When to add in the exercise

dancersample

Hi there! This is my first post, and I'm so glad to have found this community!! I've been following the Herbalife "diet" using the meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch with much success. (I'm down 12 lbs. in just a couple of weeks.) I'm hungry for most of the day, but I'm determined to shrink. Here's the thing, I don't really feel "up" enough to exercise as I have in the past. Do I reach my goal weight by just dieting alone (which I can do, as I lose weight easily and fast) and then increase calories to accomodate exercise? I went from 2500+ calories to 1400.
Thanks!!

SoulNeedsBeauty

i would suggest to eat a little more calories and add the exercise right away. I am sure it will only help you to lose faster, and tone your body. you always want to have exercise in your routine. It will help you to avoid being "skinnyfat" and just become toned.

Pandorian

Adding the exercise (strength and cardio) in now will help preserve the muscles you DO have, rather than losing weight (which will include some muscle mass) and then starting out exercising possibly less able than you are now.

midwifekelley2350

you don't feel "up" to exercise because you probably aren't taking in adequate calories. i don't know how you do it...i love to chew too much! good luck

Vragis

Drop the meal replacement shakes. That is an unsustainable thing unless you plan on doing it forever.

Take it from someone who used to weigh over 300lbs. I lost a chunk with Weight Watchers but no exercise. Then I hit a plateau I couldn't get past. I came on here, started exercising and watching my caloric intake, and I'm losing at a decent healthy rate.

If you actually start eating properly, you won't be hungry and will still be under calories. Just remember to eat real foods, not processed garbage (diet or otherwise). Add in the exercise daily as well to increase your fitness level, build muscle (which helps burn calories faster), and also give yourself more calories a day to work with.

cpar621

If you lose weight purely by dieting, you are pretty much guaranteed to gain all of it back once you return to a normal diet. When you diet, your body goes into a sort of "starvation mode" and will adjust your metabolism in order to hang on to the nutrients and energy of the food you're eating. I think that you're not feeling "up" to exercising because you're not receiving adequate energy from the food you're eating. When you exercise and adjust your eating habits (not a diet, though) your body slowly starts to understand the routine, starts to process nutrients more efficiently, and starts to improve metabolism. Your ultimate goal should be to train your body to be more efficient, not just smaller. The muscle fibers that you build during exercise burn calories even when you're not moving (increasing your BMR, basal metabolic rate, which is how many calories you would burn if you sat on the couch all day) and the cardiovascular benefits will strengthen your heart and circulatory system, providing better strength and energy. The more slowly you take the pounds off, the easier it will be to maintain.

jenniet04

If you are feeling too weak to exercise, then you need to change something. Herbalife is a great product, but not sustainable in the long run. Now that you have gotten a jump start on weight loss, you should try incorporating more regular foods and start cutting back on the shakes. Exercise is very important, not just for weight loss, but to maintain muscle mass - you can't do that if you're not exercising.

dancersample

These are all very useful and appreciated responses. Thank you!!

I'm adding in more calories and heading to the gym.

psuLemon

Diet + no exercise = muscle loss = slower metabolism. Its the reason why people always gain weight back after diets.