Is it possible for me to lose with no exercise?

Your body and metabolism have adjusted to only receiving 1200 calories per day, so it will be quite hard to lose if you're not able to exercise. I don't think it would be healthy to go under that, I feel like it's the bare minimum. I was able to lose by eating healthy only but I had (and still have) a lot of weight to lose. I would try looking up how many calories your body naturally burns per day without exercise (basal metabolic rate, I believe) and eat calories closer to that number to rev up your metabolism a little. Just don't go over that number or you'll start gaining. Also remember that not all calories are burned the same. Our body burns calories from healthy nuts differently than it would a doughnut.

Can you walk? or ride a bike? Even doing something like that regularly will greatly improve a lot of things and make it easier to lose. Just clapping your hands to music burns calories. Just standing and doing dishes burns calories.

If you can do simply daily activities like those, I suggest getting a FitBit (I have the One) and seeing how many steps you can build up in your day. You might be surprised how many calories you CAN burn if you move just a little.

There's just very few of us who'd recommend you eating less than 1200 calories per day. It's tough to get all your nutrition and vitamins in less calories than that.

I'm 47 with a chronic back injury that has limited my ability to do higher intensity cardio and ruled out most heavier lifting, but I have lost (at 1200) and maintained ( at 1400-1500) my goal weight by eating less and keeping active with low impact cardio and just staying active with walking, bike riding etc.
It is definitely possible.

perhaps it would help to consult someone about a proper routine? get some help to develop a plan that isn't too strenuous for you but will still give you a workout to some degree

swimming?
yoga?
pilates?
walking?

Yes, weight loss is possible without excerse. Obviously, try to do whatever physical activity you can as that is best for overall health and physical maintence. But weightloss depends mostly on diet rather than physical activity.

I should have mentioned in the original post that I think in addition to losing muscle, and gaining fat, I also messed up my metabolism. 5 years ago when I was pregnant I had severe hypermesis and survived on diluted juice. I lost 15 pounds in the first 2 weeks and weighed less pregnant than I do now. Basically I starved my body so I'm wondering if that messed me up too.

I will look into getting a fitbit. Thank you.

It's possible...Do you feel run down all the time? No energy? I did that about 3 years ago doing stupid things on purpose to lose weight. 300 cals/day for 2 months. Didn't work. Really screwed me up. I started out on MFP last July at 5'4, and around 140. I am currently at about 120. When I was running, I lost about a pound a week. When I stopped running, the weight still comes off, but very, very slowly. You don't have a ton to lose, so it is going to be slow. And - FYI - I get being a healthy weight but still looking and feeling fat. It's the lack of tone. : ) Currently I still look a lot fatter than someone my height and build who is muscular and outweighs me by 20lbs. So you can lose, but you're probably not going to be happy with your body until you can get some toning in. :-/

That said - the thing that really helped me get past my metabolism issues was fresh juice. Not for weight loss or a "cleanse" but for the sheer volume of nutrients in it. When I start to feel run down and exhausted, I'll add some juice to my day for about a week, and that makes me feel better.

If I were in your shoes, I'd look into that fitbit. And get a decent estimate of what you're burning on a daily basis...eating you 1300 calories a day should let you lose weight. Metabolism gets screwed up sometimes, but with proper nutrition and a little bit of exercise, it can get better. Try to find some strength/resistance exercises that you can do...you mention "some days" you can do some things, and some days you can't. If you can't do the elliptical one day, see if you can do the weights...or anything else. If you can't consistently do a routine, maybe you can try for consistently doing something.

Good luck!

thanks 7allie. My gym does have a pool. I'm a terrible swimmer so I don't actually use it but perhaps I can ask my therapist to give me some exercises to do in the pool.

If you aren't much of a swimmer you can walk in the pool. It has more resistance but less stress than walking on land. When I was recovering from a broken leg, that is what I did as part of my PT. Also, there are lots of good toning exercises that can be done in the water, they also tend to be less stressful on the joints. They may feel easy, but I am just as sore after a day of my water exercises as I am after a day with stretchy bands and dumb bells.

When I put your numbers into the calculator I use I got a BMR of 1327.9,

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

yes it is, I lost 63 lbs last year with fasting alone. Since I introduced exercise in Jan this year, I have struggled to maintain my weight and my diet.

perhaps it would help to consult someone about a proper routine? get some help to develop a plan that isn't too strenuous for you but will still give you a workout to some degree

swimming?
yoga?
pilates?
walking?

Thanks. I'm going to consult with my physical therapist on Monday. Maybe she can think of some things that wouldn't impact my injuries.

There you go. Since you have injuries, consulting with a professional is best.

You can lose without exercise, but you won't get toned. I'd ask your physical therapist about helping you with a weight lifting program, since your goal is to become ripped.

Hi, you can add me if you want, I started at 133 and I'm 5'2" I got down to 127 just from diet change, then slowly added daily yoga, then other exercises. I have an open diary and I'm on here daily.

I should have mentioned in the original post that I think in addition to losing muscle, and gaining fat, I also messed up my metabolism.

Losing muscle requires a calorie deficit. Gaining fat requires a calorie surplus. Both can't happen at the same time because science.

Also, if your calorie deficit is too aggressive, you could lose fat AND muscle. A loss of LBM could result in a gain of bf% because math.