exercising without diet for weight loss

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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If I focus mainly on exercise but don't change diet too much can I lose body fat? For example, if you eat 2500 calories a day and you need 2000 a day to maintain, and burn 1000 calories at the gym every day, wouldn't that still be a 500 deficit and you'd lose a pound a week? I want to work on diet too but I just want to know if I would be wasting my time exercising so much if it wouldn't do anything.

    Yes, you would lose fat in the scenario above. Whether you lose by adding exercise and not changing your diet depends on what your diet was before you started.

    All I did to lose weight was regular exercise, but I was only eating a modest calorie surplus so the exercise was enough to turn that into a deficit, and eventually into maintenance.
  • THuffman1967
    THuffman1967 Posts: 114 Member
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    I tried to lose weight by just exercising and it didn't work. I lost a little bit, but not much. Tracking what I was eating was a real eye opener. I didn't realize how much I was eating until I started logging it on MFP. Once I started journaling my food, weight loss became a reality for me.
  • Kendra7107
    Kendra7107 Posts: 122
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    Ditto! About 9 years ago I joined a gym and went almost everyday. I really enjoyed it but I didn't change my eating habits. Food wise, I just wasn't mentally ready to make changes. I didn't lose a thing and I was working out, riding a bike and even roller blading.

    I'm not saying it's impossible but it just didn't work for me. :-( I can lose weight without exercising.
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    If I focus mainly on exercise but don't change diet too much can I lose body fat? For example, if you eat 2500 calories a day and you need 2000 a day to maintain, and burn 1000 calories at the gym every day, wouldn't that still be a 500 deficit and you'd lose a pound a week? I want to work on diet too but I just want to know if I would be wasting my time exercising so much if it wouldn't do anything.

    This will work; however, you need to have a firm understanding this is what you're doing. The problem with creating a calorie deficit solely through exercise is this: you'll gain back the weight when you stop exercising. If you can learn how to eat for the weight you desire to be, life will be so much easier.

    Think about fitness like this: there's diet and there is exercise, you should focus more on the one you need to live. Diet 80% and exercise 20%.
  • cdpark617
    cdpark617 Posts: 316 Member
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    Losing weight is 80% diet.

    You can try it with just exercise, but without monitoring how much you're actually eating, it won't be easy to know if you've created a deficit or not.
    I disagree weight loss is 100% calorie deficit, however it comes.

    Agree, calories in vs. calories out. It's pretty tough to burn an extra 1000 calories every day though.
    I agree it is tough, and on a good week I can get 7000 exercise calories, but you are right, it is not easy!
  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
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    If I focus mainly on exercise but don't change diet too much can I lose body fat? For example, if you eat 2500 calories a day and you need 2000 a day to maintain, and burn 1000 calories at the gym every day, wouldn't that still be a 500 deficit and you'd lose a pound a week? I want to work on diet too but I just want to know if I would be wasting my time exercising so much if it wouldn't do anything.

    I think it will work for you because you’re 21 and the younger we are the faster we can lose weight. I don't think this would work for you in 10 years though.
  • cdpark617
    cdpark617 Posts: 316 Member
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    If I focus mainly on exercise but don't change diet too much can I lose body fat? For example, if you eat 2500 calories a day and you need 2000 a day to maintain, and burn 1000 calories at the gym every day, wouldn't that still be a 500 deficit and you'd lose a pound a week? I want to work on diet too but I just want to know if I would be wasting my time exercising so much if it wouldn't do anything.

    This will work; however, you need to have a firm understanding this is what you're doing. The problem with creating a calorie deficit solely through exercise is this: you'll gain back the weight when you stop exercising. If you can learn how to eat for the weight you desire to be, life will be so much easier.
    This will work; however, you need to have a firm understanding this is what you're doing. The problem with creating a calorie deficit solely through diet is this: you'll gain back the weight when you stop dieting. If you can learn how to exercise for the weight you desire to be, life will be so much easier.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    The saying goes you can't out exercise a bad diet =)

    ^^^ This

    Why do it half-@ssed? If u want to lose weight for good you need to establish healthy habits all around.

