"You can lose weight without working out". YES. But...
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Being a healthy weight and being fit are not the same thing. Obviously you don't need to engage in any form of exercise to get to a healthy weight. Does not mean you are fit. Need to separate the two topics.
Benefits to being at a healthy weight - even more by being fit. If you hate to exercise (however you define it) - then don't. If you have found the benefits or challenges of trying to be "fit" - then exercise has enormous benefits and opportunities.0 -
Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Thanks everyone for your input. At the end of the day I guess losing weight is gonna significantly improve people's health even without exercise, so if they don't want to do it they shouldn't feel like they have to.
For me feeling "athletic" for the first time ever felt like such a positive, encouraging change I want everyone to experience it too, but I think I see where the advice is coming from.
A little different take: I've been very active for about 14 years, starting around age 46, when I realized that in order to feel happy, healthy and strong ever again after cancer treatment - surgery, chemotherapy, radiation - I was going to have to work at it.
Soon enough after, I was rowing multiple times a week, doing aerobics in the off-season, going to spin classes, lifted regularly for a couple of years, and more . . . all while staying obese. Rowing made me want to do the other forms of exercise, to improve. I was eating healthy foods - way too much of them. I gained muscles, lost 2-3 jeans sizes, had decent cardiovascular fitness, and even medaled in a few races. Still obese!
So I get what you're saying about exercise as a motivator, in a way. Rowing changed my life.
But I didn't lose weight until I changed my eating. That's why I'm willing to say, for backhanded reasons, that people can do it without exercising. (I wouldn't urge it: Unnecessary loss of LBM, increased likelihood of worse adaptive thermogenesis, lower calorie goals, etc.) But it can work.
Bizarrely, multiple people who've known me for the whole time have asked "How did you lose weight? I'll bet it was all your rowing!" and refused to be dissuaded from this idea. My exercise load hasn't changed dramatically.
Some people think exercise is literally the key (in a different way than you do, OP, via motivation). They have a totally crazy idea of how much exercise equals how much food. They think they literally can't lose weight without exercising. They can, and we should tell them that . . . with the appropriate caveats.
And I think you should tell them how motivating being active has been for you, because lotsa data points are good, and you'll convince some.
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snowflake954 wrote: »I don't have a dog--but I have a husband, and walk alot with him. Does that count?
Be sure to pick up after him if he poops though.4 -
Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Thanks everyone for your input. At the end of the day I guess losing weight is gonna significantly improve people's health even without exercise, so if they don't want to do it they shouldn't feel like they have to.
For me feeling "athletic" for the first time ever felt like such a positive, encouraging change I want everyone to experience it too, but I think I see where the advice is coming from.
A little different take: I've been very active for about 14 years, starting around age 46, when I realized that in order to feel happy, healthy and strong ever again after cancer treatment - surgery, chemotherapy, radiation - I was going to have to work at it.
Soon enough after, I was rowing multiple times a week, doing aerobics in the off-season, going to spin classes, lifted regularly for a couple of years, and more . . . all while staying obese. Rowing made me want to do the other forms of exercise, to improve. I was eating healthy foods - way too much of them. I gained muscles, lost 2-3 jeans sizes, had decent cardiovascular fitness, and even medaled in a few races. Still obese!
So I get what you're saying about exercise as a motivator, in a way. Rowing changed my life.
But I didn't lose weight until I changed my eating. That's why I'm willing to say, for backhanded reasons, that people can do it without exercising. (I wouldn't urge it: Unnecessary loss of LBM, increased likelihood of worse adaptive thermogenesis, lower calorie goals, etc.) But it can work.
Bizarrely, multiple people who've known me for the whole time have asked "How did you lose weight? I'll bet it was all your rowing!" and refused to be dissuaded from this idea. My exercise load hasn't changed dramatically.
Some people think exercise is literally the key (in a different way than you do, OP, via motivation). They have a totally crazy idea of how much exercise equals how much food. They think they literally can't lose weight without exercising. They can, and we should tell them that . . . with the appropriate caveats.
