Can you make progress on MFP without excercise?

gwynethabaker

Hi,
Is anyone out there watching their food intake alone and not excercising. What are people's experiences of this? Is it possible to make progress by diet alone? In case you haven't guessed, i hate excercise!!

jamaicanlady

I'm certainly no expert here but I think yes. I read somewhere that proper diet/nutrition is 80% of the weight loss journey. However, if you want to be fit, preserve lean body mass and not end up looking skinny fat and having skin that droops, then you should incorporate some kind of exercise in your program.

BlueStar1989

when I was injured and could do no physical activity aside from normal every day walking and movement I was extra careful about what I ate. As long as your physical activity level reflects the fact that you do nothing outside of normal activity (sedatary level) then you should be fine watching what you eat and not exercising, but working out even for 10 minutes a day does wonders for you. The more you move the more you loose.

Jorra

Yes, you can lose weight without exercise. When it comes to weight loss, all that matter is that you eat less energy than your body uses.

HOWEVER, I'm sure you're well aware of the benefits of exercise. It will help you maintain your muscle as you lose fat. It will increase your physical fitness and health. Eventually, you may even enjoy it and use it as stress relief.

CariKK

I have lost 20+ pounds over and over again, only to gain it back plus more. Unless you intend to follow the exact diet plan that gets you there and never, ever cheat - like say on a caribbean vacation with pina colada's ??? You must add exercise to your diet plan to keep the weight off. I hate exercising too, can you tell?

damnedlady

It is! You should make sure to be moderately active for your health, though. That's important for your body and general well-being. But in my case, I don't have much time for exercise and I rarely have those huge burns others have. But by watching my intake versus what I burn, I've lost weight.

cramernh

Honestly speaking, if someone is on the journey, why take the road trip without the map?

You could definitely lose the weight but then your body hasnt been put through the fine-tuning that it needs to be at an optimal state of health. Cardiovascular health is VITAL. Its like a recipe for Beef Stew, but you leave out the beef!

Exercise doesnt have to be a chore.... its how you make it for yourself.

amazing_shrinking_woman

I just watched what I ate for the first month and a half and I lost almost 10 pounds. Then I realized I would be saggy unless I threw exercise in there , too. But yes, it can be done.

Kayley

You can, but from personal experience, I haven't done so well with just dieting. Doing no exercise at all made me feel "meh" and even though the pounds came off, there was still a lot of fat on my body. :ohwell:

mfpcopine

Something like 85 to 90% of weight loss is achieved by creating a dietary calorie deficit, so of course you'll lose weight if you cut enough calories. But exercise does help, especially after you've achieved your goal weight. It also often provides an ongoing feeling of well-being and mastery. I would try to find things you like. If you have to start small, fine, be consistent.

Drastiic

I've never been a big fan of exercising. But then I realized I have 2 functioning legs, 2 arms, and I'm not disabled. Being at a healthy weight is good and all, but if I'm not able to be active then what's the point? I don't want to be out of breath walking up the stairs. I've slowly incorporated lifting into my routine and now I've started walking. After a couple weeks or so, I actually look forward to exercising and getting outside. You can lose fat by just diet alone, but making exercising a habit will allow you to eat more and keep it off in the long run.

meerkat70

Yes, you can lose weight on a calorie deficit. Indeed to lose weight a calorie deficit is all you need. But that won't make you fit obviously - just thinner.

I used to hate exercising. I ran 11 miles today... :-) Maybe just give it a go. I started with just walking half an hour every day, and built up from there.

VenomousDuck

lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.

Tonnina

Yes you can, but if you are looking to tone you need to lift some weights. You can always do this later too after losing a lot of lbs. Not to worry, many people don't even workout that hard and still lose, some just walk around their neighborhood for 30 minutes every day and watch their calories. You can do it for sure!!

PinkEarthMama

I had ankle surgery in April that went very poorly. I've lost quite a few pounds since then, by diet alone. I'm mostly couch bound at this point.

However, if you can find ANY exercise you like, start doing it. Maybe even force yourself to do exercise you don't like, because eventually, you WILL like it. I hated going to the gym, and now I really miss it!

kb_CG_wife

Great abs do start in the kitchen, but sexy strong abs start in a sit-ups position!

jenmarie2012

yes..yes..yess.yess!! i actually when i first start MFP i just was counting cals...and i noticed it within the first week i was loosing weight...so yes it can be done :bigsmile:

cramernh

lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.

ROFLMAO... I knew something like 'this' was due to be posted! LOL!

honeysprinkles

Yes, you can. I've seen plenty of posts in the success stories forum where all they did was focus on diet! It can happen. It just depends on your personal goals. If weight loss alone is your primary goal, diet can get you there. However, easing into exercise is a good idea because it has a lot of benefits! But it's not necessary for weight loss!

bamorford

it IS possible to make progress; i lost my first 10 pounds just changing what i ate, BUT you will eventually plateau. and if you're going to make such a big positive change in your life, you might as well incorporate fitness so you can reach your goals faster! to take the greatest advantage of the effort you're putting into better eating habits you should try to find something/anything that will get you moving. even if it's for 15 minutes a day! it's amazing the changes you'll start to see. eating healthy and clean foods will slim you, but it won't tone you. or make your heart stronger. or give you more stamina. you'll be doing yourself an injustice if you rely on diet alone. well good luck and feel free to ask any other questions!

