Can I lose weight without Exercise?

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lowdog5
lowdog5 Posts: 33
in Fitness and Exercise
Question: Is it possible to lose weight without exercising? I actually started out on April 2nd at 325lbs and have been sticking with the calorie count exactly and today "April 26th" I'm down to 306lbs. Little to no exercise has been done daily namely because I work nights and sleep from 8am - 3pm, and having the time to exercise is really hard, but the scale doesn't lie....Please tell me am I hurting myself or can I contunue on this course. Thanks everyone!
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  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
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    Losing weight is about eating less that you burn, exercise or not. You asked if it's possible and then went on to show that you have done it. You answered your own question.
  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
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    a few quotes

    Trying to lose weight by starving yourself is like trying to get rid of weeds in a garden by not watering it.

    Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.
    Arnold H. Glasgow

    Eat clean, train mean, live lean

    What are you trying to change? Your body, or just the number on the scale?

    (personal I exercise and thoses quote is one I use alot)

    "I workout, because I can. When I get tired, or I am short on time, or I want to quit...I think about how lucky I am to be healthy enough to workout daily. Be grateful for your health and your ability to become STRONGER. Don't ever take it for granted!"

    "If you did have a million-dollar racehorse, would you let him stay up half the night drinking coffee and booze, smoking cigarettes and eating junk food?" "Would you treat a 10-dollar dog or a 5-dollar cat this way? What about your billion-dollar body?"
  • lowdog5
    lowdog5 Posts: 33
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    Losing weight is about eating less that you burn, exercise or not. You asked if it's possible and then went on to show that you have done it. You answered your own question.

    True, but I was thinking on the lines of a person just starting out and being able to knock out a few pounds in the beginning of my fitness with mostly water-weight. I understand that I'm doing exactly what I'm asking I was really looking for an answer to "is this a good long term idea of not exercising and just counting calories as a weight loss program." I'm not looking to build muscle or anything like that, I just want to lose the weight and be healther. Thanks anyway....
  • JayStu
    JayStu Posts: 332 Member
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    yes it is possible, I have lost almost 70lbs with a walk every now and then but I would strongly suggest you do some weight training. I say from experience that, just losing the weight without exercise leaves you looking kind of saggy and personally does not look that good.
  • red_road
    red_road Posts: 761 Member
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    Ive lost all my weight so far with very little exercise, i should but....well im lazy and lost alot of energy by letting myself get fat, im sure i would have more energy if i exercised though ...lol but some people say a diet is 80% food 20% exercise and i have to agree that eating right> no exercise beats lots of exercise> eating crap

    hopefully i dont get tared and feathered by the gods of mfp for saying this.
  • red_road
    red_road Posts: 761 Member
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    Oh yeah the guy above is right about that though, if you have alot to lose weight training supposedly helps alot with excess skin.
  • Brenda4105
    Brenda4105 Posts: 117 Member
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    I have lost 43lbs since the first of this year and done little to no exercise. So far I am still dropping pounds. I know there will come a time that I will need to exercise to not only get to the weight I want but to tone everything up. I am not wanting to look like muscle woman, just not have a ton of left over flab.

    So the answer is yes you can reduce calories and lose weight with out exercising.
  • shorty458
    shorty458 Posts: 163 Member
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    Yup! It's possible... my husband is on MFP and the most exercise he does is walking the dog... and he's lost 60lbs.
  • Viva81Diva
    Viva81Diva Posts: 148
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    Yes. You can lose weight without exercise, but it will benefit you more in the long term to exercise. Combining cardio with resistance training (plus stretching) will give you the best results. Cardio burns fat, resistance training helps condition muscles that will in turn be a better support for your body PLUS help burn more calories during the day, and the stretching will release tension from muscles. It also help keep them more flexible so you are less prone to injury. Combined with proper nutrition, exercise will boost your metabolism, reduce risks for diseases and illness, and will help you feel years younger! You will look better physically, and will improve organs so that you feel better on the inside. It all around health, and the best thing you can ever do for your body.

