Is it possible to lose weight while sedentary?

doIIparts

I'm 5'4, 119lbs, female and 18 years old. If I could exercise I would, but I'm unable to for personal reasons. Taking into account my details, and assuming that I am COMPLETELY sedentary (i.e: not even walking much)...would it be possible for me to lose weight? Say around 10lbs?

If so, how?

I already eat reasonably healthy and consume around 1,200 calories per day. What else can I do?

I realize that being sedentary is extremely unhealthy, and as soon as my personal issues are resolved I will be working on that. For now though, I really need to lose weight to improve my self esteem.

TavistockToad

why do you want to lose weight when you are only 119lbs to start with?

i can tell you with 100% certainty that losing 10lbs without any exercise will NOT make you look any better, you will still be squishy and lack muscle tone.

doIIparts

why do you want to lose weight when you are only 119lbs to start with?

i can tell you with 100% certainty that losing 10lbs without any exercise will NOT make you look any better, you will still be squishy and lack muscle tone.

I know 119lbs is in the healthy weight range, but I still look fat somehow. I realize that losing weight without exercise isn't ideal, but honestly I'd rather be skinnyfat than just fat. And I'd be able to work on toning later down the line.

patrickfish7

I'm guessing you are slender so why do you want to lose weight? No exercise = a plan for failure. Why don't you want to exercise? Cant be bothered? No time?

sanfly

At 5'4 and 119lb, the you're probably at worst 'skinny-fat' and in all likelihood actually just being really hard on yourself. The best way to solve that is to build muscle tone. Hard to say without actually seeing you, but if you lost more weight (especially just through eating at a deficit) you would probably just end up looking wan and emaciated.

Deal with your personal problems first, don't rely on being thin(er) to make you feel good!

moolovesme

You shouldn't lose weight at 119 lbs at 5'4". That's already a healthy weight, and losing any more won't help the way you look.

What you do need to do is gain muscle in order for your body to look better in terms of tone. Unfortunately, that can only be done with exercise, specifically strength training. You'll have to make time for it and do it (unless this is a medical issue?). For now, if you really can't exercise, the best you can do is eat extremely healthy at, or more, than 1200 calories. 1200 is the absolute minimum.

sheepysaccount

why do you want to lose weight when you are only 119lbs to start with?

i can tell you with 100% certainty that losing 10lbs without any exercise will NOT make you look any better, you will still be squishy and lack muscle tone.

I know 119lbs is in the healthy weight range, but I still look fat somehow. I realize that losing weight without exercise isn't ideal, but honestly I'd rather be skinnyfat than just fat. And I'd be able to work on toning later down the line.

At 119 lbs there is no way you're fat. The only way for you to get some definition into your body is to exercise. If you can't/won't do it, then your body will stay in the same shape.

doIIparts

I'm guessing you are slender so why do you want to lose weight? No exercise = a plan for failure. Why don't you want to exercise? Cant be bothered? No time?

Like I said, if I could exercise I would. I don't want to go into detail, but I have some serious issues that prevent me from living an ordinary life. There are many things I can't do, exercise included.

starrylioness

119 sounds pretty slim to me with your height. I can't imagine that you are actually fat. Why not do some exercise for toning? Do you not have time? I can understand that but really, even thirty minutes a day helps so much! Even if it's just a few crunches in your bedroom or a DVD for Zumba or walking in place! Anything helps, really.

TavistockToad

why do you want to lose weight when you are only 119lbs to start with?

i can tell you with 100% certainty that losing 10lbs without any exercise will NOT make you look any better, you will still be squishy and lack muscle tone.

I know 119lbs is in the healthy weight range, but I still look fat somehow. I realize that losing weight without exercise isn't ideal, but honestly I'd rather be skinnyfat than just fat. And I'd be able to work on toning later down the line.

by losing more weight you will also lose even more LBM, which is a LOT harder to put back on than it is to lose it in the first place. you are more than likely skinny fat already.

you dont say why you can exercise but i would strongly advise against trying to lose more weight, instead, work on your self esteem and start a decent workout programme when you can.

neandermagnon

why do you want to lose weight when you are only 119lbs to start with?

i can tell you with 100% certainty that losing 10lbs without any exercise will NOT make you look any better, you will still be squishy and lack muscle tone.

I know 119lbs is in the healthy weight range, but I still look fat somehow. I realize that losing weight without exercise isn't ideal, but honestly I'd rather be skinnyfat than just fat. And I'd be able to work on toning later down the line.

by losing more weight you will also lose even more LBM, which is a LOT harder to put back on than it is to lose it in the first place. you are more than likely skinny fat already.

you dont say why you can exercise but i would strongly advise against trying to lose more weight, instead, work on your self esteem and start a decent workout programme when you can.

