Is it possible to lose weight without exercising?

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aajohnny
aajohnny Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
Hey I'm new here !

My situation:
This may sound like a excuse not to exercise but I just honestly don't have the time or energy :/ I work all day and when I get home I am exhausted and I'm not sure if I can squeeze the last ounce of energy to go work out... especially late at night. My job is not physically demanding but it's mentally demanding. I'm 21 years old and I just moved away from my home in NY to now TX for my job, and it's a dream job of mine and I'm all on my own away from family so I tend to eat whenever I can really... unintentionally. The food here in TX is great and it's tempted to try out all these places that people rave about and it's catching up to me. I don't have a scale yet but I can tell I've gained a lot of weight since I moved here and I've pretty much had it at this point and I want to lose it! I'm wondering if there is a way to lose weight without exercising? or even a little exercise? Not a hardcore workout. Eating a healthy diet can do it? any tips would be great :) I'm learning how to cook on my own and trying to figure out what stuff to get at the grocery store, I have no idea how to start or what to get, what to make or how to schedule good eating...

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • CelebrityStatus
    CelebrityStatus Posts: 84 Member
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    If you want it, you'll make it happen.

    Sure, you can lose weight by not exercising..but you aren't promoting a healthy lifestyle. You can lose weight, but you probably won't be much more "fit" than you are now.

    Losing weight = eating at a deficit. As long as you are eating under your maintenance calories, you'll lose weight.

    But I would really suggest at least trying to do some exercise. A fifteen minute walk, even. A 20 minute workout video. Every little bit helps. I work all day too, at a job that requires me to be on my feet my entire work day, moving and lifting things. When I am finished work, I am TIRED and have to go home and walk my dog, take care of my horse, etc- and I still make it to the gym. Because FITNESS is my priority, not a number on a scale.
  • unesemainedecruaute
    unesemainedecruaute Posts: 54 Member
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    You do not lose weight because you excercise. You lose weight because you consume less than what you burn. That is called "calorie deficit", and is the basis of losing weight.

    Excercise help us to increase the amount of calories that we burn (among another benefits), but is off course totally posible to lose weight without any kind of excercise, just track the calories that you consume and try to be under of what you need.

    How much do I need? If you were on your bed all day, you'll consume what's called BMR (basal metabolic rate). You can find out yours here going to APPS > BMR.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    To the contrary, you almost cant lose weight just by exercising

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/exercise-and-weightfat-loss-part-1.html

    that oughtta put things in perspective
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    My report from the other end (I'm 53) yes one can lose weight and not exercise. I just could never keep it off. Now I'm over my bad self and I also have the time. I exercise.

    My suggestion... since you sound so busy with work get a pedometer. Hopefully, your job isn't too sedentary. Get some walking in when you can. Lunch hour. Back of parking lot (when safe). Days off do something active and fun. Take an active class.

    As for eating all I did was cut out the junk. We all know how to really eat. It ain't cookie, chips and soda. If you need suggestions look for Tosca Reno's clean eating books. I got the Recharged one and it really pointed me back to eating healthier.

    Start slow. Eat breakfast every day. Then work on breakfast AND lunch. You get the idea. Do I eat perfectly every day no. I don't think I eat perfectly for an entire day, but I do eat healthy most of the time. It really does help.

    I've found preplanning to be the most help and the hardest habit to get into. I'm still working on that. Pack a lunch the night before. Pack healthy snacks. I find most people think I'm weird at first with bringing my food. Then they are looking in my lunch box or small cooler wishing I had extra to share.

    MFP is a great place to get started.
  • tracys2166
    tracys2166 Posts: 15 Member
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    I lost my first 25lbs without then it got harder to lose weight
  • lovelayla
    lovelayla Posts: 123
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    You can, but the inches come off faster when you exercise...and of course you want to look good and keep things tight when naked.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    You can absolutely lose weight without exercising, and it sounds like you are exercising all day, even if you don't call it that.

    You seem active, so your output is adequate. Concentrate on the input to lose weight. The best foods for losing weight are the foods that are low in calories, and high in nutrients, fiber and water. Of course i'm talking about fruits and vegetables. Try and replace your higher calorie density daily foods with lower calorie density daily foods, and the weight will start to come off on it's own.
  • EngineerPrincess
    EngineerPrincess Posts: 306 Member
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    Yes you can... but you have to pay REALLY close attention to portion sizes and accurate logging. And you could gain it all back quickly, because you won't be building muscle and increasing your metabolism. Honestly everyone has time to work out. It's only a matter of motivation. This is coming with someone doing a full time engineering program and holding two jobs. It'll make you feel better too, and perhaps stop the emotional eating.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Of course you can, but especially because of your age, be careful to not sacrifice your health to your career. A 21 year old who moves from a desk job to the couch exchausted at night, it is not a good thing and chances are, it will get worse with time. You need both, to be healthy: change what you eat, stop eating whatever whanever, and add some physical activity. Going to the gym on the weekends, or walking to work, or just going for a walk during your lunch break, all are better than nothing.
  • florentinovillaro
    florentinovillaro Posts: 342 Member
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    Yes, I've proven it in my 1st month on MFP and a month later when I injured my knee and was not able to do any exercise for (16) straight days. The negative though is muscle lost and "skinny fat" which would be counter productive towards your weight loss and aesthetically not as pleasing to the eye, in my opinion.
  • revans558
    revans558 Posts: 2
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    Yes you can! I lost 18lbs in one month without any exercise!
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Of course you can, but especially because of your age, be careful to not sacrifice your health to your career. A 21 year old who moves from a desk job to the couch exchausted at night, it is not a good thing and chances are, it will get worse with time. You need both, to be healthy: change what you eat, stop eating whatever whanever, and add some physical activity. Going to the gym on the weekends, or walking to work, or just going for a walk during your lunch break, all are better than nothing.

