i hate excercise

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I have been trying to lose weght. Minimized food intake, healthier food intake, etc for the past week. However every time i try to lose weight, the pink elephant in the room is always excercise. I cant stand it. I delay doing it. I dread it when i do it. I would almost rather starve myself a little more to decrease a few hundred calories than excercise to burn the same calories.

I tried making a plan to at a bare minimum excercise once a week for an hour. (i know i should be doing it 4-5 days a week). ITs just everyone says that is not enough to lose weight. For example i excercised yesterday morning...went for a walk. I felt tired and exhausted after it, and at that point was when i came to terms to do it only once a week since i hated it. Today i am debating about going again. I dont really want to, but i know i need to do it like 4-5 week to help lose weight.

I would think that over time i would come to like it. But a year ago i lost 20 pounds in a month. The entire month i maintianed my food intake, and excercise daily. Just to see what would happen. I could of sworn at the end of the month the excercise would of became a habit or something. But at the end the month...i hated excercise just as much as when i first started. Ive always hated excercise. Im the only person that failed gym in high school, lol. (seriosuly...i refused to run around the mile track). I think at the end of the month i gave up, because i just hated excercise...i dont know.

My basic usual excercise is walking, and walking outside away from my house. If i walk around the block, or walk on a treadmill... i tend to jsut stop when i want to. When i walk directly away from my house, it forces me to walk back (even though i dont want to).

I always start out slow, like since this is the first time excercising in a year or so, i only walked a couple miles. I know if i keep walking the it will gradually increase.

I know if i continue to hate excercise that i will just eventually stop. I dont know how to make it fun? Is it possible to lose weight just by maintianing foods and not excercise?
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Replies

  • olive_26
    olive_26 Posts: 14 Member
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    I used to hate exercise. Really hate it. If I could avoid walking anywhere then I would. I used to force myself to go running in the morning but every time winter came around I just stopped going. Eventually I realised there were other ways to exercise and started trying them out. Zumba was not for me, nor were so many other things. I just kept going until I found things that were fun and then it didn't feel like exercise. It's not always easy to start exercising, and if you don't like what you do you will just stop. It shouldn't be this horrible chore that you force yourself to do, it should be something to look forward to and become another part of your everyday life.

    It is possible to lose weight without doing exercise, you just eat less. But I don't think that's the best way to live. Our bodies need to move about. My advice would be to find different things, the internet is full of ideas. Eventually you'll find something you love.
  • Ryderod
    Ryderod Posts: 103 Member
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    Whilst being an integral part of weight loss mainly in part to the calories burnt, it is not 100% necessary to exercise. Provided you are disciplined with your diet and maintain a slight calorie deficiency you will slowly lose weight. But you will more than likely be losing muscle mass as well as fat.
    Unfortunately exercise has heaps of positives and benefits for your overall general health which you will be missing out on.
    Cardio will help with overall fitness, conditioning and toning, as well as get your heart in shape.
    Strength training will help tremendously with maintaining, and even increasing your lean muscle mass, which also helps with weight loss or maintenance due to a resultant higher active metabolism.
    Also, physique wise anyone with some muscle tone will look better than a similar person that does not exercise.
    If you cannot see yourself getting to a gym or into a structured exercise routine, maybe look at getting a nintendo wii or X Box Kinect with a sports pack and have yourself a bit of active fun, which will be better than doing nothing. It might even change your current view point as you get more into it!
  • GreenIceFloes
    GreenIceFloes Posts: 1,491 Member
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    Losing weight is only about caloric deficit - if you eat at a reasonable deficit and not work out, you'll still lose weight. And in MFP you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories, don't forget that.
    That being said, exercise is important for your overall health, so I suggest you don't give it up. If simple cardio isn't your thing then try lifting. I find it more fun. Or try HIIT, maybe one of Jillian Michaels' 20-30 minute daily workouts, or the like - you won't get bored because they are short and intense.
    It is also possible you aren't eating enough and hence feel so drained after exercise.
    It is very important to keep your body active, like it or not.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
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    You will lose weight just from eating at a deficit. Exercise isn't strictly necessary. I personally enjoy working out because I'm seeing my body tone up, but if you truly can't, then don't.
  • manicautumn
    manicautumn Posts: 224 Member
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    I walk and hike. I make a point to do an extra lap of the mall or get off the bus a stop or two early or park further away. I've started venturing out to do beginner trails on weekends with friends. It's social and I almost forget I'm exercising.

    Exercise doesn't have to be running. It can be walking, biking, or anything else that gets you moving. I know a girl who lost 60 pounds from rollerblading around her housing complex as part of a lifestyle change.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Is it possible to lose weight just by maintianing foods and not excercise?

    It is possible to lose weight by eating at a deficit from your TDEE without exercise.

    Eating at maintenance will maintain your weight.

    However, to change your body composition you would have to do some exercise and lift weights to give yourself a nice physique. Otherwise the danger is that you will just be a smaller version of your fat self.

    As for making it fun. Find something you like doing and do that. Anything that gets your butt off the lounge and out being active, whether that is playing golf, bowling, tennis, archery, rowing boats, walking in the mountains or on the beach, get a dog and play frisbee... find something that you enjoy and someone to do it with and you are half way there.

