anyone losing weight by ONLY counting calories? (no working

spookyboots
spookyboots Posts: 2
edited October 10 in Fitness and Exercise
i have a really physical job, and i live in a city with no car, so i walk everywhere, so i have an inherently active lifestyle. i do have a gym membership, and go sometimes, but... not hardly as much as i would like to, and i am totally unmotivated to go. :(

i wonder if just keeping my calories under 1200 a day, like the fitnesspal thing says to (which isnt super hard cause i LOVE veggies!) will be enough to lose my 1.5 or 2 lbs per week.

what do you think???

Replies

  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    You generally need to increase activity to lose but I think you will lose if your calories are 1200 per day - of course not sure at what rate. Maybe get a heart monitor so you can see what calories are at the end of the day (with walking and working).
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    If you have an active lifestyle and you set up MFP to reflect that, they should be recommending you eat more than 1200 calories/day. 1200 is the minimum for a sedentary lifestyle... and you certainly don't need to be eating below that with an active lifestyle.

    That being said... I think you could up your calories a bit and still lose weight. Maybe not 2 pounds a week, depending on how close to goal you are, but you can definitely lose with just diet alone. From what I have heard, diet plays a much larger role than exercise in losing weight (and by "diet", I mean healthy, nutritious choices, not "dieting")
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Yes, you will lose weight by just reducing your calories. I know of at least 2 ppl on here who did not add any exercise at all and lost 50-75 lbs.

    I would add some strength training to become stronger. But that is just me!

    Good luck......eat well! :heart:
  • sngnyrslp
    sngnyrslp Posts: 315 Member
    As long as you have a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. You may not gain any muscle because you're not working out, but you'll still lose weight. Exercise is mostly to supplement your calorie cutting so that you don't have to cut back as much, but if you have no problem eating 1200 calories a day you should be fine, especially with your active lifestyle!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    You can lose weight without working out....it just takes a longer time

    However you state you walk everywhere....I would recommend getting a HRM, but if you cant at this time....when walking to work, check what time, you left and what time you reach....and log in the amount of minutes it takes and plug that into MFP and see how many calories you burn walking

    Ensure your calories do not go below 1200 calories though....you stated if you kept you calories "under" 1200.....not sure if it was a typo...but it shouldnt go below 1200 calories

    Depending how how heavy you are...you may be able to lose 1.5 to 2 lbs per week....however if you are closer to you goal weight, maybe unlikely

    Goodluck
  • Murphy15
    Murphy15 Posts: 142
    Ultimately it boils down to calories in, calories out. If you're under your total burned calories for the day you're going to lose. Even though you don't go to the gym regularly, you're probably getting more exercise than a lot of people by walking everywhere.
  • Mookz0r
    Mookz0r Posts: 143
    I've lost my 11lbs over the course of 10 weeks (with 3/4 weeks on a plateau - gar!) through changes to my diet alone - and eating around 1500 cals a day.

    I'm a stay-at-home mum with two very small children, so have bouts of very physical "work" (cardio and weights - lol!) but can't get to the gym nor go out for a run on my own, cos I'm on my own at the moment.
  • eriny
    eriny Posts: 1,509 Member
    Yes, you will lose weight by just reducing your calories. I know of at least 2 ppl on here who did not add any exercise at all and lost 50-75 lbs.

    I would add some strength training to become stronger. But that is just me!

    Good luck......eat well! :heart:
    [/quote

    i agree as i lost 40ish by changing how i ate and before starting any exercises
  • Яaquel
    Яaquel Posts: 90
    Yes you will, I also live in the city NY & I walk everywhere I only consume 1200 and i lost 18 pounds =D
  • scarecrow41
    scarecrow41 Posts: 116
    As stated already I'm sure you don't even have to reduce to 1200 calories...I'm not sure why this aribtrary number keeps getting tossed around.

    You can get an estimate of the daily calories you burn based on things like age, weight, etc. When you add in the number of calories you burn through your walks and such you simply need to eat 1000 calories less than that in order to lose two pounds/week.

