Losing weight on just eating healthy??
riley_kinnett
Posts: 60 Member
Got a quick question for the people that have been losin weight just by calorie counting and not really going to the gym. I am set at 1490 for my daily calories. I am 5'6" 179lb, 19 years old & want to get to 160lb. About a year ago I started going to the gym 5-6 days a week and doing mostly cardio for an hour and was eating about 1600-1700 calories each day. I went from 188lb to 167lb in about 6 months. I was very happy, but then I moved, got a new job, switched colleges and blah blah blah. Long story short I fell off the wagon and gained back about 15lb. So my question is: has there been a pretty good success rate with people JUST dieting? I would love to go to the gym, but working full time and going to school full time... There is only so many hours in the day. I do work at a car dealership now so I have my activity level set to lightly active because about half the day I am out in the lot and half the day I am in the office. Is this a good strategy or will I need to get back in the gym?? Sorry this post is so long!!
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No, you don't need to get back to the gym in order to lose weight.2
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Yes you can lose from diet alone as long as you have a calorie deficit. If you want to get back to the gym, then go. Exercise for cardiovascular health and fitness, fuel your workouts, but otherwise weight loss is going to come from having that deficit.0
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Yes you can lose from diet alone as long as you have a calorie deficit. If you want to get back to the gym, then go. Exercise for cardiovascular health and fitness, fuel your workouts, but otherwise weight loss is going to come from having that deficit.
Doesn't MFP automatically put in the deficit? So by eating 1490 cal I will be at a deficit?
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Really the gym just helps you burn more calories (from a weight loss perspective), so staying in a calorie deficit is all you need to do. I certainly advocate the gym from a muscle, body composition perspective, but it's not necessary at all to lose weight.0
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riley_kinnett wrote: »Yes you can lose from diet alone as long as you have a calorie deficit. If you want to get back to the gym, then go. Exercise for cardiovascular health and fitness, fuel your workouts, but otherwise weight loss is going to come from having that deficit.
Doesn't MFP automatically put in the deficit? So by eating 1490 cal I will be at a deficit?
Well, you can use MFP to maintain or gain weight. But if your weekly weight loss goal is to lose, then yes, the amount of calories you are given will create a deficit.
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riley_kinnett wrote: »Yes you can lose from diet alone as long as you have a calorie deficit. If you want to get back to the gym, then go. Exercise for cardiovascular health and fitness, fuel your workouts, but otherwise weight loss is going to come from having that deficit.
Doesn't MFP automatically put in the deficit? So by eating 1490 cal I will be at a deficit?
Yes, it does and yes you will.
Just make sure you log accurately and consistently.1 -
I think you answered your own question, since you are losing weight. I haven't gone to the gym at all this year or worked out- aside from a few 30 day challenges and have had no issues loosing weight. It's all about the nutrition. When you get to where you want to be, and can spare 30 min a day to workout then you can start toning up.1
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I lost 60 pounds just through diet. I found it was easier to start with only my eating and then add in exercise. If you just focus on your food right now, once you've settled into your new setup it may be less stressful to think about working out.0
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riley_kinnett wrote: »Got a quick question for the people that have been losin weight just by calorie counting and not really going to the gym. I am set at 1490 for my daily calories. I am 5'6" 179lb, 19 years old & want to get to 160lb. About a year ago I started going to the gym 5-6 days a week and doing mostly cardio for an hour and was eating about 1600-1700 calories each day. I went from 188lb to 167lb in about 6 months. I was very happy, but then I moved, got a new job, switched colleges and blah blah blah. Long story short I fell off the wagon and gained back about 15lb. So my question is: has there been a pretty good success rate with people JUST dieting? I would love to go to the gym, but working full time and going to school full time... There is only so many hours in the day. I do work at a car dealership now so I have my activity level set to lightly active because about half the day I am out in the lot and half the day I am in the office. Is this a good strategy or will I need to get back in the gym?? Sorry this post is so long!!
I'm also 5'6'' and started out close to where you're at (though I started my weight loss phase in my 30s). I lost around 50lbs (and improved all my health markers), by just focusing on my calorie intake and no exercise. Now I'm a few years into maintenance, still don't do intentional exercise besides being a bit more active in my day to day activities, and I currently weigh 128lbs.
To lose weight you just need to be at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals.0 -
When you set up your goal on MFP it includes your non-exercise daily activity (NEAT) and base metabolism that your body burns to stay alive [pump heart, breath, brain function, etc] (BMR). From that number is subtracts the number of calories per day for your weekly goal. So for one pound a week it would be NEAT+BMR-500=Calorie Goal. Eating that amount a person would lose weight assuming they put in all their information correctly and log their food correctly. All exercise would do is add to the total calories burned in a day above that amount.0
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You absolutely don't need the gym to lose weight. All that matters is a calorie deficit -- taking in fewer calories than you burn. CI < CO. (And yes, that calorie figure MFP gave you has your deficit built into it. You don't need to eat below it.)
Some people speed up the rate of loss by working both ends of that formula. So they eat less and burn more. This is what you did back at your old college.
Some people just increase their calorie burn with activity (CO) and hold their calories (CI) steady. This is less common. And it'll only help someone maintain a healthy weight long term if they're eating a reasonable number of calories to begin with.
