Losing weight without the GYM?

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Replies

  • harktosh
    harktosh Posts: 25 Member
    Altogether I have lost close to 40lbs now and I haven't used the gym. I would love to get a membership for rock climbing and weight lifting since I just don't have room in my house for a rock wall or a bunch of weight machines, but it's not in my budget as of yet. The track at the highschool is free, the parks are free. A lot of my loss has just been from just watching how much food I'm putting on my plate.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    You can lose weight without the gym - Just eat less, and move around a lot more!!!

    The things I do like about the gym is:

    Latest machines
    I feel really motivated when I work out, seeing others working hard too... Pushes me!
    Nutrition, weight loss & diet advice from the PT walking around
    Meeting new friends - The social side
    I love my spin classes ... Love, Love, Spinning!!!!!!!!

    But I must admit a while ago I was thinking about making my 'home gym' .... This may all change when the winter sets in and I lose my motivation.... Arghhhhh!!
  • LessHeavyVeggie
    LessHeavyVeggie Posts: 208 Member
    I have never been to a gym in my life.

    I lost my first stone/15lbs or so without exercise, but now I use a stationary bike and rowing machine which I am lucky enough to have in the house/garage and I also go jogging (started out with c25k).

    Also walking is a great free exercise! - I now walk to most places and have saved a lot on bus tickets! Thinking about getting into cycling for longer journeys and to be quicker. Also I live near the country/sea so there are a lot of nice places to walk/cycle nearby. If you are able to walk/cycle to work everyday then that would be a good twice daily exercise.

    Also have a look on youtube - there are tons of free workout videos on there of basically every type.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Interesting to see the people who have lost weight without the gym or exercise which is the way to do it. For me, I have goals that can only be accomplish in the gym.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    You don't need to join a gym in order to lose weight. All you have to do is eat at a calorie deficiency. Adequate sleep/rest and hydration are also important components to weight loss. Nonetheless, as you lose weight, you will lose muscle and fat. It is highly recommended that you do some form of resistance or weight training in order to strengthen and preserve your remaining muscles. You could use your own body weight. Look up something like bodyweight exercises.
  • kade_cando
    kade_cando Posts: 6
    I've managed to lose weight despite not being able to work out. My back is bad enough it takes 5 minutes to get out of bed. I do my PT exercise and that's it. I think working out just helps to be able to eat more. In order for me to lose weight, I've had to be well under 1000 calories a day. It's working but I wish I could get in 500 calories worth of exercise.
  • dazwan
    dazwan Posts: 81 Member
    I found it was cheaper and a lot more fun to buy a bike. I cycle to work & back everyday bought a really nice bike. I have already paid for it. I save $40 a week in gas and have road my bike for 6 months now. I have already paid for the bike by all the savings in gas, and ride 12 miles to work & 12 miles home for a total of 24 miles a day. I have currently been riding for 6 months now and have lost of total of 45 pounds. Biking slims you down and it's fun your outdoors everyday & it beats the gym.
    Pretty much the same, being cycling to work and back since June. Also 12+12 miles, saving £40 (I guess gas/petrol is more expensive in the UK). As of today, lost 17lbs (lowest I've been since I had a dodgy thyroid).

    Not only is it cheaper and more fun (apart from dodging the occasional idiot driver in their 2 ton killing machines on busy stretches of road) but consider the time saved. By car my commute is 40 minutes, by cycle - 45 minutes so not a huge difference, but I don't need to then spend an additional 2 hours of my life in the gym when I get home.
  • GeeWillickers
    GeeWillickers Posts: 85 Member
    I've lost all of my weight without a gym. Started by walking then progressed to body weight exercises then to dumbbells. You do not need a gym to lose weight or gain strength at all.

    Edit: Overall I have lost 100 pounds prior to joining MFP.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    I know you've gotten a lot of responses but running, biking and general body weight exercises are all you need to lose weight. Gyms are great and I belong to one, mainly for accountability and friendships, but overall, there is no need to use one when you have everything you need on hand...your body!!! Good luck
  • MN4US
    MN4US Posts: 78 Member
    I've lost 40 pounds through just calorie control alone.

