Losing without working out

You just need a calorie deficit to lose weight. As far as weight loss is concerned, exercise is just a way to create a bigger deficit, or to be able to eat more and keep your deficit.

But exercise is extremely important for long term health. I would encourage you to make room in your schedule for it.

The only activity I can do without causing myself injury is moderate walking. I have dropped 26 pounds and roughly 5 inches around my middle since July 13. I am 63. If you don't increase your activity level in some way you will end up in poor health. So count calories, watch your portion size and play ping pong or something. Best of luck.
Harminzer

yeah. Me, pretty much.

This is why I look almost the same as before, but am drastically smaller. My typical exercise is simple walking and I only hike and bike 1-2 times a week, nothing drastic. I don't "work out". I want to do more of it but I am not gonna lie. I don't.

Don't get me wrong - I HAVE lost some of my pudge here and there, and my chubby lower abdomen is drastically flatter, my thighs are drastically leaner, etc. But I haven't totally transformed my body like a lot of people who have gone from 307 to 212 (which I have over 5 years). I have the same basic shape as I did when I was 60+ lb heavier, I am just a lot smaller overall.

This is why people who see photos of me on facebook etc, don't always see a difference right away, but people who know me irl ALWAYS comment on the dramatic change because I look a lot taller and take up way less space.

I have lost a good amount of weight counting calories. Just today I went to the gym for the first time, not to help lose weight...but to get toned. I am thin, but don't look so great naked or in a bikini (if you know what I mean). I look forward to having some muscle and tone.

What makes it so hard for you to find time to exercise?

I don't have children so please don't be offended by me if you do.

But I work 9-5 Monday-Friday and am currently studying for my professional accounting exams at the same time, so I basically go to work, go to the gym, come home, eat, and then revise until 12. I have been doing this for 3-4 weeks now. What is TV?!

So do you really not have time, or are you not making the time? Its totally different, and its something you need to think about.
Being fit is as important as being slim and eating healthy, especially as you get older.

My mum is currently trying to lose weight via diet alone, but I am trying to make her exercise. She the a typical "scared to make the time for exercise".

If you do have children, it is actually very positive for them to see their parents active, and you can include them in your exercise. Such as cycles, go swimming, walks etc. My Aunt is in amazing shape, with 3 children. She goes for a 30 minute run everyday, before the children wake up for school and when she takes them to their swimming classes, she would go swimming herself.

You could go for a walk/jog in the morning before you shower? All it means is waking up 20/30minutes earlier.

Again, don't be offended by what I say, but I am sure you can find 20 minutes out of your day to do a little bit of exercise. It might not be much but it will really help with the weight loss and general health, fitness and well-being.

I was able to lose 78 pounds in exactly one year without a gym membership. I am not a big fan of chronic cardio, where you sit on a treadmill or elliptical for 30 minutes. I focused on eating clean and going outside and playing. It didn't really feel like exercise but I enjoyed moving around, especially as I began to lose weight.

I checked on meetup.com and played tennis a few times a week. I started playing indoor soccer once a week. I walked around, went to the park, hiked, whatever I felt like. I didn't have a set routine, I just enjoyed being active. Eventually I decided to take up jogging for the fun of it and ended up running a half marathon.

Once I lost a majority of my weight, I gave Crossfit a try and have been doing that for over a year 5 times a week. You never really do the same routines in a row so it is always different, plus I like having a set workout to go through where I can go in, work out hard for an hour, then be done.

In the end you should find something you enjoy doing. Do not feel like you have to kill yourself with 3 hours of exercise each day in order to lose weight. If you can find something where you are active and are having fun without it feeling like a chore, great. If not, just focus on the diet. Good luck!

Yes - you can absolutely lose weight without exercise BUT the cost is pretty steep.

Eating at a calorie deficit & doing some form of strength training (push ups, sit-ups, squats) will help PRESERVE muscle mass. If you can exercise, or if you ever plan on exercise, try to make the time.

Keeping muscle is hard work......building muscle back up is HARDER work.

Citation needed. What "cost" do you refer to? Because I can tell you right now, I haven't been paying it. :drinker:

I lost my first 20 Lbs or so with no exercise...but then I decided that I wanted to be healthy all around, not just lesser weight. I also lost more muscle mass than I would have had I started doing resistance training earlier...you're going to lose some either way, but less if you actually put your muscle to work.

Keep in mind also that a good workout can be had in 20 - 30 minutes. Popular misconception is that you need to be spending hours working out...most who do that and/or are working out multiple time per day are overtraining. The only reason to spend hours and train multiple time per day is if you're actually training for something and you're already pretty fit.