What's more common, and what you're asking to do now, is hold activity steady (CO) and decrease calories (CI). Many people use this method for weight loss. And if someone's been consuming far more calories than their CO could reasonably match in order to maintain a healthy weight, then it's necessary for long term maintenace that they adapt to eating fewer calories anyway.
Short answer - Yeah, that can work.
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I was at 173 lbs and I'm 5'6", age 41 when I started. You definitely can lose just weighing food, counting cals and eating less. I only walked on the treadmill for exercise because I do not have an active lifestyle.
You mentioned "healthy" in your title. I'm a firm believer in changing your eating lifestyle to keep the weight off. I ate less prepared foods and aimed for whole grains and healthier snacks that I love. Protein, healthy fats, fiber to keep you fuller longer. I still indulge in yummy "bad" foods but tend to not keep them in the house as much. Because of this change, I've been maintaining within a weight range I set for myself for a year now. I once tried not weigh food or logging for 3 months and had success maintaining. Lifestyle change with your food is good thing!
Good luck to you!0 -
I was at 173 lbs and I'm 5'6", age 41 when I started. You definitely can lose just weighing food, counting cals and eating less. I only walked on the treadmill for exercise because I do not have an active lifestyle.
You mentioned "healthy" in your title. I'm a firm believer in changing your eating lifestyle to keep the weight off. I ate less prepared foods and aimed for whole grains and healthier snacks that I love. Protein, healthy fats, fiber to keep you fuller longer. I still indulge in yummy "bad" foods but tend to not keep them in the house as much. Because of this change, I've been maintaining within a weight range I set for myself for a year now. I once tried not weigh food or logging for 3 months and had success maintaining. Lifestyle change with your food is good thing!
Good luck to you!
I've found the opposite to be true for me-by keeping my food choices similar to what I used to eat, just in the correct calorie amounts, it makes this whole thing sustainable for me, for the long term (I'm approaching my 4 year maintenance anniversary in April). I continue to eat all the foods I enjoy and can easily do that for the next 45+ years
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Of course you can. Don't work out if you don't want to! However, to me it sounds like you could fit in a workout if you tried. There is a lot of free videos you can do online for 20-30 minutes a day. I love FitnessBlender and they even have programs for very cheap (although all of their videos are posted online for free) if you're looking for structure as opposed to , specifically they have one for "busy people" that I bought a year or 2 ago when short on time. Working out isn't limited to just the gym.0
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crzycatlady1 wrote: »I was at 173 lbs and I'm 5'6", age 41 when I started. You definitely can lose just weighing food, counting cals and eating less. I only walked on the treadmill for exercise because I do not have an active lifestyle.
You mentioned "healthy" in your title. I'm a firm believer in changing your eating lifestyle to keep the weight off. I ate less prepared foods and aimed for whole grains and healthier snacks that I love. Protein, healthy fats, fiber to keep you fuller longer. I still indulge in yummy "bad" foods but tend to not keep them in the house as much. Because of this change, I've been maintaining within a weight range I set for myself for a year now. I once tried not weigh food or logging for 3 months and had success maintaining. Lifestyle change with your food is good thing!
Good luck to you!
I've found the opposite to be true for me-by keeping my food choices similar to what I used to eat, just in the correct calorie amounts, it makes this whole thing sustainable for me, for the long term (I'm approaching my 4 year maintenance anniversary in April). I continue to eat all the foods I enjoy and can easily do that for the next 45+ years
And I'm in between. I knew what I was eating wasn't the best, but there was no way I was going to live on rabbit food so I've adjusted my diet to one that I still enjoy but is healthier than what I was eating.
It's a full range and each of us has to figure out where we sit on that range, what we can maintain and still be aware of the calories.1 -
"Eating healthy" does not always equate to losing weight. A calorie deficit does, though...1
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Yes, just doing confuse "eating healthy" with calorie counting. I can gain me some weight by "eating healthy".1
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I meant to put "by calorie counting" in the title... not just "eating healthy". Sorry for the mixup.1
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Tacklewasher wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »I was at 173 lbs and I'm 5'6", age 41 when I started. You definitely can lose just weighing food, counting cals and eating less. I only walked on the treadmill for exercise because I do not have an active lifestyle.
You mentioned "healthy" in your title. I'm a firm believer in changing your eating lifestyle to keep the weight off. I ate less prepared foods and aimed for whole grains and healthier snacks that I love. Protein, healthy fats, fiber to keep you fuller longer. I still indulge in yummy "bad" foods but tend to not keep them in the house as much. Because of this change, I've been maintaining within a weight range I set for myself for a year now. I once tried not weigh food or logging for 3 months and had success maintaining. Lifestyle change with your food is good thing!
Good luck to you!
I've found the opposite to be true for me-by keeping my food choices similar to what I used to eat, just in the correct calorie amounts, it makes this whole thing sustainable for me, for the long term (I'm approaching my 4 year maintenance anniversary in April). I continue to eat all the foods I enjoy and can easily do that for the next 45+ years
And I'm in between. I knew what I was eating wasn't the best, but there was no way I was going to live on rabbit food so I've adjusted my diet to one that I still enjoy but is healthier than what I was eating.
It's a full range and each of us has to figure out where we sit on that range, what we can maintain and still be aware of the calories.
I am sort of in between as well. I found that as I lost weight and logged my calories, I developed more of a taste for nutritionally rich foods. I didn't abandon all the other stuff I used to eat, but I ate less and would incorporate things that before I would never eat.0
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