And I think you should tell them how motivating being active has been for you, because lotsa data points are good, and you'll convince some.
Ah! Good point! I totally see what you're saying. Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful response. And congrats on all you've accomplished so far!!0 -
RIP Baby Emma. Walking her was a long and slow process.
But walking, or should i say running this guy is definitely a workout!
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Corr blimey, sorry about the size of the pics!
They came out the perfect size on my phone where i posted them from, but huuuge on my pc. 3 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Corr blimey, sorry about the size of the pics! They came out the perfect size on my phone where i posted them from, but huuuge on my pc.
Hey, he's a big dog. Especially in the superhero suit.
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I wish there were an "Adorable" I could click.4
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Micah would like to know why this is not exercise.
So far we've had 4 deep snowfalls this year. We walk most days on a path through a nature area that is largely unmaintained except for by the footfalls of the handful of people who use it. In the winter, that generally means I'm cutting my own path. In fall and spring it may mean slogging through mud. Year-round it means climbing over fallen trees or clearing branches out of the way.
The old dog, Beowulf (English springer spaniel) is pretty challenged to keep up at our typical 2.7-3 mph pace (2.5 mph in the snow pictured, which imo was a pretty good clip all things considered). I keep the black lab engaged with a constant game of Frisbee, which has the benefit of giving me some arm exercise.
For a "break" we head out to hiking paths that are more challenging, year-round.
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queenliz99 wrote: »
This is my dog who gets walked everyday, at least 5 miles a day. He is wearing his smile.
I don't want to alarm you, but your dog might in fact be a polar bear.9 -
everyone is different. working out is not for me.0
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ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »I cringe too when people throw that piece of terrible advice out there. Exercise helps increase the calories a person will burn in a day and also it will help create more muscle mass which also will itself increase calorie burn in general. Since muscle is active tissue as opposed the dead weight that fat is. I know some people just seriously don't have time for exercise and others seriously despise exercise, and for those people they need the hope of losing weight with out exercise. And yeah, they may be able to lose weight with no exercise but that doesn't mean we should run around telling everyone that they don't need exercise when they come in looking for advice on exercise.
There was a lady who posted once stating she was a stay home mother with small children and needed ways to exercise from home to assist her weight loss efforts. All the "You don't need exercise to lose weight!" and "Stop making excuses!" Crowd came out to put her through the wringer. I don't think she ever came back here again thanks to all the unhelpful, and to be honest quite snarling and rude, "advice" she received here.
*facepalm* you don't gain muscle if you cut calories2 -
My take from what that poster said is that walking her dog isn't "exercise" because she does it everyday and doesn't have to put on special clothes and drive to a gym. And I'm sure if she logged that as exercise, certain MFPers would ride her for it.snickerscharlie wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »I dont exercize, iv lost 54lbs. I walk to the shops and walk the dog, look after my toddler and work....I.dont really stop all day. So theres no chance in hell im getting up at 4am to do a run or wasting precious evenings at the gym when I dont need to. U dont need exercize to lose weight or to be healthy.
"I don't exercize"
but
"I walk to the shops and walk the dog"
So you do exercise...............
I think people are defining the term exercise differently. To me-walking the dog, walking while doing errands etc is just being active in your every day life and not 'exercise' per se.
But for some very sedentary people (whether by choice or physical limitations) what you consider normal *would* constitute exercise for them.
Just to point out, many here would say that poster should include anything she does every day in her daily activity setting (ie: lightly active) rather than separately log walking the dog. Me, I walk 10 hours a day and have my activity set to moderately active. Yes, all that walking is exercise, but I do it daily and include it in my activity setting. I do walking videos 3-4 times a week and log those as exercise.
General comment - if people don't want to exercise, they don't need to. It doesn't make them less healthy or care less about their health. It just means they don't exercise.
