Success without excercize ????

Lara883 · May 2014

Hi folks !
Just wandering if anyone has been having success without working out , i ask because i worked out very well for this past month and saw no progress at all i even gained weight! Once i stopped i dropped 4 lbs , wondering why is that ?
I tend to get bulky as soon as i start , so i did notice my muscles bigger / harder and a wider body , is excercize not for me ?

Ps: this happened to me 2 times in the past too

mommabenefield · May 2014

You dropped 4 lbs because your muscles are no longer holding on to extra water from the added exercise
Are you logging 100% accurately
Are you eating the correct number of calories

You exercise for healthy, you lose weight through eating properly...

Better advice will come along I'm sure

ETA: Research TDEE -20% Scoobys workshop has a great calculator, also Lift, Lift heavy

Lara883 · May 2014

Thx

NCPhotoMom · May 2014

Hi Lara, the last time I used MFP I did not exercise often. In the end, I lost 30 lbs. This time, I plan on trying to lose the "bad weight" and exercise to gain "good weight". I have ran into the same scenario ad you and know how frustrating it can be. Someone told me that whatever calories you burn doing exercise, eat back 90% of them (with healthy foods of course). I haven't put this theory to the test yet so I'm not sure if that's key?

Lara883 · May 2014

Maybe i'll try that , cause i was eating ALL calories back

SCSTWG · May 2014

Due to illness, I changed my eating habits in mid-January and have been unable to exercise but have dropped 41 lbs. My health has recently improved to the point where I am feeling good again and plan to start exercising slowly to increase my results. Certainly though, the more active you are the more weight you will likely lose.

ruffnstuff · May 2014

I think what it really comes down to is how you define "success". Can you lose weight without exercise...sure. But know that it WILL be both fat and lean muscle mass. Exercise, especially resistance training of some kind, helps you keep what muscles you have that might be hiding under the fat. Body composition will not be what you think if all you do is eat a tiny amount and not exercise. No rockin' bod comes from sitting around.

ETA: try eating back about 50% of exercise cals as MFP is notorious for overestimating burns.

kwantlen2051 · May 2014

Exercise will not necessarily make you lose weight. It's always the deficiency in intake that will cause you to lose weight. If you exercise but eat all your calories back, you will just maintain. but if you eat less even if you exercise in moderation, you will certainly lose. I exercise in moderation ( mainly walking and pilates) and eat in moderation ( calories between my BMR and TDEE) and am still losing weight. " If you have the eating habits of a thin, healthy person, you will become a thin, healthy person."

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/

OwlsInTheAttic · May 2014

You can lose weight without exercise, but there's a reason most people choose to exercise anyway. It makes weight loss easier by increasing your caloric deficit. It also makes you stronger, and helps tone your body. I lost most of my weight by just walking almost every day. Now that I have less to lose, it's becoming a bit more difficult, so I've added some jogging and pilates. I don't think you gained weight from working out, and if I were you, I'd keep doing some kind of exercise at least a few days a week.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222 · May 2014

When I first started getting back in the gym - I didnt lose anything for about a month and a half.... Actually, I still really havent lost much but my body composition has drastically changed. I am thinner and have more muscles. I am sure I have replaced some fat with some muscle... This isn't going to be overnight. You have to work at it.

NextPage · May 2014

There could be a number of factors leading to weight gain while exercising but the one I know I have to be careful about is remembering to log all my food intake and to not eat back all the calories burned when working out. Most people (and computer programs/machines) over estimate calories burned during exercise and underestimate food intake. However, you don't necessarily want to not eat back any of our calories back. For example, if I do a spinning class MFP log indicates that I used 500 calories but I will have a small snack (usually protein focused such as greek yogurt) that is only 200 calories.

Remember that the way your body looks after working out (especially weight training) regularly and losing 20lbs is so much "hotter" than weight loss alone.

mizzzc · May 2014

Muscle weighs more than fat--- hence why you gained weight.

JJeMitchell · May 2014

I'm the same way. I have lost weight without any exercise. I have worked out 5 times a week and lost no weight.

You lose weight with a good diet. It's 80% diet, 20% gym.

However, you may lose inches faster, you'll be healthy, you'll have energy and you'll feel better with exercise.

Choose an exercise that you like! I LOVE Jazzercise, Zumba, walking, group fitness classes, short runs with good music- if you like it, you'll be likely to stick to it!!!!

00NL · May 2014

Lara it depends on how much you want to lose ? Exercise is added to create the deficit which can be created with reduction in food only as well.

but if you eat as much as you burn then ur weight will stay same .

just burn more than you eat. be patient and good luck

sarahjasminebicknell · May 2014

I've lost 20 pounds without exercise, i found i was only eating the extra calories i had worked off and usually more! exercise is good for toning so i better soon to get rid of my saggy btm, good luck everyone :laugh:

kimothy38 · May 2014

I have previously lost 40kg (88 pounds) through clean eating and no exercise - I was 'skinny fat', thin but no muscle tone or definition. Until that point I wondered why thin people bothered with exercise but now I know - exercise improves your body and your mind.

I read a book by Dr Libby, a holistic nutrition specialist, and she talks about the nervous system etc and how strenuous exercise can actually play havoc with your nervous system and can make your body retain weight. This is why she recommends exercise to elevate your heart rate but to also do things like yoga etc.

Lara883 · May 2014

Bump

sino19 · May 2014

bump

lili61 · May 2014

Muscle weighs more than fat--- hence why you gained weight.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, which alters one's appearance if more muscle is put on. OP, I doubt you have put on much, if any muscle in working out for just a short time. It is very difficult for women to put on muscle, especially when eating at a deficit.

You could be overestimating your calorie burn from exercise, or underestimating calorie content in the food you're eating--or a combination of both.

So no--you don't need to exercise to lose weight, you just need to eat at a deficit. But if you choose not to exercise, as you lose weight, you will just become a smaller version of yourself (which is fine if that's what you want). I would recommend starting a lifting program if you truly want to change the fat-muscle composition of your body.

mommabenefield · May 2014

Muscle weighs more than fat--- hence why you gained weight.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, which alters one's appearance if more muscle is put on. OP, I doubt you have put on much, if any muscle in working out for just a short time. It is very difficult for women to put on muscle, especially when eating at a deficit.

You could be overestimating your calorie burn from exercise, or underestimating calorie content in the food you're eating--or a combination of both.

So no--you don't need to exercise to lose weight, you just need to eat at a deficit. But if you choose not to exercise, as you lose weight, you will just become a smaller version of yourself (which is fine if that's what you want). I would recommend starting a lifting program if you truly want to change the fat-muscle composition of your body.

+1

glenelliott5872 · May 2014

I lost 16 lb before I started exercising. so yes you can. I started to exercise to make it easier to maintain a deficit.

Success without excercize ????

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