Food vs. Exercise

brandifleck
brandifleck Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it possible to lose weight without exercising? I am 5'5" and weigh 170 pounds. MFP has my calories set at 1200 which I never reach. I will admit that I have my days where sugar cravings take over. Also I am not a big fitness person even though we own a Weider home gym, a cardio glide and a stationary bike. I do though enjoy taking walks. I don't mind physical activity but like to do things that get things done ( push mow the yard, weed the flower beds, carry laundry up and down the stairs)

My question is if food intake is my main source of weight loss what do I need to watch besides calories. Should I be concerned with protein, carbs, fiber etc.

Feel free to take a look at my food diary. Some days I do better at logging than others.

Thanks

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    yes, diet is 90% of everything as they say, be it weight loss or gain. try to keep to each individual macronutrient goal, but protein is the most important one IMO, second being fat and third carbs

    exercise helps retain muscle during the process though, as well as being good for health in general

    do you mean that you are always under 1200 or always over? it is important to eat enough or you are risking other health issues...
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Weight loss is from eating less calories than you burn. No, exercise is not necessary to lose weight.

    Why do you have a problem meeting 1200 calories, especially with all the exercise you do (I viewed your diary)? We get fat eating way more than 1200 calories, so if you're not on some super restrictive diet, you should be able to meet that.

    Besides that, you only have 20 pounds left to lose. You have your goals set to lose 2 pounds a week, which is too aggressive for so little left to lose. I suggest you set your goals to lose .5 pounds per week, log accurately (your logging is spotty because if you were really eating that little with all that exercise you'd be exhausted), and make sure you reach your calorie goals.

    I'm way older than you and I lose on about 1,800 plus exercise calories. Really, you can eat more. :smile:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I do though enjoy taking walks. I don't mind physical activity but like to do things that get things done ( push mow the yard, weed the flower beds, carry laundry up and down the stairs)

    Weight loss without exercise is harder because you have to eat less to lose. Luckily, all the things you mention above are exercise.
  • MeganAnne89
    MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
    About... five years ago now, maybe, my mom changed her diet and lost 100 pounds. The only exercise that she did was taking long walks that were at a semi-brisk pace.

    What you eat is the most important thing, I think, and my mom is my evidence of that.
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    Diet for fat loss ..... Exercise for Fitness
  • Zomoniac
    Zomoniac Posts: 1,169 Member
    When I first started on here I took up running as my main exercise, broke my achilles after a couple of weeks, couldn't do anything for six months. Those six months saw all of my weight loss to date, since then it's been steady maintaining with little fluctuation. Went from 105kg (about 232lbs) to 75kg (about 165lbs) very quickly and with no exercise. That was three years ago, haven't put any of it back on. Anything apart from cardio improvement and muscle gain you can achieve without doing anything but calorie tracking. That said, I wouldn't recommend it unless you have an injury preventing it, as there are many benefits to be had from a decent fitness level beyond just looking better.
  • brandifleck
    brandifleck Posts: 10 Member
    I am usually under and eat throughout the day. I will have breakfast (yogurt or oatmeal with a small amount of milk) and 2 to 3 hours later will eat again (something small another yogurt, string cheese, a strawberry banana smoothie frozen bar, a small salad with low calorie dressing, real bacon bits and shredded cheese) dinner is usually a meat, potato and vegetable or macaroni and cheese. Before bed I will have some type of snack, sometimes its a pudding other times its a cookie just depends on my mood.

    As to feeling exhausted, I did have a week where I was having headaches and feeling light headed. I guess I need to figure out how to get past the mentality that you need to eat to lose weight depending on your calories going out. Although I feel like a spend most of my day eating.

    I should mention I am a stay at home mom with a very active 3 year boy.

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