Losing without excercise?

charming_chrissy

Hi everyone,

I'm a new mom who's jus headed back to work and just cant seem to find the time to excercise.. how effective do u thinking counting calories alone is? I've lost almost 4 pounds in my first week of just counting calories without excercising... Anyone here who did it without excercising?

marly83

any movement is excercise hun, kids alone have you running rings lol, i think counting calories works if your active enouph without excercise, but if your sitting on ya butt all day i dont think it would, as long as you keep active a drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day i think it will work...........but im no professional..........thats just my opinion

solrak1969

It is possible. My first few months of weight loss was done without exercise.

sargent1976

I haven't done any exercise yet and i am losing weight each week. I know i will have to do some toning soon but finding the time is very hard. Counting calories is so simple and effective. I have been doing some extra walking and lots of un-necessary trips up the stairs at home but i haven't done any 'proper exercise'. Good luck, just keep counting the calories and it will come off, maybe just a little slower.


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backinthenines

It depends where you're at...

If you're very overweight you can still make a lot of inroads just by dietary lifestyle changes alone.

However, if you're already relatively lean and want to lose 10-15lb then diet alone may take you a long time to make little progress.

stella77

Yes, I did it without any real exrecise whatsoever. The only thing I did was 30 min fast walking with my son in the morning (me pushing the stroller). I was able to fit this in because my son used to wake up so early. He doesn't wake up as early anymore, so most days we don't get to do that anymore - but I am still losing weight.

And I also do 3 sets of 10 situps a day (well, most days)

I learned to accept my limitations (i.e. I had numerous gym memberships and always stopped going after a month or so) and to actually make this realistic for myself. And realistically, I know I won't ever be a great exercise fan.

I am now much lighter and feel great and do actually feel like doing more- so have decided to take a yoga class 3x a week with my friend. Not sure if I will stick to that, but it is worth a try.

Anyway, from what I can see, people who try to change to much too soon - usually give up sooner than the ones who make small changes. And I believe that once you lose a good amount of weight, you WILL feel like moving your body more. I would wait for that, rather than make myself do it . I never managed to stick to anything (long term) that requires too mush willpower or committment.

I have been on this since 03 Oct 2010 and still going strong.

rfcollins33

you can definitely lose weight without exercise, it's all about balancing with your caloric intake. As long as you are taking in less than you are burning you will lose weight. Now, I didn't say thats the healthiest option, but it is physiologically fact.

chiarajulieann

it's very possible. i lost weight on calorie counting alone. the key is to always keep within your limit or thereabouts. good luck!

jbaden01

My first month and a half was with little excercise. 20 minute walk, nothing strenuous. I am now doing about 800 calories/day on the elliptical machine, shooting baskets and walking the golf course and I am still losing just 2 lbs/week. So, my muscles feel better, my golf swing speed seems a little faster and my energy picked up but as for the weight loss, I don't think it really mattered.

lesley1981

You can lose weight without exercise, but exercise will help!

Even as little as taking the stairs rather than taking the lift, or parking the car that little bit further away can count as additional exercise.

I recently bought a DVD in the 10 Minute Solutions range. They're designed for people who may only be able to fit that 10 minutes into their day! I've been doing it for a few days now, and I'm already noticing a difference in my fitness level

McKayMachina

It also depends on your metabolism. I have 83 lbs. left to lose and an almost non-existent metabolism. If I don't work out everyday, I don't lose a lb. and that's WITH a huge calorie deficit. You just have to see what works for you. Good luck!

cerysrhi

you should be able to lose without exercise as your cals are restricted to achieve a set weight loss however if like me you have quite a bit of weight to lose if you don't exercise you will end up with excess flabby skin also I find that at 1230 cals I need to exercise to earn extra cals for my meals x

skinimin

I am very lean and only looking to lose a few kilos and I lost about 2kg in 3 weeks on just calorie counting alone, though I have a very fast metabolism and I was eating pretty much just fruit and vegetables everyday and my lunch was always celery with another low cal fruit/vegetable. So like 1 stalk of celery and 1 medium sized apple, which filled me up but isn't enough for most people. I think looking after children will give you all the exercise you need though.

cerysrhi

[quote
I recently bought a DVD in the 10 Minute Solutions range. They're designed for people who may only be able to fit that 10 minutes into their day! I've been doing it for a few days now, and I'm already noticing a difference in my fitness level
[/quote]

I have loads of these DVD as they are so quick and you really get a burn from them there are about 30 in the range but my faves are the latin dance and kick boxing I also have the 30 day shred only 20mins and I can burn up to 600 cals in those 20 mins

StaceG1986

Before and over Xmas I didn't exercise for about 8 weeks (we were moving and decorating right before Xmas) and still managed to lose, but I don't think I could do it long term, I feel a bit lost without exercise! (Even though some days I can't be bothered lol!)

LeeKetty1176

counting the cals is a great start...... and gives you the push and you see results........ then adding the burns helps...not sure if JUST counting will get the goals you want longer term

oxFaithxo

i have lost all 12 of my lbs with no exercise... just calorie counting since January. Unfortunately this week i weighed in and i have not lost any lbs. ALSO, my calorie intake lowered because i lost 10lbs... making it harder to stay within what i should be at so i NEED and MUST start exercising so i can "earn" some more food....