    This is simply a guess, but going by what you say of your physical activity 1400-1500 calories would probably be more appropriate.
  • Яaquel
    Яaquel Posts: 90
    Oh and I barely exercise cause i do so much walking ...
  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
    It is unhealthy for a woman to eat less than 1200 calories per day. Since you have such an active life style then you could probably do 1300 or 1400 cals a day (providing its healthy food) and you should loose weight, it is difficult to loose 2lbs per week, thats my goal, and i have to work out a lot to make that happen, so I don't know how quickly it would come off with out working out, but you would still loose.
  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
    As stated already I'm sure you don't even have to reduce to 1200 calories...I'm not sure why this aribtrary number keeps getting tossed around.

    You can get an estimate of the daily calories you burn based on things like age, weight, etc. When you add in the number of calories you burn through your walks and such you simply need to eat 1000 calories less than that in order to lose two pounds/week.

    This is simply a guess, but going by what you say of your physical activity 1400-1500 calories would probably be more appropriate.

    the reason 1200 is thrown around so much is because it is the absolute min a woman is suppose to cut her calories too according to most doctors and fitness experts.
  • spookyboots
    spookyboots Posts: 2
    thanks all!

    i think i should do some extra exercise, to be healthy, but its nice to know im not totally flubbing my diet if i dont. :D
  • gardenimp
    gardenimp Posts: 185 Member
    If your goal is only to lose weight, yes you will at 1200 intake and moderately active life. If you want to tone up as you lose, you will have to add weights. Since you walk everywhere, try adding hand weights or ankle weights.
  • antiadipose
    antiadipose Posts: 447
    great fact of working out is it sky rockets ur metabolism!!! =]
    but like everyone said, u can do it!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    weight loss is 80% diet & 20% exercise....i lost the first 3/4's of my weight with no exercise at all & I don't have an active job. No worries - stick to the deficit & you'll succeed.:flowerforyou:
  • RMX82
    RMX82 Posts: 172
    weight loss is 80% diet & 20% exercise....i lost the first 3/4's of my weight with no exercise at all & I don't have an active job. No worries - stick to the deficit & you'll succeed.:flowerforyou:

    ^agreed. Your food intake is what really matters. But at the same time you need to have some physical activity to prevent muscle loss and just overall general health.
  • SarahEllis28
    SarahEllis28 Posts: 37
    I lost 20lbs a couple of years ago strictly dieting. I was a stay-at-home mom with a new baby so very little physical activity outside of the home. Definitely do-able! Good luck!!!
  • zoey116
    zoey116 Posts: 75
    When I first started on MFP I had a very active job as well and I did not excersise. I set up my MFP to reflect that I had an active job (I think it put me on something like 1540 cals per day). In my first 8 weeks without excersise I lost 22lbs. But then I plataued so I started swimming and between that and adjusting my calories (upping them, then maintenence and so soforth) I eventually got past it. YAY :) I changed jobs during my plataeu and now am working way fewer hours (still an actiive job , just not there as much) so I do excersise now. But I've found that even though I had no desire to excersise when I first started this I have become motivated to excersise. I still hate doing it but I know I need to.
  • kimmrdodge
    kimmrdodge Posts: 190 Member
    Hi, my husband is a computer programmer, has never done a stitch of exercise in his life and about a year ago lost 130 lbs doing nothing but counting calories. It took him about a year and a half to lose it with the first 100lbs taking sbbout 10 months. So yes, it can be done, you just need to stay focused. It's really just simple math. Calories in vs. Calories out. I too have done noexercise loosing my first 31lbs. I have only watched my calories. I have just joined a gym this week, mainly because I want to do more than just loose weight, I'd like too be toned as well when all is said and done. Thus far I have lost between 1.5 and 4 lbs per week depending on how well I have done on my wAter and food intake.
  • zekielemia09
    zekielemia09 Posts: 1
    well i dont have a job but i went to gym 6 times a week doing weight lifting with minimal rest and i put in MFP an active one to reflect well my progress as of now fromw 86kg down to 67kg as of todat for about 2 months!:)
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