    That being said, maybe if u wanted to indulge 1 day a week u could exercise all out that one day (more so than the rest of the week) to enable yourself to eat a little more and probably even it all out. But not daily.
  • cdpark617
    cdpark617 Posts: 316 Member
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    The big point I made earlier was that the OP would lose weight, but should make sure tracking calories and exercise is a big part of it! Tracking is the real eye opener!
  • jobylou72
    jobylou72 Posts: 8 Member
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    I exercised and didn't change my diet - i lost 12 lb. Been counting calories since November not lost a single poud :sad:
  • cdpark617
    cdpark617 Posts: 316 Member
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    The saying goes you can't out exercise a bad diet =)

    ^^^ This

    Why do it half-@ssed? If u want to lose weight for good you need to establish healthy habits all around.

    That being said, maybe if u wanted to indulge 1 day a week u could exercise all out that one day (more so than the rest of the week) to enable yourself to eat a little more and probably even it all out. But not daily.
    Why do it half-@ssed?

    Because some people are not ready to change everything, so if you can at least change one thing that is better than nothing.

    Many of us here are ready to take on the food and exercise portions of a healthy lifestyle, but not everyone is. There is constantly too much judgmental behavior here when someone else doesn't do things the way that worked them.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    I'm lazy. I would just prefer to eat my Big Mac without the fries.
  • cdpark617
    cdpark617 Posts: 316 Member
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    I'm lazy. I would just prefer to eat my Big Mac without the fries.
    Man those fries are a killer, as well as the cheese. Big Mac without cheese and no fries I think is about 400 calories :-)
  • BSBgirl337
    BSBgirl337 Posts: 119 Member
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    In my own experience, I exercise regularly, whether dieting or not. I lose no weight from exercising, and have even gained weight even though I exercise. For me personally, I need to exercise EVERYDAY and only eat about 1200 calories a day to lose weight. Exercising and eating like normal does nothing for me.

    If you can find a way to eat whatever you want and exercise, and lose weight, go for it and please let me know your secret!

    And I do agree that burning 1000 calories everyday would be a lot of work, and in the end you might prefer to skip the cupcake rather than burn it off. :)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you can find a way to eat whatever you want and exercise, and lose weight, go for it and please let me know your secret!

    The secret is in what you want to eat.
  • luvsyoga
    luvsyoga Posts: 90 Member
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    I lost a lot of weight by exercise alone. I gained the weight slowly... I was doing less... one day I decided I needed to lose weight... started exercising ... I have 10lbs left.... now I use MFP to remind me of portion size.... Everyone does it differently. If exercise works for you go for it!
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
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    If you are happy in your progress, thaats all that matters and if not then maybe you have to lower your calories!! Its whatever YOU want
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    The Special K diet and Twinkie diet prove that you can lose weight and eat junk (I am not certain that you lose fat, probably some, but probably more muscle mass). The key is a calorie deficit. Not exercise. If you eat exactly the same and exercise, you should start to see some weight loss because you are burning more calories than you were before and maintaining the same calorie intake, thus, a deficit is created. However, that is a less than ideal situation. But, in all honesty, that's how I started 3 or 4 years ago and slowly made changes with my diet along the way as almost a necessary way to maintain energy and feeling good.
  • glbragg
    glbragg Posts: 77 Member
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    It pretty much comes down to your body type. Ectomorphs (Skinny) can eat a box of cookies and not gain a pound so they are always trying to put on weight. Then the Mesomorphs (Athletic), these are the people that once they start training see results fast. Then the last one, Endomorphs (Heavys) who looks at a candy bar and gains three pounds. You need to know your body type and what works for you. If you are an endomorph (Heavy) then diet is the most important part then followed up with cardio. You will need weight lifting also but diet and cardio will help out the most. Do your research on your bosy type and what works for you.
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
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    Why dont you want to fill your body with good tasting healthy food? It will make you feel better.

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