VirtuallyAmy

There are all kinds of ways to get exercise. Some more fun than others. Look into joining something you think would be fun and fool yourself into the execise. Plus it gets you into a group that can motivate or the commitment, like paying for several months up front, may keep you going. I took up karate for instance. But look into an interest you have and see what there is for you. Heck, Youu can even find hoola hooping groups so there is all kinds of things. As with any new physical activity, give it a few weeks to let yourself get over that first difficult hump before you get some endurance. And do not worry about being the over weight one. If you go in and have fun with it, people do not seem to care about how you look.

I agree with others here. The exercise is really good for so much. Without it, you do not feel as good and get saggy and spongy and no tone.

amycarol59

Yes, you can lose weight without exercise. When it comes to weight loss, all that matter is that you eat less energy than your body uses.

HOWEVER, I'm sure you're well aware of the benefits of exercise. It will help you maintain your muscle as you lose fat. It will increase your physical fitness and health. Eventually, you may even enjoy it and use it as stress relief.

THIS ^^^^ I have lost a good portion of my weight with out exercise but you just get to that point that you feel the need. Find something you like or have always wanted to try but thought "No way could I ever do that". I walked for 10 min 3 times a day when starting out it helped but things happen and I struggled with wanting to get out and even do that. Then the more weight that dropped off the more I just kept getting the feeling I wanted to move more. I found a wii game I liked and used it in combination with walking and now I am up to RUNNING!!! I never, never would have guessed that possible but here I am living proof. I have also just started to mountain bike. IT IS THE MOST AMAZING THING! I LOVE IT! I can't wait to get out and ride and go to new locations. My suggestions is find something you want to do that is fun to you and go from there. Good luck on your journey.

downsizinghoss

I saw this on the new HBO documentary and it reinforces what a lot of people have said, but in a succinct fashion.

Exercise is not terribly important when it comes to losing weight, but it is the single most important indicator when it comes to maintaining weight.

bigd65

Yes you can, or you can drop down to 1200 calories and burn off 700 calories and not eat them back. Just kidding on the last part, but it happens all the time. If you are at a deficit you will lose weight without exercise but of course the exercise will help you total body over all heart and lungs and toning some

Leslie85

lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.

Exactly! You'll lose weight because of the calorie deficit...but if you've got a lot to lose, you're going to be flabby. I'm not trying to be mean, just honest. You've got to tone those muscles to look good naked! Also- remember building muscle burns fat...so throw in a little exercise, and I know you'll see faster results that you'll like better!

spearfox

lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.

WOOHOO!
Ding!Ding!Ding!Ding!
We have the bonus answer of the day.


Just think what else can be accomplished when strength, cardio and yoga training are combined.
Realize that many people are using exercise for nefarious, devious, carnal purposes.:devil:

Lozze

Eat at deficit to lose weight. Exercise for health.

You need to find an exercise you enjoy. You don't need it to lose weight, you do need it to live a healthy life.

MrGonzo05

You can lose weight watching TV all day. I was never quite that sedentary, but I have succeeded to lose weight at a good rate even while I was not doing a great deal of physical activity. That said, I choose to exercise.

I like how exercise changes my mindset to think of food as more of "activity fuel." I also like doing things outdoors, and I don't get tired quickly if I'm fit. I can hang on to most muscle, or even build muscle if I work hard at it, as I lose weight.

Katie3784

You will lose weight with diet alone, but exercise makes your body look so much better. Most people do not start an exercise routine thinking "I'm gonna love this!", but you get used to it. And after a while, you feel crappy when you can't workout.

Katie3784

lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.

WOOHOO!
Ding!Ding!Ding!Ding!
We have the bonus answer of the day.


Just think what else can be accomplished when strength, cardio and yoga training are combined.
Realize that many people are using exercise for nefarious, devious, carnal purposes.:devil:

Love this!

texastango

Short Answer: (haven't read everyone elses replies)

You can, but it's not the best process.

THE SCIENCE:

Studies show that people who did a calorie restricted diet (like Adkin's..ops did I mention a name) but no exercise lost significant weight in the first year...but put half of it back by three years later

Studies also show that OBESE people who EXERCISE and are fit have a LOWER HEALTH RISK that skinny people who are coach potatos.

The benefits of exercise CAN NOT BE OVERSTATED.

Exercise (Aerobic and Resistance Training) benefit you not only by making you more fit, but by reducing the insulin resistance and thus decreasing the possibility of Metabolic Syndrome - high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, etc).

Aerobic activity burns glycogen - and sugar...it improves insulin sensitivity.
Resistance traing interestingly also improves insulin sensitivity and that's a good thing..but does it in a different way than Aerobic activity. I can link a video of a lecture from UCLA if you're interested.

Bottom line is both activities help your health and being on a very calorie restricted diet means that at some point along with losing fat you are going to lose lean muscle mass as well. That's not a good thing. People that lose too much lean muscle mass actually had more health risks that in shape obese folks - and that's been proven...I'm not blowing smoke or smokin...well you get the idea.

So there is a point to losing with exercise...people who do keep the weight off better and longer than just diet alone. That's been proven too.

So there you have it! I'll get off my soap box now!


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