Can I lose weight without Exercise?

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  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
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    As others have said, yes you can lose weight by diet alone, but it will be slow, and only moderately effective.

    Also, by skipping the exercise portion of a healthly lifestyle, you are really depriving your body of some huge benefits. strength training adds muscle mass, increased muscle mass means more calories burned while you are sitting stil because muscle needs fuel, fat does not, fat IS fuel.

    Exercising will strengthen your whole cardiovascular system - especially your heart.

    You have got to get the motivation to get moving. Even walking is a good start. It's healthy for the mind and for the body.

    There are so many health benefits to being active I couldn't possibly type them all, but it's SOOOO worth it.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    You will lose about as much muscle as you do fat by doing nothing beyond running a calorie deficit. If you want to be lean, rather than just light, you need to lift weights to combat muscle loss.
  • lowdog5
    lowdog5 Posts: 33
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    Wow! All the replies are GREAT! Thanks to everyone that replied. I was just really courious because I started out at 321lbs on April 2nd and today (April 26th) I'm at 306lbs. Haven't done much exercising to this point but plan on starting with this Xbox Biggest Loser Kinect program I have, I just did it today and knocked out 193 calories in a short 40 minute work out. Thanks again to all that replied! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!

    Sincerely,
    Mark, US Navy Retired
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
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    Mark, if your budget can handle it, get yourself a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). Get the kind that has a chest strap, they're about $90. It's a great investment in your fitness plan. I like the Polar FT4 as a good all around model.
  • MiamiKid305
    MiamiKid305 Posts: 357
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    Is this srs?? obviously a caloric deficit
  • fluffychicken7
    fluffychicken7 Posts: 77 Member
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    I know a guy who did it with no exercise, but it took him two years and he ate very little. But then you have to ask yourself, can you live with it taking two years or maybe even longer. And the closer you get to your target weight, the harder it will be. But no judgments, we all have choices to make and I wish you the very best.
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
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    I did
    Well I ran about once a week.
  • abheshek
    abheshek Posts: 525 Member
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    they say no pain no gain...


    so if you don't workout you would still be loosing weight but very slowly....
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    yes, of course you can lose weight safely without exercise. That said...and don't think you need to make big changes immediately....your body will thank you if you do add some exercise. You'll look better, and feel better, and be healthier, which is better than the other two, IMHO. Exercise doesn't have to be an hours a week commitment...it can be as simple as just taking a walk a couple of times a week, and then later, maybe a couple more times a week. You never know..you could be a gym rat in the making, but start where you are, and just do something, anything to get moving a little more. Just a little. You'll be glad you did.
  • lowdog5
    lowdog5 Posts: 33
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    Mark, if your budget can handle it, get yourself a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). Get the kind that has a chest strap, they're about $90. It's a great investment in your fitness plan. I like the Polar FT4 as a good all around model.

    Sarge, What will the HRM do for me?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Mark, if your budget can handle it, get yourself a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). Get the kind that has a chest strap, they're about $90. It's a great investment in your fitness plan. I like the Polar FT4 as a good all around model.

    Sarge, What will the HRM do for me?

    It will give you a more accurate calorie burn when you workout. (I saw your post about the kinect game) I use kinect games to workout and have noticed some under estimate calorie burn while others over estimate the burn.

    As for price of a hrm, I got a pyle for $26 off amazon.com (free shipping) and it has a chest strap. I love it. Not as fancy as the Polar brand, but it does it's job.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Double post..
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Mark, if your budget can handle it, get yourself a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). Get the kind that has a chest strap, they're about $90. It's a great investment in your fitness plan. I like the Polar FT4 as a good all around model.

    Sarge, What will the HRM do for me?

    It can be a bit more accurate with giving you your calorie burn #s. But just realize that it can still be up to 30% inaccurate. I've found that the numbers from my HRM and MFP aren't too far apart. I usually just go with whichever has the lower #.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
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    Yes.
    1st time I lost weight I lost 26kgs - was a size 14 almost a size 12 - no exercise
    2nd time I lost weight I was 12kgs heavier than the 1st time I lost weight and people thought I was thinner. 2nd time I was seeing a p/t twice a week. I could fit into the same clothes as when I was actually 12kgs lighter & my body shape completely changed. So I think I much prefer (personally) to exercise with eating well.
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
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    All my weight that I've lost has been without going out of my way to exercise. I walk and stuff for errands and taking my daughter to school, band practice etc, but that is it. Mind you I put on a few pounds too, but it was good muscle and that was simply by eating more (of course within reason).

    I tend not to give a flying crap about weight anymore. The real numbers are in body fat percentage and while I've only lost 11lbs and my weight jumps up and down my inches have gone down and my body fat from about 35% to 31.6% (that puts me in the healthy range now).

    My clothes fit better on me now at 162.7lbs than they did at 155 lbs.

    So to answer your question, yes you can but remember that weight isn't really the best way to judge things either ;)

    I'm currently trying to follow IPOARM, and you get read more about that if you like here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    It's heavy reading but it has helped me a lot :)
  • HisangelG
    HisangelG Posts: 96 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

    This.

    Those of us with so much to lose, can and do lose some weight without exercise. At first, maybe the first 20-30 pounds, it might be okay, to get down to a weight where you can walk without stopping every 30 seconds to catch your breath for 5 minutes. When you can walk at least a minute or two without stopping, I say start adding exercise. It can be simple things, such as 5 wall pushups as you walk to the kitchen each time. 5 wall squats as you come back from the bathroom. Chair exercises...(Check sparkspeople, for some good ones.) Just little things can make a difference. Then, when the 5 are easy, make it 10, then 15, then 20, then 25. When you can do 25 of these easily, start trying to do modified pushups/squats...and then when that becomes easy at 25, do the regular.

    I want to lift. Right now, I cannot. It would cause more harm than good. I can do resistance bands and under 10 pound weights while sitting. As I lose weight, I hope to be able to bump it up slowly and if possible, one day do some heavy lifting. Every little bit is going to help. Any movement you make right now will do some good. Do leg lifts while sitting, do squats as you go to sit down. Do "sofa squats" during commercials. (Sitting to stand squat, then stand to sit. Check out Joan Pagano's Strength training for women because it has some good exercises to get started that truly ANYONE can work with. You figure out what level you are at, and precede from there. She gives the very basic, to very advanced type of each exercise.)

    Learn to eat healthy. Move more. Exercise is something we need as we lose weight, and we'll need it to keep the weight off. As the fat/weight leaves, you'll begin to feel more able to exercise. However, start now, with the smallest thing and work your way up to what is comfortable for you to do.
  • Chriztii
    Chriztii Posts: 94
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    Yes, i lost 15kg by just changing my diet however i travel a lot and work nightfill so you still have to do physical activities, wether thats shopping etc if you sit down all day long and eat healthy you'll probably lose a couple kgs but then remain at the same weight. The simple concept of what you put in is what you get out. Exercise sucks but if it doesn't challenge you then it doesn't change you!
  • Wolverine10
    Wolverine10 Posts: 10
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    Of course you can lose weight without exercising, but you will only be a smaller version of yourself ( a.k.a skinny fat ). doing weight training is not just to build muscles, but to keep the muscles that you have while losing fat. Doing weight training while in a calorie deficit will make you look much better when all the weight is of, than without exercise. Unfortunately with no exercise you are losing fat and muscle. Hope this helps.