To exercise or not?!?

tiffsNEWlife
tiffsNEWlife Posts: 145
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been tossing around the idea of exercising.... now I know what everyone is going to say "DO IT". But, is it REALLY a must if you want to lose weight?

I have done this before. To give a you a little back story... I started MFP in January of 2010 and lost 25 pounds. 5 pounds away from my goal weight. Using diet and exercise. Had my wedding and gained back 7 pounds of what I lost. Now I'm back to lose those 7 pounds and possible the 5 pounds to hit my goal weight.

Can this be done by just eating healthy? Or do I have to exercise. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing it, but I can't do it as often as before. So, the question still stands in order to lose weight do you have to exercise?

Replies

  • agibsonky
    agibsonky Posts: 124 Member
    I don't think you have to exercise to lose weight, but I like to eat and if I exercise I can eat more. Also, if you are toned from exercise, you will look smaller, even at the same weight.
  • ssmom
    ssmom Posts: 128 Member
    no...you just can't eat as much. That may not be a problem for you. For me, I need more to eat than my alloted calories so I exercise to earn them.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    It's possible to lose weight from diet alone, but it's much healthier to exercise. You'll have improved muscles tone, you'll be stronger, it's great for your heart, and you won't be as likely to burn muscle.
  • k4evans1
    k4evans1 Posts: 145 Member
    I've read that diet is more important than exercise however, if you read the book "Spark", you'll want to exercise!
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
    YES! I just got back from a seminar on toxicity and weight loss and he wrapped it up talking about exercise. It made me glad I have been consistent the last 2 months but regretting the years I have been so inactive.
  • texasguy
    texasguy Posts: 21 Member
    Of course it can be done, but Unless you have excellent self control with staying right at your calorie count it could be tough. When you are eating right and excersing one motivates the other as you begin to lose weight.

    If you are not excercising all it takes is one bad weekend before one bad weekend leads to an entire bad week, then a bad month of eating.

    you don't have to workout for 3 hours per workout, just get in 40 minutes 4 times a week. Then all of a sudden the magic happens and you want to workout all the time as the results keep coming

    if you are just eating right and not excercising and not seeing immidate results the self confidence can take a little hit.
  • KellyBurton1
    KellyBurton1 Posts: 529 Member
    you could say I tested that theory. I like to mix it up all the time. Sometimes I give it all I got and other times I just get out of it and get lazy. The point is, when I excerise I look smaller but the scale didnt move much , but when I stop for a few weeks (give or take) i noticed that I looked like I gain weight but the scale says the same. My conclusion was that I was starting to lose my "In shape look". And I was always tired and lazy. Long story short, although you can lose weight by just watching calories, your body may not look as though you loss anything. If you want just start out slow and work your way up. Do someting fun. I got wii fit plus for christmas. I find it helps, espeacially on days you can get outside and its fun. Good luck, hope this helps!
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
    Yes you can definitely reach your goal weight through diet alone (that's how I initially lost weight). However if you also want to be firm/toned you will need to exercise to change your body composition by increasing muscle and losing fat. I still maintain my weight mainly through diet, but resistance training is the only thing that tightens everything up.
  • Meganne1982
    Meganne1982 Posts: 451
    I am of the belief that excercise is the number one factor in successful weightloss. It helps keep you from losing muscle, it improves health and metabolism all around, as well as assisting with mood and sleep, etc. etc. Humans are not meant to be sedentary beings. Get up and move! Excercise saved my life, and getting into shape allows me to do things I never dreamt of. Work out.
  • Mommymeganx2
    Mommymeganx2 Posts: 8
    I don't think you need to exercise to lose weight.
    I gave birth to twins on April 26, 2009 at 176lbs.
    I have not worked out , other than chasing two toddlers around ...
    And am currently 115lbs.

    Good Luck!!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Your profile says you want to be fit. If that is no longer important to you then just diet down to whatever.
  • 302tt
    302tt Posts: 2 Member
    I agree with the other posters - exercise is not necessary, but it definitely helps. I lost about 40 lbs with no exercise. When I finally did go running I was amazed at how unfit I felt despite being pretty slim at the time.

    You just need to find an exercise that you enjoy - if it's a chore you will never keep up the motivation to do it. Best of luck.
  • Procrastinator
    Procrastinator Posts: 104
    Its better to exercise because it will keep your body looking toned and shaped. It will build lean muscles which also help burn the fat. Since you have less time to exercise, thats fine but try exercises at least once/twice a week.
    In all honesty, its not necessary to lose weight through exercise but there is a difference between weight and fat. With exercise you will most likely burn more fat.

    :)
  • colestephens
    colestephens Posts: 11 Member
    You don't "have" to exercise. My brother-in-law got sick and quit eating...he lost 16 lbs. Not recommended/desired, however. Exercise multiplies the effort you put into eating correctly. Exercising builds lean muscle and increases your metabolism...which causes you to burn more calories throughout the day than if you didn't exercise at all.
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
    Picture your ideal body. Not your ideal weight. What does it look like? That should be the defining factor in whether or not you are more active. You don't need to go to a gym to be active. You can just dance around your living room or play the different games on Wii, Playstation, et cetera.

    As for the woman that mentioned not working out and chasing two toddlers around. That person is getting more exercise than most on here. That is a workout in and of itself. Strength training and cardio all in one.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Yes, it is possible to lose weight without exercise, but you will most likely lose muscle instead of fat if you don't exercise. The reason for exercise isn't necessarily to eat more, though you can, or to maintain muscle, though it does, or to make sure you are burning fat, thought it does. The real reason for exercise is improved health. People who exercise a minimum of 150 minutes a week have half the probability of having a heart attack. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, which decreases your risk of stroke. Exercise also lowers blood sugar levels, which decreases your risk of or helps control diabetes. Exercise also decreases your risk of high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and cancer. Even if exercise doesn't decrease scale weight (due to building muscle while burning fat for example), I'd much rather live healthy then die skinny from lack of exercise.
  • exercisesucks
    exercisesucks Posts: 102
    Why wouldn't you want to exercise? Exercise helps the body have a higher metabolism to fight off the post diet weight gain which will absolutely happen if you just diet down. Also, who wants to remain a weaker version of themselves? Exercise makes your heart and lungs stronger which will make every activity you do better. Any time I hear people on the fence about exercising, I am reminded how lucky they are we aren't in some post apocalyptic society where they would have to fend for themselves and inevitably perish because they were to weak to do anything. If you dont exercise you are simply existing. How about living a little. Take this amazing machine called the human body and do a few donuts in the middle of the parking lot. Dont just put it up on blocks for years and years and then complain about all the stuff you didnt use it for.
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
    Yes, it is possible to lose weight without exercise, but you will most likely lose muscle instead of fat if you don't exercise. The reason for exercise isn't necessarily to eat more, though you can, or to maintain muscle, though it does, or to make sure you are burning fat, thought it does. The real reason for exercise is improved health. People who exercise a minimum of 150 minutes a week have half the probability of having a heart attack. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, which decreases your risk of stroke. Exercise also lowers blood sugar levels, which decreases your risk of or helps control diabetes. Exercise also decreases your risk of high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and cancer. Even if exercise doesn't decrease scale weight (due to building muscle while burning fat for example), I'd much rather live healthy then die skinny from lack of exercise.

    Wow Tonya... Well said and thank you for teaching me something AGAIN! I didn't know about the 150 minutes a week thing.
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