    Good luck!
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
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    I've lost somewhere around 73 pounds and I don't exercise. I'm sure I will when I've gotten the motivation, but right now I'm doing fine on watching my protein and calories. Baby steps. Don't take on everything too sudden and burn yourself out. You may have other issues to work on long before you get moving.
  • alicekelli
    alicekelli Posts: 11 Member
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    what part of it do you "hate".. find a physical activity that you might enjoy... even simply walking will work wonders if you stick to it. it is wonderful for your mental and emotional health. exercise will get you stronger. give you more energy... boost metabolism... give you a better body... let you eat more food!!! what is not to love?
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    It's not 100% necessary to exercise to lose weight. But I am afraid it IS 100% necessary to exercise to look good and be healthy. I'm sorry guys but if you only diet you will lose lean mass and get more saggy skin if you have a lot to lose. I understand your frustration though. When you are very unfit getting through a workout can be a chore but perhaps my experience will help you out.

    I was exactly the same as you. I hated exercise I begrudged every minute I had to spend doing it. I had tried the whole diet/exercise thing so many times and had convinced myself that losing weight was simply beyond me. However a few months ago I decided to really go all in. And bought myself some caffeine pills and researched how to the most effective workout possible. The caffeine pills really really help. You will absolutely be able to exercise longer. Here are some rules.

    1. Don't over exert yourself. If after you finish a workout you feel dead tired and can't do a single other thing you have overdone it. Don't listen to people who tell you anything about a minimum workout. In the beginning it's really not about the amount of calories your burn it's about getting your body used to moving again. If you must simply start with a 20 minute workout every day and add 5-10 minutes to that every three or four days. You would be astonished how quickly you get used to it. After you get to the 60 minute mark start to work in a few rest days.

    2. Make sure you warm up and cool down effectively. A warm up for you consists of 5-10 minutes of physical activity just taxing enough to work up a sweat. Even if this only takes a couple of minutes it is important to break your body in gradually. And equally important to cool down gradually. A cool down is simply a practiced of slowly scaling down your physical activity at the end of a workout. For you at the moment a short stretching routine and a shower are probably sufficient in this regard.

    3. Make sure you do cardio after strength training. Apart from the small amount of cardio you might do as a warm up. You don't wanna deplete your muscles of glycogen before your lifting session.

    4. Listen to your muscles if you begin to exhaust yourself one day ... stop. That being said don't stop just because you can't be bothered. You need to learn to recognize the difference between boredom and physical exhaustion.

    5. Learn to love the good bits about exercise. This may not be apparent at first. But when your body get's used to exercise it comes with many great feelings. Almost everyone who exercises regularly gets the classic endorphin rush after a good workout. And once you get stronger and fitter there is muscle pump and runners high to look forward to. A workout will eventually become a pleasurable experience that you won't want to miss. Even muscle soreness gives me a satisfying feeling that I got a good workout. Within reason.

    6. Pay attention to nutrition. Make sure your meal before and after the workout has at least a moderate portion of both carbs and protein. You would be amazed how many people have a bad time with exercise because they don't fuel themselves properly. Carbs are more important before a workout. Protein is more important after it.

    7. Getting started is the hardest it's ever going to be. Remember that it will only get easier to stick to it with time.

    I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Because I know that people who claim that weight loss is only 20% exercise are wrong. Exercise helps mold your metabolism. It improves the workings of your body and generally keeps the whole process going smoothly. As well as helping you retain or even improve your musculature during weight loss. Exercise, If you can manage to stick with it will make you feel great. It's about far more than just the calories you burn. And being healthy is about far more than just being thin. I can appreciate that now that I've gotten used to exercise I have totally fallen in love with it. To the extent that I usually hover right at the edge of over training. I push my body to the limit not because I have to .. but because I want to. Because I love the improvement in health that it has given me. I literally feel 10 years younger. I'm not trying to show off just to impress on you just how great it is to succeed in this front in the hope that you will too :)
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    You can't 'hate' everything? That just sounds like a child having a tantrum. yes you can lose weight without exercise but exercise has many benefits. You need to find something you like. Walking, windsurfing extreme ironing. Just think of something and give it a go. If you don't like it you wont do it. Many clubs societies have taster session try them think outside what you normally do you may surprise yourself

    You also need to address your attitude to it starting something with the mind set that you are going to hate it means you will fail Give things a chance otherwise your not doing yourself justice

    Good luck
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    You can't 'hate' everything? That just sounds like a child having a tantrum. yes you can lose weight without exercise but exercise has many benefits. You need to find something you like. Walking, windsurfing extreme ironing. Just think of something and give it a go. If you don't like it you wont do it. Many clubs societies have taster session try them think outside what you normally do you may surprise yourself

    You also need to address your attitude to it starting something with the mind set that you are going to hate it means you will fail Give things a chance otherwise your not doing yourself justice

    Good luck


    This
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
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    I totally understand where u are coming from... I don't like working out in the gym but I force myself to but now try to shake it up a little. If i work out at the gym i reward myself with something nice afterwards. Maybe try doing some classes, they can be fun, try other activities that burn calories that u may not see as exercise, i like riding my bike and loooove skating. I don't see it as a workout as it is super fun. Overtime u will get fitter (and might not even realise) and the working out becomes much less of a chore. Well done for walking lots, may be find some more fun places to walk (i like to walk around the shops, its still burning!) Best of luck to ya!!
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
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    Well I am with you I hate to exercise and perhaps I have not found something I like yet, but difference is I just get cracking. I have just decided to make it part of my have to do's like bathing, eating and working. First thing I do before getting myself and daughter ready for the day is my workout.