^^^^ this

you say you don't care if you are "skinny-fat" but it sounds like you're already skinny-fat and clearly you don't like how you look... I think the above advice to not try to lose weight is better. If you can't exercise due to illness or disability, then see a physio and ask what you can do to strengthen your muscles and improve bone density. If you can't exercise due to other issues, then like the person above says, wait until you can exercise before trying to lose more weight.

jigsaw_me

Exercises for toning = squats; lunges; crunches; planks;

now assuming you're wheelchair bound and can only move your arms - bicep curls (use cans as weights or containers filled with sand / water); tricep extensions; etc

Donners185

When you are in a healthy weight range but are unhappy with the way you look usually the best course of action is strength training. It will totally change your shape. You may not lose very much on the scale but you will lose inches and transform your body. It sounds like you are just unhappy with your overall shape and "tone". With that being said you have said you can't exercise. Although this would be your best option it is of course possible to lose weight when sedentary. Based on your stats your body burns roughly 1659 cals a day even when you are sedentary. You should aim for 1409 cals a day. This would give you a weight loss of half a pound a week which would be a realistic target. Your BMR (the minimum amount of calories your body needs a day for basic function, ie if you were in a coma) is 1382. You should try not to eat below this number. You are not overweight and do not need to starve yourself. This should be a very slow progress especially if you aren't exercising. Everyone has their own opinion and this is just a suggestion. Different things work for different people. If what you are doing isn't working you need to change something. Good luck.

cafeaulait7

Sweetie, you need to see a GP for what's making you uncomfortable about your figure. I know it's causing you so much anxiety, but you can do it. I really think it might be something medical, but I think it's a 99.999% probability that it's something you can definitely handle! That said, I'm scared it could cause serious problems if untreated. Please take care

TamaraKat

As everyone here previously stated, I wouldn't try to lose that weight. For females, if you dip below 12% body fat, you are actually putting yourself at risk with your menstruation cycle. I would begin with resolving your personal issues and try for strength training regime and focus more on gaining rather than losing... but that IS my two cents.

Rai007

Did you lose weight before or this is your original weight
Donot get in the calorie counting pain to lose just 10 lbs

your only solution is strenght training
and with that you need a lot of patience to change body composition.
losing 10 lbs with diet and cardio is only going to take away muscle with fat
so have some confidence in you
it is not about the weight something else is maybe bothering you.

Rai007

And if possible have your body fat and lbm tested through a scan.

FerretBuellerr

Can you lose weight while sedentary? Short answer - yes.

Should YOU lose weight? Probably not. I'm with the other posters - you seem to be having some self-esteem issues regarding your body, and losing more weight most likely won't change that. Your current weight and height seem perfect to me!

Deal with the personal issues your facing first, then do some strength training so you can lose body fat and inches and get that appearance that you want. As everyone else here is suggesting, you probably just need to "firm up" certain areas and you'll be happy with your body, rather than just losing more weight when you don't really need to at all.

Good luck!

Mokey41

OP, losing 10 lbs won't improve your self esteem, that comes from within. You're already a good weight for your height so if you're seeing some "fat" it's most likely just that you have no muscle to keep you looking good.

I realize you've stated you can't/won't exercise but exercise doesn't have to be at the gym or running the road. There are lots of Youtube videos you can do at home, in your bedroom with the door closed. You can use juice cans as weights to do some strength training. March in place, dance, lots of things you can do if you want to.

rosemary98

the answer is you can obviously lose weight while sedentary. you just create a calorie deficit based on your maintenance weight. This is not to say you need to lose weight or that losing weight without exercise is ideal, I am simply saying it is definitely possible.

What I have learned: I weighed 130 and almost 5'6.'' I never exercised. And while I was in a healthy weight range...I looked flabby. I lost 30 pounds. I was no longer flabby...I was just skinny. What I should have done is started to workout...then my body at 125 or even 130 would have been great. someone's tag line says something along the lines of "skinny women look good in clothes, fit women look good naked." something like that. and it is true.

jamesforest754

Of course it's possible.

Like any human being, trying to lose weight will need a regular amount of determination.

As things are, there is no way to lose weight (even if you are the most active person in the world) if: "You eat way more than what you burn".

That's right, aside from exercises that help burn fat and cholesterol, anyone who wants to lose weight should know that a healthy and balanced diet is important, in other words: "even if you burn 4000 calories a day, if you eat 8000 calories during that same day, it's pointless".

For now, just focus on giving yourself a "reason" WHY you should lose weight, it could be anything, but it has to be enough of a reason, otherwise you're just gonna end up not losing (possibly gaining) weight.

After this you should determine and set a "GOAL WEIGHT", after achieving this goal weight comes maintaining that weight, but again having a good/great reason to lose weight should be your top priority before starting anything.


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