can you lose weight by just eating healthy?

Naomibunluv123
Naomibunluv123 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am currently around 140lbs, 5'3, and really want to not be disgusted when ever i see my stomach. the problem is that i can't go to the gym or really exercise. currently im eating a 1370 calorie diet of healthy things, mainly of 1 fruit, lot of veggies, lots of eggs, tuna/chicken/beef, and a little bit of cheese or some other goody here and there. my goal is to lose one pound a week untill im around 110 pounds. so what im asking is can i really expect to see results and fast? has anyone else lost weight by only eating healthy? quess im looking for a bit of motivational support here. Thanks.

Replies

  • rogerou812
    rogerou812 Posts: 6
    Key for me is exactly that and keeping fat grams low under 30 plus add more fiber for me at least 20 to 25 if I can I do use the food log to check what I eat everyday and also try t keep calories at what's recommended when my wife uses low fat high fiber diet she does no more than 20 fat grams and at least 20 fiber grams
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    No...you have to eat at a calorie deficit. But eating healthy is a good thing!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    No...you have to eat at a calorie deficit. But eating healthy is a good thing!

    this. i gained lots of weight while eating "healthy". calories from "healthy" foods still count .
  • MsMimidoll
    MsMimidoll Posts: 249 Member
    No...you have to eat at a calorie deficit. But eating healthy is a good thing!

    this. i gained lots of weight while eating "healthy". calories from "healthy" foods still count .
    Agree, no deficit, no bueno
  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
    Eating healthy is the single strongest source of weight loss. I lifted every day and was gaining strength while losing a lil weight but once i focused on diet, pounds just shed off of me. Eating healthy is the most important aspect by far, you could do no excercise and see dramatic effect.


    oh and btw, saying you have no time for cardio of lifting is a pretty lame excuse, bc everyone has time.
  • vaporhockey83
    vaporhockey83 Posts: 84 Member
    Deficit is the key, but some exercise wouldn't hurt if you can find the time. But, yeah, you can lose weight by eating below the amount of calories required to maintain your current weight. MFP should provide that number for you. For the first month or two on here, I was merely dieting and following MFP's daily amount of calories (even was drinking during that time). Lost 20 lbs. Now I'm adding cardio and strength training to tone up my body.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    No, you can gain weight by eating healthy foods. The only thing that it is REALLY tough to gain weight eating is veggies because they are very low cal and it would require a large amount of them to make you fat.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    No. You can gain weight eating healthy, if you are eating more than you burn.

    Are you weighing your food?
  • brown46545
    brown46545 Posts: 81 Member
    I'm 5'3" and started at 147 lbs this summer. I am now down to 125 and still want to lose about 10 lbs. I had to keep myself at 1200 calories a day, work out moderately to lose about a pound a week. It is not easy when you are short and don't have that much to lose. I don't see how you can lose anything on 1300+ calories if you are not working out, but who knows. I have an office job so my lifestyle is pretty sedentary. You are young so maybe it will be easier for you!
  • hstoblish
    hstoblish Posts: 234 Member
    I'm about 138.5 pounds and 5'3" and aiming to eat 1300 to 1500 calories a day to lose between .5 and 1 lb/week. So far it's been about 1 lb per week. So there is a good chance that's a deficit for you.

    However, what everyone else has said is also true: you need to eat at a calorie deficit to lose. Eating "healthy" foods is great, but it's not the most important thing for weight loss.
  • MeredithDeVoe
    MeredithDeVoe Posts: 31 Member
    I can't go to the gym either, but I have been doing Yoga and Pilates using books and Youtube videos, and walking and jogging when the weather allows. Increasing the amount of muscle in your body is supposed to help you burn more calories... I don't know about that yet, but I do know I look better even though i still have lots of extra lbs.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Calorie deficit=weight loss (and this can be done with all types of foods)
    Calories surplus=weight gain (and this can be done with all types of foods)
    Exercise=fitness
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    If your "healthy" foods put you in a deficit then you can lose weight without exercise.

    However, if your goal is to like the look of your tummy rather than a scale number then, the exercise bit becomes much more important.
  • eazy_
    eazy_ Posts: 516 Member
    No. How much you eat is more important than what you eat.
  • kerrikdavis
    kerrikdavis Posts: 6 Member
    Yes, you can lose weight through diet alone as long as you are taking in less calories than you burn in a normal day. However, if you want to look toned and not flabby as well as ensure you are losing fat and not muscle, it helps to do some exercise. Even just doing lunges, pushups, crunches, dips, etc at your house for as little as 15 minutes a day can help keep things "tight."
  • Naomibunluv123
    Naomibunluv123 Posts: 18 Member
    is a 1370 cal diet good for my goals. i also am pretty active being a student, but that's about it. im not sure how much i burn everyday. according to http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm I need to burn 1885 cals every day to maintain my weight, and that is assuming that i am sedentary. so based on that information do you think i can reach my goal of losing 1 pound per week?
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    That is on the lower end of starting cals that I would recommend. Track for 2 weeks and adjust if necessary.

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