    I went from BMI 32 to 24..

    But I am much happier with the way my body looks and feels since joining the gym (when I hit a normal BMI).. Fitter, firmer, happier! :heart:
  • FemWeight
    FemWeight Posts: 96
    I personally am to embarrassed with the way I look and feel to show my chubby *kitten* off in a gym all sweating and exhausted after just a few exercises. However, I find it easy to use the treadmill and exercise videos at home.


    I am currently using the Biggest Loser At Home Challenge DVD Only been on it a week and have already dropped a pound, yay me!
    I have also bought the Biggest Loser Yoga DVD that I do once a week for now till I can get my body adjusted.

    But, to lose weight without the gym it can be done so many of us have just stay true to what you want out of the exercise.

    In the end I think it all depends on what you want to do and what will help you succeed. This is what I asked myself:
    1.) Do I need the support of others in the gym? Or can I push myself do this alone? 2.) Can I afford the extra money spent on the gym? Or Can I work with what I can afford as long as I keep pushing myself?

    Everyone has their own way of doing things and getting them accomplished I think all you do is just have to ask yourself what can I do to succeed.

    Either Way good Luck!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    You don't need a gym...you just have to eat a little less and move a little more....you don't need a gym to move.

    The gym is a great place for lifting weights though...that's all I do there.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I lost my first 42 pounds without setting foot in a gym. You can easily do it without a gym. Workout at home or at a park or elsewhere. Or don't workout and just adjust your eating so that you are taking in fewer calories than you burn.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    Me too. I've gotten all my exercise from outdoor running, indoor exercise videos, and progressive strength training at home. But that has mainly benefitted my fitness; my weight loss was primarily accomplished through regulating my food intake. I ran for almost a year without losing an ounce until I started tracking my calories through MFP.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I think I've been to the gym three times in the past eight weeks, though I need to start going again to get back into lifting. I either take a walk around the neighborhood or drive up to the metropark to walk for an hour.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    I lost weight before without working out. I actually thought i lost faster and easier. i was doing a restrictive food plan and didn't count calories. but when i do count the calories of an average day of that plan …i'd say it was under 1200. just ate tons of vegetables…and small portions of lean meats. no processed foods..no dairy…no salt..everything homemade. no alcohol. But.. i couldn't live like that… so of course gained it all back..


    So..this time i count calories and eat all the foods I like… I find exercsie allows me the cushion or erxtra calories I need to eat like a normal person..or at least normal to me. So..this time when I get to goal i can actually sustain my loss with the addition of exercise.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,022 Member
    I'm just curious how many of you were able to lose a significant amount of weight without joining the gym. I have been thinking about joining one, but then again I'm not sure. I have a treadmill at home and numerous exercise videos, so I am wondering if I should start with those first. Thanks in advance for any advice/comments! :flowerforyou:
    Friend of mine lost over 100lbs......................................and did it in a wheelchair since she's a quadraplegic.

    A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • lilredhead314
    lilredhead314 Posts: 52 Member
    I lost 40ish lbs in 4 months by just changing my diet. When I did start working out more, the weight stopped dropping off (10lb in 6 months, gained 5 back) , but way more people are noticing the changes in my body now!
  • ladybarometer
    ladybarometer Posts: 205 Member
    For me the scales goes down quicker without the gym, but with it people actually notice the weight loss. I'd rather workthout and stay strong than worry so much about the weight loss.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    I still haven't joined one. There really isn't a need unless you want to do weights but can't afford to buy or don't have space.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Losing weight is about the calories. The Gym is not the only place you can burn calories. However, some people find that they commit more when they are paying for a gym membership and make going on a schedule a regular part of their routine. For others it is totally not necessary.
  • lizzybathory
    lizzybathory Posts: 229
    The gym is not necessary! Right now I bike 13 miles a day to and from work, which is most of my exercise, and I do Jillian Michaels videos (they're hard!) when I feel like I need a little extra. I'm also planning on buying some more dumbbells and a lifting bench to put in my basement this winter.

