Has anyone lost weight without exercise?

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  • MrsSardone
    MrsSardone Posts: 194 Member
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    Isn't there some saying that weight loss happens in the kitchen, not the gym? I agree with this but....I would be a mess without exercise. Endorphins are a beautiful thing. Without exercise, I would get nothing done! Exercise keeps me sane. There are so many different things you can do. The key is finding something that you like:)

    AGREED! I used to think exercise was LAME but now that I'm a mother of two toddlers I NEED to workout. That couple of hours a day at the gym is when I reset myself. I zone out and listen to music, I push myself hard and it feels UH-MAZING. It's really the only time I have just for me. Then for the rest of the day I feel great!
  • kitnmom
    kitnmom Posts: 1
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    Yes you can and i have, i need to get a head start before i even try or i will hurt myself worse. Just my opinion
  • Brianna72994
    Brianna72994 Posts: 887
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    You would probably lose weight faster if you exercised. I'm not sure how old your kids are. But couldnt you take them on walks or something?
  • KathrynKennewell108
    KathrynKennewell108 Posts: 72 Member
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    It sure is possible. I tore part of my knee in a running event last year, and although it's taken a lot of recovery time, with a calorie deficit, weight loss has been possible without exercise during my recovery period. It's just a numbers game after all.
  • kiwigal41
    kiwigal41 Posts: 1,059
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    i tried in the past to lose weight with a minimal amount of exercise.....i guess turning the pages on a good book doesn't count...lol....but it didn't work for me....i had to suck it up and start exercising......now i feel antsy if i can't exercise at least 5 days a week.....i'm addicted to it.....not sure if that's such a good thing either.....i'm going back home to new zealand for the first time in almost 20 years at the beginning of march for the whole month....and as well as being excited i'm also terrified of interrupting my exercise schedule and consequently maybe gaining weight....kinda puts a damper on the holiday when i should be pumped about it....i hope you don't end up in my position where exercise becomes too much a part of your life...:(....
  • k_winder
    k_winder Posts: 65 Member
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    Losing without exercise is not recommended mainly because you could be losing lean mass instead of fat.

    With that said....I'm doing it. I have several medical conditions that make exercise difficult (extreme exercise intolerant inappropriate sinus tachycardia - a heart condition for which I am on medication and seeing a cardiologist; as well I have diabetic retinopathy that is not clearing up (essentially the blood vessels in my retinas are bursting and bleeding) and almost anything can cause bleeding to occur but exercise (both cardio and weights) cause bleeding to happen much more quickly and much more severely to the point I lose vision in one of my eyes for up to weeks at a time) - at this time I'm not actively exercising.

    That's not to say I am inactive - I spend three days a week on campus carrying around a 40lb+ backpack, and unless my class is on the 4th floor+, I take the stairs (more than that and the IST kicks my heart rate up to about 200 bpm for hours). I work in a job where I stand and walk and bend and climb ladders and lift things (within my limits due to my eye) constantly - I only sit during my break. In addition, I live very close to most things I need - a drug store, a grocery store, etc. so I often walk to these places instead of driving. During the summer my husband and I go for hikes that last hours. Occasionally I bike (somewhat leisurely, I'll admit) as well. Essentially I try to do what I can to get physical activity but due to physical limitations I am not 'exercising' in the sense that most people think of it.
  • laurenashleah
    laurenashleah Posts: 7
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    I've lost 14 pounds in about a month and I've only lost about 5 since I started working out. The rest was from changing my eating habits, I did it before I even started MFP and I lost 10 pounds right away
  • refinnej2
    refinnej2 Posts: 8
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    I've been really faithful on MFP since January 1st. I've lost 13 pounds without any exercise at all. I have a friend who is maintaining a 1200 calorie a day diet and has lost 78 pounds in about 15 months without any exercise at all. So it can be done...but it takes longer.
  • sj41018
    sj41018 Posts: 5
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    Yes its possible. Limit yourself to 1,200 calories daily.
  • an8e
    an8e Posts: 33 Member
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    sure, people lose weight all the time without exercising.


    now, getting the body you want without exercising, that is a different story.