All reputable medical organizations would disagree with your general comment.1 -
The way I look at if someone's choices does not negatively affect me I don't care what they do. Don't want to "workout " and be gleeful and proud that you don't, fine by me. My choice to workout isn't about weight but the numerous benefits it has given my quality of life. I'm "mildly" disabled and this Fall, for my kid's field trip, was able to complete several courses at a tree climbing obstacles zip lining park (total American Ninja stuff). I would have not been able to do that 5 years ago. The joy I felt was immeasurable. Find your own joy and bliss, for me that means daily exercise.4
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Honestly until I joined MFP I had never heard of exercising so that I could eat more. I thought GREAT!
My exercise became all about "food" and how I could get more of it. Really messed with my mind...I had to get off of that band wagon. So now...
I use my exercise to set my activity level and to create a small part of my deficit, to cover any errors in my calorie tracking and to keep me moving. At my age exercise has become more about doing things that keep me mobile for longer and being able to do the things that I need to do to stay functional. I don't worry about getting "big" calorie burns. I am more concerned about if I can do the things that I need to do and equally important the things that I want to do. Much of my "exercising" does not burn many more calories than if I was just sitting...I am okay with that because it keeps me more mobile. I don't log them...I don't consider eating any portion of those calories back.
I believe that diet and exercise go hand in hand for better health...but each are their own separate entity one is not totally dependent upon the other. I think that each person has to establish what their goals are.
Exercise did not motivate me to lose weight. However...not being able to do the things that I wanted and needed to do did motivate me. I lived in two consecutive apartments that had some rather steep hills. Being over weight and out of shape made it extremely difficult to navigate them. Plus I lived in areas where transportation was primarily walking and I was having to take too many breaks just to get where I wanted to be. That was my motivation to work on both my weight and my fitness.4 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
My take from what that poster said is that walking her dog isn't "exercise" because she does it everyday and doesn't have to put on special clothes and drive to a gym. And I'm sure if she logged that as exercise, certain MFPers would ride her for it.snickerscharlie wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »I dont exercize, iv lost 54lbs. I walk to the shops and walk the dog, look after my toddler and work....I.dont really stop all day. So theres no chance in hell im getting up at 4am to do a run or wasting precious evenings at the gym when I dont need to. U dont need exercize to lose weight or to be healthy.
"I don't exercize"
but
"I walk to the shops and walk the dog"
So you do exercise...............
I think people are defining the term exercise differently. To me-walking the dog, walking while doing errands etc is just being active in your every day life and not 'exercise' per se.
But for some very sedentary people (whether by choice or physical limitations) what you consider normal *would* constitute exercise for them.
Just to point out, many here would say that poster should include anything she does every day in her daily activity setting (ie: lightly active) rather than separately log walking the dog. Me, I walk 10 hours a day and have my activity set to moderately active. Yes, all that walking is exercise, but I do it daily and include it in my activity setting. I do walking videos 3-4 times a week and log those as exercise.
General comment - if people don't want to exercise, they don't need to. It doesn't make them less healthy or care less about their health. It just means they don't exercise.
All reputable medical organizations would disagree with your general comment.
I'm quite sure most medical organizations would count being active and walking as good enough though. Don't know about walking the dog... but I guess it depends on the dog. Mine doesn't really stop a lot (he will only pee and poop in our backyard), so I can still walk pretty fast with him, but he hates other dogs, so I usually don't walk him anyway (not relaxing at all when he spazzes out every time he gets barked at).
I definitely want my next dog to be a good walking/hiking dog though.3 -
snowflake954 wrote: »I don't have a dog--but I have a husband, and walk alot with him. Does that count?
as long as you dont have to use a pooper scooper well let you slide with that one lol
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Packerjohn wrote: »
My take from what that poster said is that walking her dog isn't "exercise" because she does it everyday and doesn't have to put on special clothes and drive to a gym. And I'm sure if she logged that as exercise, certain MFPers would ride her for it.snickerscharlie wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »I dont exercize, iv lost 54lbs. I walk to the shops and walk the dog, look after my toddler and work....I.dont really stop all day. So theres no chance in hell im getting up at 4am to do a run or wasting precious evenings at the gym when I dont need to. U dont need exercize to lose weight or to be healthy.
