Who has had success with weight loss and no exercise

summersmaze

I try to exercise almost everyday, but lately I've been feeling awfully tired, but am staying with my calories. Has anyone had success with just diet alone? If you think exercise is the way to go - how much do you exercise per day and how many days per week? I need to find a happy medium between diet and exercise.

shesblossoming

I did when I first started, but I am veeerrrrryyy overweight, so it was easy for me. I work out about five times a week though for 30-60 minutes. I go on the elliptical, walk, and do strength training. I try to change it up. I think the long run, even if you're just walking, exercise helps so much. As soon as I changed up my eating habits, my energy completely changed too, so I wanted to work out.

sweets2001

I try to get some form of exercise in at least 4-5 days a week an hr or more per day, depending on what's going on. It really is a matter of what you feel comfortable with.

pander101

I have lost weight by not exercising and staying with my calories. I just prefer to workout for health and sports reasons. I'm currently running/walking about 4mi a day 3x per week and I do Ab Ripper X on those days too (Usually Mon, Wed, Fri) on Tues, Thurs, and Sat I have circuit training/strength training and I occasionally pair it with 20min-45min of cardio. That usually lasts about and hour, hour and a half. My running go anywhere from 30min to an hour depending on how the day is going. I'm also on 1330 cals per day which is kinda low so I end up going over a little bit on some days.

erickirb

You can lose weight with no exercise, but at your goal weight you will be "skinny fat" as you will lose a lot of lean muscle.

You don't have to go crazy I only exercise 4-5 times/week 30 minutes each session (plus I do bike to and from work some days)

The benefits of exercise have little to do with weight loss. If you are tired I have a question.
Are you eating back the calories you burn? If not that is where you should start, as your goal caloric intake on MFP assumes no exercise, once you exercise you need more cals to fuel your body.

clioandboy

Just keep trying different arrangements until you find what suits you, this month it may be lower calories and less exercise, next month lots of exercise plus eating those extra calories, it doesnt have to be the same routine all the time but it can be if you find the right combination for you. It is your life and your eating and your exercise and your health, make it work for you! good luck!

dbgrl100

I lost about 7 pounds this way over about a 2 week span, but it was very, very hard. I constantly thought about food, and I limited myself to one meal a day. I couldn't keep it up long term.

jgic2009

You can do it with diet alone.

However, if you are concerned with your health, and not just your weight, exercise is crucial.

pourmasanté107

if you eat lower carb... or basically cut out most grain products and anything processed from your diet, you probably would lose plenty of weight without exercise. But exercise is great for you!

EMNorris

I find that I sometimes don't have time to commit to exercising regularly. I would encourage you to take 10 -15 minutes several times a day and just do something. Sometimes I clean ( I know - I hate it!) lol - trust me, I have more organized cabinets, basement, etc... now I have to move on to my closet. I am dreading that one! Walk up and down the stairs if you have them a few times. Anything is better than nothing. My motto used to be - I often get the urge to exercise - I usually just lay on the couch until it passes.

Do you watch any tv? Try jogging in place or walking in place during one of your shows. Just try to sneak a little bit of activity in whenever you can.
Good luck!

jamie78

I try to exercise almost everyday, but lately I've been feeling awfully tired, but am staying with my calories. Has anyone had success with just diet alone? If you think exercise is the way to go - how much do you exercise per day and how many days per week? I need to find a happy medium between diet and exercise.

What you eat is 90% of your weight loss... If that helps any.. You will not tone up that way but you will lose if you eat the right foods..

runningartist

I hated to exercise.... and lost 50 lbs with just diet alone. However, now that I LOVE to exercise I find it often gives me more energy. Maybe you're lacking energy from your lack of activity lately?

I also have to add I love the extra calories to eat ;-)

EMNorris

oh, I was also feeling really tired - my dr.did a blood test and I had a vitamin D deficiency. I take a supplement daily and it helps!

thickgyrlswag

My husband has actually lost 20 pounds in a month without exercise( except what he gets at work).

yes_i_can

A long time ago I lost 85 lbs without exercising. Take a guess at how long it took to gain it all back?? You can do it, but it will be extremely hard to maintain once you get there, and you won't feel healthy. At that time I was thin, but not healthy in the least and actually felt horrible.

I would -never- recommend anyone do this without a healthy mix of diet and exercise.

cladou2

I previously lost almost 40 lbs on the south beach diet. It is cutting out sugar (only for the first 2 weeks) and then trying to eat low carb foods. You do it in stages so that it teaches you how to eat healthier week by week. The first 3 days I lost 5 lbs just from those details I listed above. Hope this helps

summersmaze

Thanks for the suggestions - I try not to eat back the calories I burn cause I feel like I'm such a slow loser to begin with I was hoping it would jump start my weight loss - I have 50lbs to lose. Maybe I should switch it up. Starting this past Monday, I've been really watching my carbs - had no bread or pasta or fruit. Could that be why my energy is low? I have a 9 month old so that could be too lol. It's great hearing what you do for exercise - gives me ideas so thanks!!!