    agreed
  • foxymama73
    foxymama73 Posts: 60 Member
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    Not as much as I have lost doing exercise...I have children too, but exercise helps a whole lot...I'm not a fan of exercise, but I know it's beneficial to my overall well being. Just find something fun...I recommend Zumba....dancing with spurts of exercise thrown in, but it's so much fun, you don't feel like ur exercising. Give it a shot!!:drinker: Good luck to you.
  • mrk34
    mrk34 Posts: 227 Member
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    Weight loss can be achieved without exercise. I lost 91 pounds by changing what I eat. Exercise has a small effect on weight loss.
  • 001234dd
    001234dd Posts: 3
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    you can, but you don't look as toned :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Weight loss can be achieved without exercise. I lost 91 pounds by changing what I eat. Exercise has a small effect on weight loss.
    ...but a very significant effect on body composition.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
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    A moderately overweight person who exercises will live longer than a non-overweight who doesn't. Yet fitness clubs promote weight loss as the reward because that's what we want. We should want healthy! Weight loss comes along as we get healthy, but in a way that loses fat rather than muscle.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    IMO the term "skinny-fat" is overused. Normal weight obesity = having a too high body fat percentage while your weight is in the healthy range for BMI. Dieting without exercise will not necessarily cause normal weight obesity. Yes it is highly likely that a person will lose lean body mass and not reduce their body fat percentage as much as they might like through diet without exercise, there's also a risk of loss of bone density (associated with a greater risk of osteoporosis) however that does not necessarily equal "skinny-fat". Normal weight obesity usually comes from a very poor diet (i.e. lacking in protein and other essential nutrients), crash dieting, being a couch potato, eating junk but regularly skipping meals, etc.

    Some people cannot exercise due to medical conditions, and so if they want to lose weight, then they have to do it through diet alone and not exercise. My advice to anyone who can't exercise but needs to lose weight, is to keep the deficit very conservative, to minimise lean body mass loss as much as possible and do whatever exercise is possible and medically advisable, even if it's just walking around the house or even less than that, for bone density. And before you even follow any advice online (including mine) get advice from your doctor or another health professional who's qualified to give advice for your specific condition.

    For someone who does not have a medical condition and just hates exercise, well my advice is to realise how fortunate you are that you don't have any medical issues and that you have a working body that can do exercise. Then find something that you do enjoy and will stick to. it does not have to involve going anywhere near a gym or doing anything that you might think of when someone says "exercise" - just something that makes your body move. For heart and lung health, you need to get out of breath, and it should be 15 mins 3x a week minimum (according to the British Heart Foundation, last time i checked, but if they've updated their advice follow that not what I said). For bone and muscle health, you need to support your weight. My mum is in her 60s and very healthy and slim, she doesn't go to the gym, she does gardening and walks everywhere and enjoys hill walking. And before she retired she would walk to work and use the toilet on the top floor so she could get extra exercise walking up and down the stairs. All these things improve bone density and will help to preserve lean body mass. They won't get you the same results as lifting weights at the gym but they will maintain a basic level of health and vitality and if you're losing weight, will protect your lean body mass to some degree. Aim to be as active as you can, while still enjoying being active. What a lot of inactive people find is that the more they do some kind of activity, the more they enjoy it and realise that they enjoy other forms of activity too. So it can snowball and you could easily end up being the kind of person who enjoys exercise.
  • debz1471
    debz1471 Posts: 19
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    I joined MFP i week ago and have changed how i eat so much that i have lost 8lb in my first week .... i am a very busy person and don't want to rely on extra exercise to loose the next 14lb.. but saying that.... loosing is so addictive and hearing what every one else is doing is so motivating that i've decided i need to make time to exercise .just for the feel good factor.
  • BeckyLH
    BeckyLH Posts: 117 Member
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    I've lost 7lbs in 10 days by diet alone but I will be starting back on the exercising soon as the weight loss has slowed.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    sure, people lose weight all the time without exercising.


    now, getting the body you want without exercising, that is a different story.

    +1
  • SarahCW1979
    SarahCW1979 Posts: 572 Member
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    You can, but keep in mind... skinny girls look good in clothes, fit girls look good naked. :happy:

    Annnnd I think I just found some more motivation :laugh:

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