd lose very little without it, even on 1200 calories.

DaivaSimone

Diet is for weightloss. Exercise is for fitness. I think that I don't understand why I would want to be skinny without being fit, so I'm doing both, but it's clearly possible to do just one or the other.

TheVirgoddess

I've lost 56 pounds since April. I do yoga a few times a week, and I walk a lot - but I do zero cardio or high intensity stuff.

PrizePopple

I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months on very little exercise. I wanted to focus on one aspect first that I know is the biggest problem for me and that's food. Eating properly is not my strong suit. I can get out and walk, and do, but that would be totally negated if I came home and ate half a pizza for dinner. So getting my eating habits solidly in check is first. Hopefully in the very near future DH and I will be able to invest in a bar and weights to set up a "gym" in the garage.

shai74

IO

DaivaSimone wrote: »

Diet is for weightloss. Exercise is for fitness. I think that I don't understand why I would want to be skinny without being fit, so I'm doing both, but it's clearly possible to do just one or the other.

It's also possible to be big, and fit (enough). I am. I can go all day. I would say I'm a fair bit fitter than some of my "thin" friends. It's perfectly feasable to lose weight and remain the same fitness you were when you were bigger.