Losing weight w/o cardio exercise - possible?

ruststar
ruststar Posts: 489 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
My doctor has me sidelined from running, elliptical, wii fit, even walking because of a strained hamstring that is not healing. As a result I haven't been able to do my usual workout routines for more than 2 weeks, just weights, and I haven't lost any weight since then despite sticking to my calorie limits. I thought the calorie amounts were set so we could lose by sticking to that amount - mine are set at the 1 lb. a week loss rate - but that hasn't been playing out for me. I know I shouldn't check my weight daily and I'm aware how much weight fluctuates, but I haven't recorded a weekly weight since the injury because it's demoralizing seeing it going up and knowing I can't physically do anything to stop it.

My weight is hovering so close to the 200 lb mark and I am anxious to get over that physical and psychological line - I haven't been below 200 in almost 15 years. What should I do to get keep losing despite not being able to exercise? My calories are currently at 1480 per day, and when I tried doing to 1200 limits I felt awful and couldn't perform at the gym the way I used to, so I'm leery of lowering the calorie amounts. Are there any "arms only" cardio workouts to try? Tips on foods to try/avoid? Any help would be appreciated.

Replies

  • LetsDoThis103
    LetsDoThis103 Posts: 85
    My experience is that weight loss is about 80% what you eat and maaaybbee 20% working out. Also, weight lifting builds muscle, and muscle burns fat faster, so weight lifting is an equally good option, and, dare I say, simply being active can be more than enough to help you lose weight (walking a few extra blocks, parking further from the store). Check out the article below.


    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/
  • schobert101
    schobert101 Posts: 218 Member
    You should be able to lose without exercising although that isn't ideal. There are other options for exercise for you though. How about just some arm/hand weights. Also pool exercises like water walking or swimming is often fine with muscle injuries.
  • dengarrett
    dengarrett Posts: 367
    When my knee was messed up, I sat on an exercise ball and did EA Active Sports on the Wii. I placed the ball on top of a resistance tubes and did upper body workouts, and most all except obviously the lower body. Still burned some calories.
  • qtpiesmom
    qtpiesmom Posts: 394 Member
    This may sound strange but do sit and be fit cardio. get an aerobic dvd and do it sitting down. dont move your legs move your body and arms, get your heart rate going. What is your Carb intake? if it isnt at 1200 then lower it by 100 or so or go down to 1200. Watch what your eating, make some changes, dont know what would work for you, make sure to measure everything you put in your mouth.

    Allow your body to heal thats just as important as working at losing the weight, dont worry so much about losing right now worry about maintaining till your healed then go back to losing

    Good luck
  • GeminiMel02
    GeminiMel02 Posts: 36 Member
    You can also try shadow boxing with light hand weights. You get some resistance in as well as elevating your heart rate.
  • PoleBoy
    PoleBoy Posts: 255 Member
    it's possible your daily activity level has dropped as a result of your injury - what is it set to in MFP?
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
    Providing you aren't afraid of lifting, pushing and pulling reasonably heavy weights, resistance training will definitely help you build muscle and burn fat long term. However, it takes more time to burn excess body fat only doing resistance training than by doing cardio alone or combining the two.

    If this is your only option (personally I'm with schobert's suggestion of the pool - awesome recovery and cardio exercise), then adapt your goals accordingly until your hamstring heals. By that I mean, adjust your mental attitude to knowing your weight loss will take longer, but that by the time your hamstring is healed, you'll have significant muscle developed that when you begin cardio work again the pounds will come off much quicker. It's all about short-term sacrifice for long-term gain.
  • flyawaybyebye
    flyawaybyebye Posts: 250
    You can definitely lose weight without exercise. But what about trying something like rowing or swimming? Both are great cardio workouts that don't involve putting a lot of weight on your legs.
  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
    For a while that will work. But have you seen people that just lose weight without working out? They look like they have been deflated. An injury is completely understandable. Take care of yourself and when you can start exercising.
  • _LDM_
    _LDM_ Posts: 81
    This sounds bizarre, but sit on your bed and box! You will definitely feel it!
  • Alyosha22
    Alyosha22 Posts: 15
    Might want to re-do your account settings / goals to register your new exercise "goals" to 0 per week. Maybe that will give you an updated daily calorie amount. And you might change your BMR related number to show a more sedentary lifestyle and then change it back in a couple of weeks when you are on your feet again. I'm not expert, but I'd start there.

    I lost my first 20 pounds or so just with diet -- although I have a job that keeps me on my feet walking a couple of miles a day. Now that I'm exercising I'm losing more (not that it had stalled w/ just diet), but it is possible to lose w/ just food restriction. Funtionally, at its most base level, we will lose weight if we burn more calories (even if just by breathing and flipping channels with the remote) than we consume.