    I agree with this. If you want to invest in your health for your future, it's best to begin now. Even if you begin slowly. You obviously don't like where you're going, so it's time to put the brakes on and re-evaluate. You will be less tired physically and mentally if you can exercise--seems strange, but it's true. I have sons your age and they all exercise. Yes, you can lose weight without it, but you'll feel better with both.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Sure.
    Skip breakfast and rewire your "hunger" impulses.
    It makes little sense that the human animal was designed to have to do pointless physical activity in order to maintain a healthful weight.
    Go to the kindle site of Dr, Hagan's "Breakfast: The Least Important Meal of the Day" and read the free first thirty pages- it tells you all you need to know to get a grip on things.

    Hey Steve I see you are still spouting this nonsense...jeez man give it up.

    to the OP ...I lost my first 30lbs without exercise but here is the thing...your tired don't exercise...that's fine...your tired...you exercise...bam energy for the next day...you come home not so tired you exercise again...bam more energy...

    It's that little round about...the thing is if you don't want to don't...but if you want more energy do something..even a 20min walk...
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    It doesn't really even matter if your diet is 'healthy' in the traditional sense or not.
    You have to eat less calories than you burn.

    Exercise will let you eat more and make you generally fitter and healthier, but isn't needed.

    Not eating breakfast works for me, for others it makes it HARDER.
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
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    In a word: yes.

    As long as you take in less energy than you burn your body must dip into it's onboard stores and burn that.

    For many, however, that becomes deprivation and people sometimes toss that overboard because if what they think they deserve (as in "I've worked so hard, I deserve....")

    Its all a matter of math as long as one does not go to extremes.
  • tjsoccermom
    tjsoccermom Posts: 500 Member
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    Start here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    You can lose weight without exercising, it's all about calories in versus calories out. But, I will say, you'll feel so much better if you do exercise, you'll look better, you'll be able to eat more and you will actually gain energy. Sound backwards, but just try to start making some time for it and you'll see. Many, many of us have busy demanding jobs PLUS families to take care of on top of that and manage to work out. And are older than you with even less energy. And if your job is stressful, you'll find that exercising will relieve that stress. Get up 30 minutes earlier and walk or find some videos on youtube (myfitnessblender has great videos). Just start somewhere and you'll get to where you want to find the time. I promise. For me, the ability to eat more calories is incentive right there.

    Best of luck on reaching your goals! There's lots of great info on this website but also a lot of misguided information, so be careful. Don't initially believe everything you read. It boils down to calories in versus calories out. Don't eat too few, either.
  • creativerick
    creativerick Posts: 270 Member
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    1) Working out for 30 minutes a day will make you feel like you have more energy... (for most people)...

    2) Diet is the most important factor in your weight (unless you have an underlying disease or disorder...)

    3) Don't know where to start? Healthy food is the easiest to prepare... You don't need a recipe to cook chicken and cut up vegetables or make salad.

    4) You need to set objective goals that you can achieve.

    5) I can't tell if you really want this. If you do, things shouldn't seem so out of reach for you. You likely know the cause of your weight gain... It's probably food and alcohol.
  • Abi198111
    Abi198111 Posts: 76 Member
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    [/quote]
    to the OP ...I lost my first 30lbs without exercise but here is the thing...your tired don't exercise...that's fine...your tired...you exercise...bam energy for the next day...you come home not so tired you exercise again...bam more energy...

    It's that little round about...the thing is if you don't want to don't...but if you want more energy do something..even a 20min walk...
    [/quote]

    This ^^^

    I'm a single parent to four children, I work four days a week, when I'm not at work I have laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping to do, as well as my studies. I currently work out 2-3 times a week and I have more energy because of working out (and eating right of course). Give it a go... I think you might surprise yourself.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Yes, you can lose weight as long as you maintain a calorie deficit.

    It sounds cliche but really, you will feel better if you exercise. I get it, trust me, I was right where you are for many years. Most of us with desk jobs may not do much physcially during the day but we're using our minds to analyze things, etc and it can be exhausting. However, getting some kind of activity in every day, even if it's just for 15 minutes will make you feel better in the long run. Don't just consider weight loss...consider long term health, mobility, etc. Your body will thank you. :)

    Also, if you like eating out so much, enjoy the benefits of earning extra calories through activity!! While MFP numbers tend to be a bit overblown, you could still easily gain an extra 200-300 calories by moving around for a half hour or so. Plus as I believe someone else mentioned - you'll look better at goal (more toned, lose more fat not muscle) and you'll burn more calories at rest.

    Something to think about...

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