How Many People Are Not Increasing Their Activity Level As Part Of Their Weight Loss Plan?

ElJefeChief

bcalvanese wrote: »

Are you including exercise into your plan in addition to cutting calories, or just cutting calories?

I am doing both, and think it would be much harder to just cut calories. If I sit around all day, I think of eating more, and wind up using up most of my calories too soon in the day. When I increased my activity level with exercise, I think about eating less, and have plenty of calories left over later in the day. In addition, the calories I have burned adds even more calories, so by the end of the day, I may still have calories left over, and am not even really hungry.

I think this is a very important point, because it could mean the difference between succeeding or not.

I completely agree. I exercise every day (no, I don't think exercising every day means impending injury) and I do it because it leaves me a comfortable calorie cushion and I have a good loss rate. I actually lost about 15 pounds prior to MFP without counting a single calorie. It was just from upping my exercise.

shadowfax_c11

My activity level was already very high. No need to increase. Just needed to cut calories.

PopeyeCT

I think it really depends on where you are in the grand scheme of things.

There is a huge difference between where I started, 280lbs and couldn't do a flight of stairs without resting, and someone who is trying to get rid of that last 2 pounds before the body building competition next month.

trina1049

weavingtheweb wrote: »

booksandchocolate12 wrote: »

trina1049 wrote: »

When I previously tried to lose weight I didn't exercise much, if at all, because I hated it (or so I thought). That was a mistake. I knew I had to do something about my weight so this time I started out walking and joined MFP. I read on the forums about the importance of maintaining muscle mass while losing so I joined a nearby gym and got my bum in gear. I took the weight lifting classes (Les Mills Body Pump) and cardio classes. I loved the lifting and cut way back on the cardio. That was the best method for me to get healthy. I also added a Fitbit to track my daily activity and make sure that I'm hitting 10,000 steps most days.

The Body Pump classes have reshaped my body and I'm into a 4/6 Petite (US) now, down from a 14/16. I've learned to love exercise and lots of daily activity.

Edited to add that I'm 65 years old, soon to be 66 and want to keep my bones healthy.

You are an inspiration!

I think you should re-post this every time someone says they're having a hard time losing weight "because of my age". Usually they're like 35 or something, LOL.

Agree!

Thanks for the kind words! I also try to keep it real, at 65+ it's all about health. Because of MFP I've found how to balance my diet and exercise with my life's activities and keep the diet/exercise as my priorities.

lucyholdcroft363

I've done dieting without exercise and lost a hundred pounds doing so, but then gained back a good fifty of those as I still was very unfit and sedentary and then made some bad food choices. So, I do believe you can lose weight that way as long as you are prepared to continue doing so. When I lost weight that way I was still flabby, weak and always absoloutely ravenous!

I'm now down seventeen pounds with ten to go by increasing my activity level, lifting and making sure I eat less than I burn. I like it as I find that I am much more 'toned' than I was during my last loss, I have more energy and I can enjoy the occasional takeout without having to starve myself all day! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the NSVs associated with exercise...like a new running PR, brilliant. It has me focused on a lifestyle which I love rather than a diet which I hated.