"I don't exercize"
but
"I walk to the shops and walk the dog"
So you do exercise...............
I think people are defining the term exercise differently. To me-walking the dog, walking while doing errands etc is just being active in your every day life and not 'exercise' per se.
But for some very sedentary people (whether by choice or physical limitations) what you consider normal *would* constitute exercise for them.
Just to point out, many here would say that poster should include anything she does every day in her daily activity setting (ie: lightly active) rather than separately log walking the dog. Me, I walk 10 hours a day and have my activity set to moderately active. Yes, all that walking is exercise, but I do it daily and include it in my activity setting. I do walking videos 3-4 times a week and log those as exercise.
General comment - if people don't want to exercise, they don't need to. It doesn't make them less healthy or care less about their health. It just means they don't exercise.
All reputable medical organizations would disagree with your general comment.
I'm quite sure most medical organizations would count being active and walking as good enough though. Don't know about walking the dog... but I guess it depends on the dog. Mine doesn't really stop a lot (he will only pee and poop in our backyard), so I can still walk pretty fast with him, but he hates other dogs, so I usually don't walk him anyway (not relaxing at all when he spazzes out every time he gets barked at).
I definitely want my next dog to be a good walking/hiking dog though.
I had a beagle that was the same way...he turned in to this demon possessed creature if he even smelled another dog...even a pigeon would set him off. Loved people however. It was a nightmare just taking him out since I lived in an apartment in the city.2 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
My take from what that poster said is that walking her dog isn't "exercise" because she does it everyday and doesn't have to put on special clothes and drive to a gym. And I'm sure if she logged that as exercise, certain MFPers would ride her for it.snickerscharlie wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »I dont exercize, iv lost 54lbs. I walk to the shops and walk the dog, look after my toddler and work....I.dont really stop all day. So theres no chance in hell im getting up at 4am to do a run or wasting precious evenings at the gym when I dont need to. U dont need exercize to lose weight or to be healthy.
"I don't exercize"
but
"I walk to the shops and walk the dog"
So you do exercise...............
I think people are defining the term exercise differently. To me-walking the dog, walking while doing errands etc is just being active in your every day life and not 'exercise' per se.
But for some very sedentary people (whether by choice or physical limitations) what you consider normal *would* constitute exercise for them.
Just to point out, many here would say that poster should include anything she does every day in her daily activity setting (ie: lightly active) rather than separately log walking the dog. Me, I walk 10 hours a day and have my activity set to moderately active. Yes, all that walking is exercise, but I do it daily and include it in my activity setting. I do walking videos 3-4 times a week and log those as exercise.
General comment - if people don't want to exercise, they don't need to. It doesn't make them less healthy or care less about their health. It just means they don't exercise.
All reputable medical organizations would disagree with your general comment.
I'm quite sure most medical organizations would count being active and walking as good enough though. Don't know about walking the dog... but I guess it depends on the dog. Mine doesn't really stop a lot (he will only pee and poop in our backyard), so I can still walk pretty fast with him, but he hates other dogs, so I usually don't walk him anyway (not relaxing at all when he spazzes out every time he gets barked at).
I definitely want my next dog to be a good walking/hiking dog though.
I had a beagle that was the same way...he turned in to this demon possessed creature if he even smelled another dog...even a pigeon would set him off. Loved people however. It was a nightmare just taking him out since I lived in an apartment in the city.
LOL..our new furry friend is a beagle...6 years old...he howls at anything in a hat. And if the person is running with a hat on, LOOK OUT!2 -
I'm team "yes but...". Mostly for the mental health improvements that exercise brings.5
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