    Also, don't be discouraged....when you are back on your feet, you'll be super-motivated to make up for your time on your duff. Your body is probably just responding to your change now and your body is going to change back when you start back.

    Lastly, did your doctor give you any medication? Sometimes those will have a negative effect on my body's metabolism. Be they pain-killers or antibiotics, the pills just jack up my ability to digest food (plus some lethargy, etc). That can lead to constipation, water retention, etc.....and all of that can disrupt the good things you've been accomplishing prior to being off your feet. It'll change back.

    Double lastly. Arms only cardio? I hurt my knee on the fire department once and I would get on the air-dyne excercise bike with my feet on the (stationary) front pegs and give it a go with my arms. I'd even spin the seat around so I was sitting on the back of the seat (now facing towards the front of the bike). This kept my posture more upright since my feet weren't directly below me as intended....and I wasn't straining my back. It is quite a workout. You will definately be burning calories and sweating! Give it a go if you can find one.
  • CeejayGee
    CeejayGee Posts: 299 Member
    I've lost 30 pounds and did so without a wink of exercise. Now that I've gotten that weight off, I'm starting to exercise some. But, I've read numerous studies that show exercise isn't really a significant contributor to weight loss. It's all about what you eat. Exercises is needed to keep help your heart, bones, muscles, agility, etc...but, it isn't the primary factor in weight loss. Watch your calories closely.

    If you have a gym membership, do they have a sauna? A dry heat sauna increases your heart rate AND the heat would likely be good for your muscles. Plus, it's just dang relaxing. So, you could do the sauna for awhile as a way of at least increasing heart rate and burning a few calories.
  • GoGetFitGirl
    GoGetFitGirl Posts: 6
    Absolutely but the name of that game is portion control, portion control, portion control. I have lost 50 lbs. without working out at all! I couldn't work out because I have nerve damage from undiagnosed celiac disease (the doctors thought I had MS just to give you an idea of how bad off I was). Anyway, I knew I couldn't work out and I didn't beat myself up about it. You can do a substantial amount with your food choices. Don't be discouraged. :-)
  • wannabalozer
    wannabalozer Posts: 33
    When I did WW, I lost 40 lbs without a stitch of exercise. I only counted points. So, I would say yes, it can be done. But when I stopped WW, the weight crawled back on. I think if exercise had been a part of my weight loss, it wouldn't have been so easy for the weight to come back on once I stopped.

    Your metabolism probably is a lot slower now that you have less activity. I don't know what your height and weight is but if you use this calorie counter (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm), it will recommend to you what you should be eating and also give suggestions about how to manipulate your daily calorie intake. Because I had hit a plateau a few weeks ago, I tried zig-zagging my calories. You will eat the same amount of cals per week but they are staggered daily. Some days your body thinks you're on a diet, other days it thinks you're eating normal. The idea is that your metabolism is "shocked" and the plateau should break. Maybe a "plateau breaker" will help. It worked for me.

    Hope you heal up soon!
  • nehushtan
    nehushtan Posts: 566 Member
    Like the chorus above says, dieting alone will drop the lbs. But without strength exercises some of that weight loss will be muscle mass. If it's possible for you to do some muscle exercises, you could avoid that problem.
  • janemartin02
    janemartin02 Posts: 2,653 Member
    HI!i`m limited to ex due to surgery.I have been watching my calories.If you`re not exercising,can you lower your caloric intake some.
    Good luck!!!
    :smile:
  • ruststar
    ruststar Posts: 489 Member
    Hi there - thank you all for the tips and advice. I am continuing with regular weight lifting, but I probably have been more sedentary as result of having to ice and elevate my knee and being afraid to push it. One suggestion that I reset my setting was a good one, so I went and adjusted with no planned exercise and it turned out the exact same number of calories. I have a sedentary job so my calories are already rather low. According to BMR calculators I need 2100 calories to maintain my weight, so ostensibly the 1480 I'm taking in should be enough to lose.

    I don't have access to a pool, but I've been researching the calorie burn amounts of other things I can do that won't aggravate the injury. Again, thank you all for the suggestions. I'll just try to be patient! The exercise is more for me than it is about the weight loss - I feel better when I exercise and it keeps me motivated to keep going on weight loss. My main motivation to lose weight is so I can run farther and faster than I can right now!
  • StephanieJ82
    StephanieJ82 Posts: 233
    punching is great cardio. legs spread apart some, bend your knees and and punch away to the beat of a song.
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