Losing weight without working out

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BaysiderNY
BaysiderNY Posts: 66 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello guys. I've been logging my food for the last month or so and I've lost some weight.. probably around 7 lbs. so far. I was working out 4-5 days a week for almost an hour. My weight loss was slow for all the hardwork i was putting in it. But okay 7 lbs.. I'll take that. But now my issue is I don't have a car to go workout at the gym. And no I can't go run outside since I have a toddler and no one to look after him. At the gym I would leave him at the baby sitting.

My question is, how hard is it to lose weight without working out? Only thing I do is JM Shreds. And because I have my landlord living downstairs I can't do much exercise at home. I am so scared that I will stop losing weight (since my weight loss was already pretty slow) now that I am not working out. I try to restrict my calories but to be honest being able to eat and still lose weight by working out is amazing. I just don't have that anymore. I am panicking that I won't lose weight. I can't stop thinking about it :(

I need tips and suggestions.
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Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    MFP creates a deficit for you when it gives you your calorie goal. This means that you will lose weight even if you don't exercise.

    That being said, I still think you should find some way to exercise. Go run outside while pushing the kid in the stroller? Take the kid to the park and do burpees, jog in place, push ups, etc while the kid plays. There are always options, you just have to find them.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    Your weight loss will probably slow down. You just need to make sure your eating is good.
  • BaysiderNY
    BaysiderNY Posts: 66 Member
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    Thanks for replying. My toddler wouldn't sit in the stroller so yes I can go out with him for a walk but then I'd be walking at 0miles/hr which won't help me much. I will try this though anyway to see if he is okay with sitting while I go for a walk.. power walk. I live in a beautiful neighborhood by the sea. There is a 3 mile path for people to walk/run.. only if my toddler would sit............
  • kalch
    kalch Posts: 45 Member
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    watch the video "23 and a half hours", it will enlighten you. It's on youtube.
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
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    MFP creates a deficit for you when it gives you your calorie goal. This means that you will lose weight even if you don't exercise.

    That being said, I still think you should find some way to exercise. Go run outside while pushing the kid in the stroller? Take the kid to the park and do burpees, jog in place, push ups, etc while the kid plays. There are always options, you just have to find them.

    I was going to suggest a stroller too. Do you have a phone with apps? There are some free workout trainer apps that have 10-30minute work outs that don't require jumping around, but still get your heart rate up and challenge your muscles. Hope you find a way!
  • spikethat
    spikethat Posts: 44
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    Personally, I HATE exercise! The only exercise I do is weight training in PE and volleyball practice! In 2 months, I have lost 10 lbs. (pause for applause). But of course, if it's something you really want to do, look up the 5 song workouts and before shower workouts on pinterest. They keep you're workouts scheduled and they aren't unbearable! Good luck!
  • wonderfulboodad
    wonderfulboodad Posts: 36
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    Check this http://calorieneedscalculator.com/index.html against MFP and see how close it is. Housework will burn fat and work muscles as well as basic calisthenics that don't pound the floor..
  • carrieluoma
    carrieluoma Posts: 1
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    I have not been to a gym in at least 3 years. I have been doing a squat gauntlet which you can find on-line at uber exercise...I bought myself a barbell and some weights...squat with those. You can get a stability ball and do numerous exercises with that. Then may I suggest kettle bells...I do those with the squat gauntlet every other day. I rotate legs and upper body every other day with Sundays off. Just a suggestion, but since I've incorporated MFP and the workouts together....I've lost close to 25 pounds since August. I am now wearing a size 0-2. I don't own a scale, but weighed in at 118 when I gave blood 2 weeks ago. Good Luck...you can do it with body weight only.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    You definitely don't need to work out to lose weight, but you will look better and drop sizes faster if you do. I lost a ton of weight and didn't exercise once and I was definitely skinny fat. Never again!
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
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    Oh, another idea. Dance. Turn on some tunes, or put the earbuds in and dance. Make cleaning into a groovy workout too :)

    What about talking to your landlord and let them know that you would like to work out, but are concerned of making too much noise for an hour, so you were wondering if there was a certain time frame of the day that you could work out and they would know what the heck was going on up there.
  • EvaD12
    EvaD12 Posts: 49
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    This might sound silly but have you thought about something that would get you and your toddler moving, I'm thinking along the lines of "The Wiggles"/ "High 5" type dvd's they are all songs and dancing for toddlers but you could defiantly dance along with them. It wouldn't be the biggest calorie burn but better than nothing I guess!

