Has anyone been able to lose weight without exercise?

2

Replies

  • emmalecras
    emmalecras Posts: 79 Member
    I saw a dietician when I started and she said that it is 80% food and 20% exercise. So, yes, you can lose weight from changing your dietary habits.

    I generally only have time to exercise on the weekends (try and walk at least 5km or do stair climbing) but during the week I do have a 10 min walk to and from the carpark to my office plus I make sure that I get up and move during the day.

    Since January I have lost approximately 46kg.

    When I started out I thought that I would die if I exercised but now I really enjoy the walking with friends and amazed at the change in my fitness level. This has given me the strength to keep going to lose more and stay committed to finding and keeping the new me!!
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    ME! I just watch what I eat and stick to my calorie count that MFP assigned me. I walk the dogs occasionally but other than that I don't exercise at all. I do not have a desk job, however. I'm on my feet and walking A LOT during work. But on my days off I'm pretty sedentary.

    I'm not advocating not exercising. However, I have lost 15 pounds (my ticker says 10 but that's since I joined here) without exercising.
  • guardian419
    guardian419 Posts: 391 Member
    You can slowly lose a little weight... it won't be dramatic, it certainly won't be easy, and it will be very very slow. Besides, do a forum search for 'skinny fat'... losing weight is 1 thing, being fit is way better (feels better too)
  • BigBrewski
    BigBrewski Posts: 922 Member
    You have to find what works for you. I know people that lost weight with diet alone and I know people that lost weight with just exercise (not watching what they ate). For me I have to do both if I exercise and don't watch what I eat I stay steady on the scale, if I watch what I eat and don't exercise I seem to stay steady on the scale too (NOTE: I didn't try this for a long periord of time just 30 days)
  • ktrauzzi
    ktrauzzi Posts: 71 Member
    I watched my calories and any exercise I did do I stopped counting. I was eating back the calories I burned and I usually gained. Most people say you can eat back 1/2 the calories. As a precaution, I just stopped using calories burned for eating. Walking is a great start for exercise and it'll just help you feel better to get out and go for a walk. But you can lose weight without.
  • karabff
    karabff Posts: 98
    My bff has lost 109 pds (about 1 1/2 yr) without exercise-normal activites for her-but she watched everything that went into her mouth-she is just now beginning an exercise program of walking lite weights so yes it can be done -it is my personal belief from my own experiences that you can lose weight it just comes off slower an you wont be toned
  • fizzletto
    fizzletto Posts: 252 Member
    Yes, it is completely possible to lose weight without exercising. Many people do!

    Weight loss happens when your calories consumed are less than the calories that you burn. You burn between 1,500 - 2,500 calories a day (depending on your age, sex, weight, how active you are, etc) just by breathing, so as long as you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight.

    The only problem is, if you only lose weight by eating well and NOT exercising, you will lose muscle as well as fat. In order to keep your muscle and only lose fat, you will have to exercise, unfortunately.

    if you lose weight without exercising, you may find that when you get to your goal weight, you are still very unhappy with the way you look. You will still be flabby, wobbly, and not firm, taut or toned. If you want to be toned and fit as well as have less fat on you, you must exercise.

    This is what my mum doesn't understand - she's only 120lbs, but she's got absolutely no muscle, because she doesn't exercise. So she is flabby and wobbly, and she thinks she has to 'lose weight' when really, she doesn't need to lose any weight; she needs to tone up.

    It's really up to you. If you lose weight without exercising and then when you get to your goal weight you're still unhappy, you may want to think about starting strength training.
  • shnookie70
    shnookie70 Posts: 91 Member
    As long as you are walking so that your heartrate is in the fat burning zone you are doing enough. And 30 minutes a day is great!
  • pelles
    pelles Posts: 32 Member
    Walking and reduced calories will enable weight loss. I highly recommend getting a Fitbit so you can see distance, steps & stairs. It links to MFP, so it's two great worlds combined.
  • Tall_E
    Tall_E Posts: 182 Member
    I've got a chronic illness that limits my exercise. I eat about 1400 calories a day and walk 30 minutes most days. I've lost 30 pounds. As I've lost weight, I can feel that soon I'll be able to do more exercise which will help the overall tone of my body but I doubt it will affect how much I weigh since I control that mostly with diet.

    YOU CAN DO IT!
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    No.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    When I first started, I lost the first 50 pounds pretty quickly with no exercise at all. Since then I feel better and have become a LOT more active, but I think it is possible to lose weight just with dietary changes. I think making changes to your diet and walking as much as you can will get you there. Would you get there faster if you exercised more intensely ? YES. But you have to do what works for you. Exercise is good for you for many reasons, though, not just for weight loss
  • crazylovergrl
    crazylovergrl Posts: 97 Member
    I lost a good 30 lbs without exercising at all. I was super flabby though (skinny fat) and felt hungry sometimes. I would say that if you can fit it in, exercise will make your journey more pleasurable. But, it can be done!
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
    Healthy eating & exercise, there is no easy way out.
    You don't need to exercise to lose fat... a change in diet is enough.
  • MidgetGidget
    MidgetGidget Posts: 56
    three weeks ago, I decided to get my act together and get serious... so for the past 3 weeks I've been diligently tracking calories and staying on track eating. I only went over 1 day (Thanksgiving Day in Canada) and today I weighed in having lost 7.5 lbs.