EDesq

I try to exercise almost everyday, but lately I've been feeling awfully tired, but am staying with my calories. Has anyone had success with just diet alone? If you think exercise is the way to go - how much do you exercise per day and how many days per week? I need to find a happy medium between diet and exercise.

I do. I lost about 75 lbs. w/o an Exercise Routine...Remember: ANY Activity is Exercise! When I tried doing an exercise routine, I gained weight and then went into a stall. I then just cut back my calories and began losing again, with out an exercise routine. I just do normal daily activity and Stretch daily. Many doctors do not recommend an exercise routine when on a low calorie eating plan, it just makes you extra hungry...if you need to tone, stretch and do calisthenics. When I get to my weight goal I will then incorporate an exercise routine for maintenance and my own well-being. REMEMBER: Diet (what we eat) is 90% of wt loss/maintenance/being healthy and exercise is 10%.

michedarnd

It sounds like you need either a temporary break or an improvement in your nutrition balance. I didn't try to look at your food diary, but I get that problem whenever I cut the calories. My body tries to lower my metabolism, and so I feel REALLY tired. What that suggests is that NOT exercising might NOT be your best option. I try to fit it into spurts, as someone else suggested. I'm trying to nix using the elevator at work (I work on the 9th floor). I park further away from my destinations. I go for walks at lunch. I may use the elliptical for interval training for only 20 minutes at a time. None of this is huge, but it keeps me exercising while not making fitting it into my busy schedule ridiculous and unmaintainable. I'd try to MODERATE my exercise rather than giving it up, because you may end up MORE tired.

johnlms

I had to stop exercising because I stopped losing weight. That was 12 lbs ago (early August). I haven't exercised since, but I maintain healthy eating habits. My plan is to get to my "ideal" weight and then go into workout/maintenance mode. I believe exercise is crucial to being healthy as well as a healthy diet, but for me I would like to get the weight out of the way first which has equated to eating smart firstly.

As for why I stopped losing weight when exercising regularly... I'm still somewhat baffled as to why I did. I didn't have much strength involved in my routine, unless 25 minutes on the elliptical was building up much more leg muscle than I anticipated. I typically did about 25-30 minutes of cardio (stationary bike/elliptical) and about 10-15 minutes of strength.

FitForeverAgain

The definitive answer here is based on what your goal is. Do you want to look at the scale and see a lower number? Then yes, you are on the right track.

On the other hand, is your goal to feel great, have more energy (yes, you will) that you did before, look great and actually BE healthier? If this is more in line with what you need to do, then you need to exercise.

Clean eating and laziness aren't the prime way to get to where you need to be. You will be tired if you don't fuel your body, and you should be tired at the end of the day. Keep switching it up, but keep working out. You CAN lose weight without it, but there's a strong likelihood you won't - unless you get your exercise in as well.

koosdel

I try to exercise almost everyday, but lately I've been feeling awfully tired, but am staying with my calories. Has anyone had success with just diet alone? If you think exercise is the way to go - how much do you exercise per day and how many days per week? I need to find a happy medium between diet and exercise.

"I try to exercise almost EVERY DAY, but lately I've been feeling AWFULLY TIRED....."

Asked and answered! Thanks! Ya'll come back now, ya hear!

BrewerGeorge

In the mid '90's I lost about 70 lbs with diet alone. I lost massive amounts of muscle in the process, though.

bllowry

I now do about 15 minutes of toe touches, side bends, etc 4 times a week with my doctors blessing; I am slowly building up to 15 minutes on the elliptical three times a week. I know that's not much, but I have 100 pounds total to lose, and I have both rheumatoid and oseto arthritis. I've lost 30 pounds with virturally no exercise. As I lose weight I'm sure he'll want me to do more, but since I have damaged cartilage in both hips and knees I'm all for caution.I just got the go ahead to bike ride and I'm picking up the first bike I've ever owned tomorrow!

So yes, you can lose weight, but I know I feel better now that I have a small amount of exercise in the mix.

joditenzer

I have the opposite problem- I love the workout I do (zumba) but messed my knees up so badly that I can barely walk, let alone zumba and it depresses me... i'm really worried I won't be able to lose just based on food alone, since I had lost 50 lbs just from doing zumba (not even watching my food), but once I was forced to cut down how much I do it, 20 lbs piled back on almost immediately. Hoping, like you, that it doesn't require exercise to lose this.

maidentl

Thanks for the suggestions - I try not to eat back the calories I burn cause I feel like I'm such a slow loser to begin with

This makes no sense to me. Hypothetically speaking, you get 1200 calories (i don't know your actual goal). You burn 200 doing exercise. You don't eat them back. So you have netted 1000.

If you would exercise and eat them back you would get to EAT 1400 calories and net 1200, just like you will do if you eat that and don't exercise. You'd probably feel a lot better eating more and moving.

adrian_indy

You can easily lose weight slowly without exercise. But you will have to be strict on your diet because you will not have the muscle mass nor the boosted metabolism of an exerciser.

The weightloss won't be much of the problem, it will be the maintanence. Since you will have no lee way, an average metabolism, no muscle tone, your diet will have to be strictly regulated for life or your weight will yo yo.