    Also check out health and fitness section of Pintrest there are lots of 1 song workouts etc that can be done in any spare moments.
  • klorjohns
    klorjohns Posts: 1 Member
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    I have two toddlers (grandsons) and a twin stroller. Best workout ever. Strap them in the stroller. (key word being strap/buckle) and head outdoors. Even going at a slow pace can burn calories and if you can find some hills you can really feel it in the back of your legs and your butt. A three hour trip to the zoo can burn around 600 calories, even better because you are enjoying the outdoors with your toddler. We try to have at least one field trip a week and several trips to the park in between.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Do you want to lose weight or fat?
  • MiryMosey
    MiryMosey Posts: 3 Member
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    Hello guys. I've been logging my food for the last month or so and I've lost some weight.. probably around 7 lbs. so far. I was working out 4-5 days a week for almost an hour. My weight loss was slow for all the hardwork i was putting in it. But okay 7 lbs.. I'll take that.

    Firstly, congrats on your progress so far! It's certainly nothing to scoff at!

    I just wanted to say that if you have lost 7lbs in a month (and maybe a bit), your weight loss hasn't been slow. You shouldn't aim to lose more than 1-2lbs each week, and that's what it sounds like you were losing.

    Your weight loss will likely slow down if you decrease your excersize, so my suggestion would be to celebrate any progress no matter how small. Even if you lose less than half a pound in a week it is still progress and you will reach dazzling results with time!

    If you stick to the correct calorie intake, you can lose weight without excersize. There are obviously many more benefits to excersize, but don't be discouraged or give up if that has to wait until bubs is a bit older.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    There was a really interesting article a while back in Time magazine about how exercise can actually hinder weight loss: www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1914974,00.html

    That being said, I have definitely lost weigh lots of times with no exercise. However, I think you should think of this journey as a way to be healthier, not just thinner. Thus, regardless of benefits (or not) to weight loss, exercise is an important part of a healthy life style. There are tons of mini daily challenges posted on the web like 25 jumping jacks, 25 squats, 25 pushups, 25 sit ups, etc...and you can always walk! Walking is great for functional fitness! And good heavens, you can walk inside to a Leslie Sansone DVD.
  • IronGirlShae
    IronGirlShae Posts: 58 Member
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    I hate working out, so I try to work more movement into my chores. I was cleaning the floor today, and with every push of the sweeper, I'd push onto one leg and kick the other one out behind me. Good glute workout. You could also do lunges while vacuuming for a hamstring workout. Scrub the floor with a brush/sponge by kneeling down and pushing the sponge forward and then contracting back toward your knees with your stomach and legs. Your landlord can't complain about you keeping the place clean! MFP even has cardio workout options for heavy vigorous cleaning.

    I'd also suggest doing arm curls with your groceries/laundry as you carry it. Tiny little things can add up. Hope it helps!
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
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    You really don’t need to work out to lose weight. If anything, sometimes it can sabotage your efforts to slim down.
    I lose 3 stone in 1 year without working out. I cut my calories down to 1200-1400 a day. Then I started working out, lots of cardio and a few strength training. I didn’t lose any weight. If anything I put on a bit of weight from gaining a bit of muscle. The reason for this was that I was so much hungrier when I was working out. When your muscles are beaten up they crave food. Also working out does increase your metabolism, but when your metabolism is raised you naturally crave more food. I couldn’t stick to 1200 and was up to 1700-1900.
    I think working out is great for maintaining, gaining muscle (which is great in itself because the more muscle you have the more you can eat as you burn more calories at rest) and keeping healthy (physically and mentally) and fit. But I wouldn’t use it as a method of losing weight.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    There are PLENTY of workouts on youtube that don't require you jumping like a kangaroo. Try pop-pilates workouts. No jumping and they really kick your *kitten*! Do them while your son is napping or before you go to sleep or in the morning before your son wakes up. You just need to find a time that works for you and just do it.
  • dmh0204
    dmh0204 Posts: 81
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    All of these are great suggestions.

    I have a 1 and 2 year old, and I work full time. I used to go to the gym too. With the little kids, though, I find it impossible and time consuming to go to the gym, so I work out when they are in bed at night. I bought a few free weights and made up my own circuit training routines at home. I jump rope for 3 minutes, then do some curls and squats, then jump rope, then push ups and sit ups, then jump rope, then low rows and lunges, then jump rope, then some bridges and leg lifts, then repeat a couple of times. I do that for 20 to 40 minutes, and I am sure I've done a better work out than I ever did at the gym.

    You say you've got a landlord issue, so jumping rope might not be a good cardio option, but like others have said, you could dance, do jumping jacks, step on and off a stair, run up and down the stairs, do burpees, or anything to get your heart rate up in between the strength training.

    Good luck. And 7 pounds in a month is great!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    Funny you should mention this... the thing that sold me on mybarre3 (on line workouts) was the info video with a young mother doing a 10 minute workout using the kitchen counter as a barre while her baby ate in his high chair next to her.

    You tube has a ton of pilates/yoga/barre exercises and believe me all them tone you up and help you focus on a healthy attitude towards fitness.

    Great job on losing 7 pounds in one month!

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