    If you are finding it hard to exercise because of work, make time! Consider it to be like an appointment. You schedule, be there, get it done, and go about your day. It is fine to break the workouts up into segments: 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there. As long as you begin to be more active and stick with it, you will help your body become stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. Good luck! :)
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    To lose weight, yes, all you need is to eat at a calorie deficit. But it is recommended to include exercise to help prevent muscle loss and to strengthen your muscles and increase endurance/stamina.
  • workinprogress37
    workinprogress37 Posts: 24 Member
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    Exercise will speed up your metabolism. Muscle mass is very important for increasing your metabolism and helping you to lose weight. Exercising has many other benefits, it's good for your heart health, it will make you more energetic and you will feel more confident just to name a few. Also, I once read that cardio is burns calories for today, but strength training burns calories for tomorrow. I am certainly no expert, but I know what exercise has done for me. I read the book "Never Say Diet" by Chantel Hobbs. I found it to be inspirational and motivational. You may find it to be helpful too.
  • Kalielspinner
    Kalielspinner Posts: 13
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    Lose weight? Sure just intake less calories than you burn...Get into shape another story entirely.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Absolutely.
  • chellebublz
    chellebublz Posts: 568 Member
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    I agree with the 80/20 comment. And I believe a person can lose with 100% nutrition and 0% exercise, but would you want to?? Do you want to hit your goal weight and still have a high body fat percentage? You will essentially be what is called skinny fat if you do that, most likely. Your body will burn muscle mass along with fat, whereas if you exercise you can prevent that from happening to a point.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
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    You can definitely lose weight without exercise. Lots of people never exercise at all & lose all the weight they want to.

    Exercise will help you look better once the weight is gone. Not to mention all the health benefits. But it is definitely optional.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    I'd say is it possible to lose most of the weight with little to no exercise.

    Once you get closer to your goal,however, it will be harder and harder to lose fat with just a calorie deficit and NOT lose lean muscle. I lost 33 lbs, just with diet alone. I liked the number I saw on the scale, but it was at the cost of weak, flabby muscles, a saggy butt, no stamina, and poor energy. I strongly suggest strength training, if not now, then at least 10-20 pounds away from your goal weight.
  • freelancejouster
    freelancejouster Posts: 478 Member
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    you can definitely lose weight without exercise. you can even lose all your weight without it, but you will likely still have about as much skin as you do now. even if you just lift weights or do situps/planks and the like for 10-15 minutes 3 times a week you'll start to tone a bit. Maybe go for a long walk on the weekends?
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    Losing weight is about eating less that you burn, exercise or not. You asked if it's possible and then went on to show that you have done it. You answered your own question.
  • ktliu
    ktliu Posts: 334 Member
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    Diet is a start, but with all the hard work about dieting, don't you want something to show for, You can maybe visually the old you coming back. doing things that you were doing when you were young. And not to mention getting a better sex drive.
    Also at 300+ lbs to start, if you don't exercise, you are going to look like a deflated balloon even when you reach your goal weight . with lots of hanging flabs everywhere. So you might want to do some exercise. besides if you count calories, you can afford to eat back your calories. So if you love food...maybe you can sacrifice for it. Just my 2 cents.
  • Moangeloke
    Moangeloke Posts: 1 Member
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    Yes, to gain the weight you ate more than you used, so the opposite is true. Here is some simple math. If you eat about 2700 calories a day and eat every 3 hours you will lose weight and your body won't think it is starving.

    Roughly (very roughly) when you weighed 325 lbs you were eating between 5250 to 5720 calories per day. Average calories burned by an inactive man is about 2000-2500 per day. If you were eating 5250 calories a day but are now eating about 2700 calories a day this means you are eating about 2550 less per day.

    About 3200 calories equals 1 pound.

    You've been dieting about 24 days.

    The Math

    5250 (calories you used to eat) -2700 (about the number of calories you are probably eating) = 2550
    2550 calories x 24 days (April 2 to April 26) = 61,200 total calorie deficit
    61,200 calories / 3200 calories per pound = a total wight loss of about 19.125

    Any exercise will add to the fat loss. As for the exercise I've learned something very important. You need muscle mass. Your heart is a muscle. If you loss weight withouth increasing your muscle mass you risk some heart problmes. That said, losing the weight from 300s to 200's will do your heart some good. There are some real simple do at home for 20 minute exercises that will help with speeding wieght loss, won't exhaust you, and will be great for your heart. Light light light, ease into it

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