I am the same way... between a 2 year old working 50 hours a week, cooking cleaning washing, and then on the weekend visiting family and friends i cant find time to exercise... what i do is

1) Wheni visit with friends i see if they want to go to the mall and WINDOW shop... i push the baby in a stroller and walk and walk and walk
2) when i go shopping grocery or what not... i go up and down EVERY ISLE... more walking walking walking....
3) at home i chase, run and pick up my 30 lbs two year old... and i do it until i cant anymore LOL


these are ways i try and fit some "active" time in...

GOOD LUCK

shreddingit

of course you can lose with proper nutrition now if you dont exercise your body wont tone up or shape well...good luck

Dawntodusk

You can absolutely lose without exercise; however, as you age your metabolism slows partly due to muscle loss. So, in order to maintain the same caloric intake as you get older, it is better to do strength training. There are a lot of other good reasons to do so also. Cardio is good for burning calories in the short term, but won't build muscles in the long term. If you are a busy mom, I wouldn't worry about it for now, but do think about it for the future and for your long-term health goals.

TrainerRobin

What most personal trainers won't tell you is that a controlled, well-balanced diet is 80% of the weight loss game. But we have good reasons for not sharing that information -- we know how exercise is critical to maintaining as much lean muscle mass as possible so that you don't ultimately gain it all back someday. If you'd like an example of how this works, check out my recent post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/187973-an-email-response-that-might-help-some

Try to get any exercise in. Do push ups and squats or anything every now and then. Even if you do these for only five minutes, about six times a day, it'll make a difference. Good luck!

Liatush

I can't work out due to a medical issue and have been losing with diet alone. It's very possible. Good luck and feel free to friend me.

123456654321

It's is possible to reach your goals on calorie counting alone. Of course though, the more you move the better for you and your health! <<<----Needs to follow her own advice.

Good luck busy mommy!

CARNAT22

I lost about 20lbs in 2006 without any exercise other than a daily walk (aprox 30 minutes).

This time round I am trying to factor in a bit more exercise, but I personally think it is possible to lose weight just by dieting..

myofibril

Consider this study completed by Appalachian State University:

http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search/display.do?f=1999/US/US99080.xml;US1999010190

A group of 91 obese women were put into one of four groups:

Group 1 followed a calorie restricted diet of 1,200 - 1,300 calories a day with no exercise
Group 2 performed aerobic exercise for 45 minutes, five days each week but no diet restriction
Group 3 tried exercise and diet
Group 4 acted as a control

Group 2 lost an average of only three pounds of fat despite aerobic exercise of almost four hours each week. Group 3 who combined diet and exercise lost the most, an average of 16 lbs. However, this was only a SINGLE (ie ONE) pound more than Group 1 who followed a diet only approach. One conclusion was that exercise, or specifically moderate aerobic exercise, has only a "minor, nonsignificant effect" on fat loss although there were cardivascular (ie health benefits)

Now, if you PRIMARY goal is fat loss then creating a calorie deficit through (good) diet is your biggest weapon. There's no getting round this.

This is then followed by resistance / strength training to preserve lean mass.

This is then followed by aerobic exercise.

Rubie81

Consider this study completed by Appalachian State University:

http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search/display.do?f=1999/US/US99080.xml;US1999010190

A group of 91 obese women were put into one of four groups:

Group 1 followed a calorie restricted diet of 1,200 - 1,300 calories a day with no exercise
Group 2 performed aerobic exercise for 45 minutes, five days each week but no diet restriction
Group 3 tried exercise and diet
Group 4 acted as a control

Group 2 lost an average of only three pounds of fat despite aerobic exercise of almost four hours each week. Group 3 who combined diet and exercise lost the most, an average of 16 lbs. However, this was only a SINGLE (ie ONE) pound more than Group 1 who followed a diet only approach. One conclusion was that exercise, or specifically moderate aerobic exercise, has only a "minor, nonsignificant effect" on fat loss although there were cardivascular (ie health benefits)

Now, if you PRIMARY goal is fat loss then creating a calorie deficit through (good) diet is your biggest weapon. There's no getting round this.

This is then followed by resistance / strength training to preserve lean mass.

This is then followed by aerobic exercise.

This is interesting. TFS.
I haven't been really exercising, active, yes.
I do like to do push-ups to tone up my arms crunches would be good too (and lord knows I need them) but I have an injured tailbone and it hurts too much to do.

damonmath

If you do not exercise your metabolism will stay slow... You can lose weight, but it will be overall weight including muscle. You will become a smaller version of yourself, but not lean and mean.

charming_chrissy

thanks guys, I'll definately try to make an extra effort and get a little excercise in...

daddyratty

For me, exercise came before the calorie-counting.

But I think that many people overrate exercise as a calorie reducer. They're both important, but if I run for 30-40 minutes I burn about 550-750 calories. Keep in mind that a pound is roughly 3500 calories. So those rigorous 750 calorie runs, it would take 5 of them just to shed one pound. You can lose a lot more than that by cutting calories.