    Others will say yes you do not need exercise for weight loss which is true, but what about getting more energy, getting stronger, changing the shape of your body for the best. Those are all the reasons why I just get on with it. Good luck you can do it.

    P.s You tube has loads of things, find something fun. perhaps a dance type workout.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    went for a walk. I felt tired and exhausted after it

    So you've demonstrated to yourelf that you're unfit.
    , and at that point was when i came to terms to do it only once a week since i hated it.

    So rather than going out more frequently and improving your fitness you'd rather limit yourself to once a week, which means you'll continue to hate it because you're not making any improvement from it.
    Today i am debating about going again. I dont really want to, but i know i need to do it like 4-5 week to help lose weight.
    ....

    I always start out slow, like since this is the first time excercising in a year or so, i only walked a couple miles. I know if i keep walking the it will gradually increase.

    I started running about 13 months ago, first run I couldn't run for a kilometre, and covered 3.5km using a run walk system. didn't enjoy it much and at the time it was a means to an end On Sunday I was in a 10Km trail race and completed it mid way down the pack with a time well inside my target

    What I've found is that for short runs of up to 10K I dont mind where I am, but for more than that road running gets a bit dull so I'd rather do my longer runs on trails.

    While walking is very simple to do, it may be that you'll prefer something else. I think the basic point here is that exercise will not be fun until you improve your fitness. You should reach the stage where at least you don't hate it.
  • msbeeblebrox
    msbeeblebrox Posts: 133 Member
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    Hating exercise is a very general statement. It's difficult to imagine that you hate all exercise. Maybe you should branch out and try some new things, and eventually you might find something you don't hate. Or you'll find benefits of exercise that will outweigh the negative effects you feel.
  • april979
    april979 Posts: 39
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    Find a physical activity that doesnt seem like formal e xcercise. Maybe go out dancing. Maybe go play a game of football with the kids, go out do some yard work, paint the shed by doing squats each time you dip the brush.I try to fit e xcercise in strange places thru the day like doing squats during washing the dishes or waiting to rinse my hair conditioner. Dance while your putting away the dishes. Just get up and move!
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
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    went for a walk. I felt tired and exhausted after it

    So you've demonstrated to yourelf that you're unfit.
    , and at that point was when i came to terms to do it only once a week since i hated it.

    So rather than going out more frequently and improving your fitness you'd rather limit yourself to once a week, which means you'll continue to hate it because you're not making any improvement from it.
    Today i am debating about going again. I dont really want to, but i know i need to do it like 4-5 week to help lose weight.
    ....

    I always start out slow, like since this is the first time excercising in a year or so, i only walked a couple miles. I know if i keep walking the it will gradually increase.

    I started running about 13 months ago, first run I couldn't run for a kilometre, and covered 3.5km using a run walk system. didn't enjoy it much and at the time it was a means to an end On Sunday I was in a 10Km trail race and completed it mid way down the pack with a time well inside my target

    What I've found is that for short runs of up to 10K I dont mind where I am, but for more than that road running gets a bit dull so I'd rather do my longer runs on trails.

    While walking is very simple to do, it may be that you'll prefer something else. I think the basic point here is that exercise will not be fun until you improve your fitness. You should reach the stage where at least you don't hate it.
    This. And the child's tantrum portion.

    I hated exercise under forced and highly blargh conditions in school, but all the time I was unfit and apart from a few exercise thingies such as a beginner tennis course or handball with the classmates my main focus was academics and classical music (instruments etc.). Once I started at the uni, I realised I had to do something about my body and so I took some dance classes. Love. I don't dance at the moment for various reasons, but I am doing couch-to-5K and am researching weight lifting and yoga. For the first time in my life I'm taking the "blame" for not having enjoyed sports more; I simply wasn't in good enough shape. I have a hard time believing you "hate" all forms of exercise when you're at your goal weight, because then you just do it, go out and explore new things. It's a lifestyle change and not supposed to be easy nor is it supposed to happen over night. All the tickers with huge numbers lost have spent hours on that process and if you want it, you'll find a way to both accept the situation for what it is as well as do it.
  • Dayhiker
    Dayhiker Posts: 11 Member
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    I hear you! The pros have given you some good advice and I will chime in with only a simple suggestion of doing something to keep you moving for just 10 minutes a day. And if that's too much start with 5 minutes. A slow but determined start will help you "check it off your list" and you can gradually build up as your mind and body accept that you CAN do it. Best wishes!!