    The gym is really convenient if you like to mix up your cardio machines (having an elliptical, a stationary bike, and a treadmill at home would be hard!) or if you want to do a lot of lifting that would require more expensive equipment. But you'd be surprised at how much strength training you can do with a very limited selection of equipment at home. And I've always preferred my cardio to happen outside when it's nice enough, anyway.
  • mamasitaroja
    mamasitaroja Posts: 52 Member
    I haven't been to the gym in 5 years. I got a FitBit from my DH for Christmas, and in addition to the 3-6 miles I try to walk or run several times a week, I now can see how much movement I do in a day. I also do the Insanity videos, Brazilian Buttlift, Zumba, or anything else that sounds good. Usually you can get free videos at the library, if you don't have sufficient internet capability to just watch online.

    My kids have the Xbox version of Just Dance, and we all have competitions using that thing. They have soccer...which means I have soccer......the list goes on.

    For me, having a set of a couple of different levels of hand weights, some cardio I enjoy, and the time to walk with my youngest (still in a stroller, so extra upper body resistance!) does it for me. I'm in nursing school (LOTS of sitting to study), and have still managed to lose 30+ pounds just doing these things.

    Find what is fun, makes you happy, and that you will do any time you can, and it will work! Good luck!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I'm just curious how many of you were able to lose a significant amount of weight without joining the gym.

    So far I've only lost a little, since I just started. But I plan to do lose it all without a gym because the nearest gym is a long drive. Long enough that it wouldn't be worth it even if it was free.
  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
    I'm just curious how many of you were able to lose a significant amount of weight without joining the gym. I have been thinking about joining one, but then again I'm not sure. I have a treadmill at home and numerous exercise videos, so I am wondering if I should start with those first. Thanks in advance for any advice/comments! :flowerforyou:
    Friend of mine lost over 100lbs......................................and did it in a wheelchair since she's a quadraplegic.

    A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ^^BAM!^^ Winner post.

    I lost most of my early weight just counting cals and walking. I weight lift now, but it's my home gym...I'm a germ-o-phobe.
  • Fatkraken
    Fatkraken Posts: 1 Member
    You certainly don't need the gym to lose weight, you don't need to exercise to lose weight (though it is necessary for overall health) AND you don't need the gym to exercise. I've never worked out in a gym, I do 5k runs about 3 times a week on local trails or on a public playing field. If you live somewhere where running outdoors is impractical because of weather, terrain or safety, a gym might be a good move to get fit, but it's calories in versus calories out that burns fat, in terms of weightloss exercise just lets you increase calories in but still lose weight by similarly increasing what you burn.
  • chinook44
    chinook44 Posts: 55 Member
    I've heard the rule of thumb for optimal weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise.

    IMHO - Make changes slowly or at your own pace. I focused on correcting what I was eating first (with no exercise), and have slowly become more active by walking more, and now have just started to lift at home this month (no gym) - now I am less than 10 lbs to my initial goal and feeling (and looking) SO much better!

    Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:
  • bigsistruck
    bigsistruck Posts: 125 Member
    Joined a gym once, went maybe twice a week for 4 months and didn't lose any weight because I hated it. Now, I do exercise DVDs...much cheaper and MUCH more fun. You don't have to worry about your appearance, or find a babysitter. I only do 20-30 minutes a day which is plenty to tone up and gain endurance when some of them are HIIT-like workouts. I have been doing great with my diet, and that's what truly matters in weight loss for the most part.
  • gingerpeachy6
    gingerpeachy6 Posts: 74 Member
    I used to have a gym membership but most times life just got in the way. I now do the shorter beachbody programs at home like t25, piyo and really looking forward to the new p90x coming out this fall. How much are you looking to lose? It depends on your motivation and scheduling. I just press play everyday, but to really be really honest about what I was eating when at first the weiht didn't fall off lol.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    I'm just curious how many of you were able to lose a significant amount of weight without joining the gym. I have been thinking about joining one, but then again I'm not sure. I have a treadmill at home and numerous exercise videos, so I am wondering if I should start with those first. Thanks in advance for any advice/comments! :flowerforyou:

    I lost 50 pounds just walking...and then stopped and gained some back. lol

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