Weight loss with just diet changes?

jps2222

My sister is having some significant musculoskeletal problems and can't do a lot of anything active these days, but she really wants/needs to drop some weight. Anyone able to share their experiences with starting out with only diet changes and how to make that successful?

queenliz99

Have you read the stickies? Like this one?

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

All your sister needs is a calorie deficit.

spring913

Weight loss is all about diet. Exercise is for health. Sure, you get to eat more calories when you exercise, but for weight loss it's not needed at all. I've lost weight without exercise in the past with WW. Her Calories in < Calories out. That simple. Not easy, simple.

jps2222

Yeah, that's what I told her as I showed her the MFP app today. Just wondering what people's experiences are and if it's hard to achieve a calorie deficit regularly without exercise. I find there are days when I'm needing more than my calorie allowance gives me and if I weren't exercising to "buy" more calories it would be really hard to keep that deficit.

tlflag1620

I lost 50 lbs without changing my activity level (lightly active) and without formal exercise. I did have to be more restrictive with my food choices. When you can't (or choose not to) "buy" extra calories with exercise, satiety becomes paramount. I followed, and continue to follow for over three years now, a LCHF diet. This has allowed me to feel full and satisfied on a lot less calories than I could ever feel satisfied on when I was eating grains, high sugar fruit, and starchy vegetables.

All your sister needs is a deficit, this is true. When exercise is not possible or practical, the focus needs on be on getting the most satiety and nutrition out of the relatively fewer calories you have to work with. She may have to be more rigid in food choices in order to do this. Or not, some people can eat smaller portions of what they always ate and not go hungry (I couldn't do that). The best place to start is to just start logging and look for places to cut back. If she struggles with hunger on smaller portions, then it's time to focus on macros.

SusanMFindlay

If she can't exercise, she'll likely want to be a bit more conservative about the deficit she's aiming for. e.g. Aim to lose 1 pound/week instead of 2 (depending on her stats). It can certainly be done. The first time I calorie counted, I only added exercise after I'd lost about 15 pounds.

Also, exercise can be gentle. Even walking helps.

janetennet

Hi,
So I was admitted to hospital 3 weeks ago and needed an operation etc. The only exercise I've been able to do in the 3 weeks is 3 x 5km slow walks (very slow!), in this time I've kept to my calorie goals (most days - sometimes you need to have a pity party and eat some sweets but keeping the average during the week) I've still managed to loose approx 3kgs...
It is 100% possible to lose weight without exercise you just need to be stricter about your diet

Christine_72

I lost the majority of my weight (24lbs in 4mths) with zero exercise. I was very sedentary, like under 3000 steps a day sedentary.

tomteboda

My mom is 100% disabled. She cannot stand unassisted, she cannot take a step at all.

She has lost 130 lbs over the last year and a half solely through calorie reduction.

It would be a lot easier if she could get out and walk or do any exercise at all, but sadly her physical therapy doesn't burn many and can't because she can't move her own legs.

As for me, I lost my first 40 lbs without any real activity as well because I had pericarditis (heart inflammation). It just takes honesty about your food intake.

neohdiver

I've lost 72 lbs over the last year, without doing any more exercise than I was doing before (not much - I climb to my 3rd floor office a couple of times a day), and conquering cancer on the way to my lowest adult weight.

For most of that period I was either at maintenance (not specifically counting calories), or eating 1200 calories a day. For 8 weeks (total in two stretches), I was on a very low calorie diet to attempt to put diabetes in remission.

For me it's just a matter of setting my mind to it. This time, because of diabetes, the content was different - my carbs were limited and I had a protein goal. Beyond that, the difference was made up in fat.

jps2222

Thanks, everyone! Very encouraging!

SCoil123

When I tore my meniscus I couldn't walk for about 6 weeks and then still couldn't walk much for another month when I got off of crutches. All I did was cut a few more calories from my allowance and a daily 15-20 minute light rehab work out.

k_nelson_24

I started my journey solely with counting calories. I lost a significant amount of weight before I even considered getting in any exercise! It can be done! Proper nutrition/your diet is the majority of weight loss.