Losing weight without working out

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.

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    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: 1,722 Member
    Your weight loss will probably slow down. You just need to make sure your eating is good.
  • BaysiderNY
    BaysiderNY Posts: 66 Member
    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
    watch the video "23 and a half hours", it will enlighten you. It's on youtube.
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Do you want to lose weight or fat?
  • MiryMosey
    MiryMosey Posts: 3 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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!
  • magairlin
    magairlin Posts: 93 Member
    Strap your toddler in the stroller ignoring his/her protests and walk for half an hour or more as fast as you can on the beautiful walk you mentioned. He/she can put up with their dislike of the stroller for a half hour and the results for you will be great- go for it- you are doing well and your toddler will benefit from having a fit and slim mother. Good luck
  • lbk1969
    lbk1969 Posts: 10
    I've never been able to work out at night, but once my little ones were old enough to sleep through the night most nights, I started getting up ridiculously early to work out.

    If your child won't stay in the stroller, is he or she small enough to wear in an Ergo? (~3 or younger). Any time you spend with a 3 year old strapped to your back should count as a workout! But seriously, even walking to the park like that will be much more intense for you than a regular walk. And if you can't find one used on Craigslist, your local community may have a "babywearing" group. A lot of those moms are such advocates, you may find someone willing to loan you one for a week or two, so you can figure out if it would work for you.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Your loss will likely slow but not because you are not working out - 7lbs in a month is quite a lot. 3-5 is much more average - so be prepared for it and don't beat yourself up over it.

    Things to note: MFP is designed so you will lose without working out. It's part of why you are supposed to eat most of your exercise calories. MFP estimates what you burn on a typical non-workout day, and cuts 500 calories off it (if your settings are 1lbs a week).

    If you are feeling sluggish, pop the baby in a stroller and go for a walk. Or do a dance video or body weight workout or yoga or pilates in your living room. Both netflix and youtube have workout sequences available online.

    Being active doesn't have to mean slaving away at the gym. Put on some music and dance around with the baby. Play tag. Or hide and seek. Heck, do 20 baby lifts! Little kids LOVE being picked up!
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I'm not sure why such a strong emphasis on you working out. The fact is, if you follow MFP, you don't need to workout. You will still lose weight. All workout out does is make you look better once the weight is off. I see a lot of misconceptions in this thread. Weight loss is really 80% diet anyway, and 20% exercise. Working out has other benefits that are unseen, like healthy heart and lungs, etc. But, it is not required for weight loss. I think lots of people have temporary set backs or life circumstances that don't allow for workouts. While you can usually find some time to do some lunges, Burpees, and planks, taking care of a toddler is really hard...in fact, it is exhausting. So, you may not feel like working out, which is understandable. So, no, exercise is not the only way to lose weight. MFP build in a calorie deficit. So, if you just log all your food, you should still lose the lbs. good luck.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Diet = weight loss, exercise = fitness. The benefit of exercise is you can eat more calories and you are more likely to keep off the weight. Second, you probably didn't lose much during exercise for a few reasons. One you probably didn't eat enough but I can't confirm that without knowing how many calories you were eating. Most people tend to eat as little as possible in hopes of losing as fast as possible... bodies dont' like that. But based on your ticker, you should be at no more than 1 lb per week. You are probably lightly active if you have a child and if you include JM 30DS, then you need another 200-300 calories. More than likely, that puts you around 1700-1900 calories. So how much where you eating? Without exercise, probably 1500-1600 would be good.
  • deviantcupcake
    deviantcupcake Posts: 136 Member
    I have a medical condition which means working out is a terrible idea for me. Sometimes I can't even manage walking around the supermarket. Kills me, because I love exercise.
    But the point is, if I stick to a calorie limit then I can lose weight. No, I'm not getting fit or building muscle and I'm probably not just losing fat, but I'm getting smaller and lighter.
    It's perfectly possible to lose weight without working out.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    It can be done. I've lost 106 pounds without working out. BUT I do use this premise: Sit less, move more. Any activity is good.whether it's running around hte house more, folding clothes, spring cleaning for the 4th time this month, whatever.

    Make sure you're eating enough too - and more quality/healthy foods instead of processed stuff. It'll help rev up your metabolism.

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