    So yes, as others have mentioned, you can lose weight by diet alone. However, I know that if I want to actually look better, less flabby and feel better, I have to add exercise back into my life. I plan to do this this coming week.
  • megsaidso
    megsaidso Posts: 4 Member
    I've lost 26 lbs and have 4 more to go from dieting alone. Although, I hate the term diet. I changed my eating habits entirely and will never look back. I stay under my BMR, eat lean proteins, complex carbs, and fruits/veggies for every meal and snack, drink a ton of green tea and water, and MAYBE the occasional 30 min workout with Nike Training app. I also avoid anything processed, anything with HFCS or enriched flour, and artificial sweeteners. The food you eat is far more important, but some exercise is good for you, so I recommend at least walking as often as you can, even if it's just parking the back of every lot and walking in. :) Feel free to add me if I can be of any help!
  • gissalm
    gissalm Posts: 41
    ME! I am losing weight and I haven't exercise, not one bit.... I don't see a big difference in the mirror (could be just me) but the pounds on the scale are going down and my clothes are starting to feel lose... I am seriously thinking on starting so I can start toning, but you can definitely lose weight with no exercise just by eating healthier
  • Chewster001
    Chewster001 Posts: 201 Member
    I've lost 18 lbs so far (from 143 to 125 in a little over a month.)
    The only exercise I did was walking.
    Sometimes I walked up to 2 hours total in a few separate walks.
    Other than that, I just logged every bite that went into my face, and realized exactly how much I was eating... then I cut back to whatever My Fitness Pal told me to eat as far as number of calories and breakdown of nutrients goes.

    I cut out the bread, dairy, and most sugary foods. I still have them sometimes, but I haven't bought bread or milk or ice cream in all that time. My weakness is chocolate. I eat way too much chocolate. One tiny piece at a time.
  • iamblessed3
    iamblessed3 Posts: 1
    Yes you can lose weight without exercise. I know from personal experience, exercise will definitely make you lose inches faster, but if I stick with a weight loss program.....I've lost lots of weight........62lbs to be exact with NO exercise. Something I've learned tho......once you lose the weight, the ONLY way to keep it off is to exercise along with continuing to watch what you eat. I've not done that in the past and I've gained it all back.....so this time, I know what to do!
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    I believe by watching what you eat can be beneficial to losing the weight. However, I also feel that exercise helps give you the body you want.
  • HashtagTraci
    HashtagTraci Posts: 34
    It depends on what your caloric intake is ~ try t keep it low, around 1200 cal a day or less if your not working out much at first, and save as many of those calories as you can for late night snacking, that way you are less likely to go over. If you're not working out, then keep your calories as low as you can and you will still lose weight. Low exercize / low calories is a good way to start a diet, thats how I did it. Motivation will kick in as soon as you see results and then its smooth sailing from that point on. Takes a couple months of hard work at first because its not always easy to stay on track when there are no results to motivae you yet ~ but hang in there! You can do this, you are quite capable!! Good Luck, and add me if you'd like :)
  • opajee
    opajee Posts: 69
    bump
  • Tobethin608
    Tobethin608 Posts: 47 Member
    I have lost 12lb. so far (since end of September) with NO excercise as I have an achilles tendon injury.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    If you're not working out, then keep your calories as low as you can

    This is not necessary.

    Hit your calorie goals.
  • timmymon
    timmymon Posts: 304 Member
    These threads make me sad :cry:
  • HashtagTraci
    HashtagTraci Posts: 34
    If you're not working out, then keep your calories as low as you can

    This is not necessary.

    Hit your calorie goals.

    *I should have said "keep your calorie goal as low as you can" ~ it's definately important to create & stick to goals when losing weight, otherwise there is no guideline :)
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
    The amount of calories you burn in a day depends on your metabolism and your metabolism depends a great deal on how active you are in a day and not how many calories we eat. If losing weight was dependent on eating more, no one would ever get fat. You can either exercise more or work an active job but you will lose absolutely nothing if you live like a couch potato with the exception of starving yourself.

    Edit. Walking is exercise.
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    I stared out exercising at the gym 3 times a week but due to some health problems my 17 year old has been having I've barely exercised at all. I haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks but I am still losing.
  • squirmmonster
    squirmmonster Posts: 98 Member
    Yes. But frankly, it's just so MUCH less effort to do an hour of cardio a day, than to constantly stress about whether or not a serving of cookies is going to undo a week's worth of dieting.

    SERIOUSLY.
  • IslandDreamer64
    IslandDreamer64 Posts: 258 Member
    Exercise is good for your health, but not necessary for weight loss. I don't exercise and am losing just fine, and I know many people who have lost significant amounts of weight without exercising.

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