Calorie watch only (no excercise, no clean foods), weight lo

I don't know a whole lot, so I can't really answer that. I suppose if you kept it to 1200, but didn't eat healthy food, you might lose weight, but not in the right places.

What I would like to say, is that even though you say you don't have time to exercise, you can burn a little extra calories by making certain choices. Never circle the parking lot looking for a parking spot, park farther out and walk. Take the stairs, not elevators. And stand more often than you sit.

I've seen people on here who follow that method. They do reach their target weight, but (in my opinion) they look really flabby compared to those who make better choices.

hello everyone,
I've been reading these boards non stop even though I should be focusing on finals :grumble:

So I have a quick question - I am 5"7' and weigh 154. I want to lose weight mainly in my face (lol, don't ask) and having a lifestyle change is not an option for me now. So, I found MFP and I am on 1200 calories - and everyday, I try to stick to those BUT some days I'll eat healthy and other days I'll just have tater tots and dark chocolate to fill my calories. I don't watch the carbs or the sodium aka living the high life, and do not exercise because I am in law school aka never, ever do anything but study. Is weigh loss possible with just calorie watch but not healthy foods and no exercise? I haven't weighed myself since I started because I do not have a scale. I know you'll advise me to eat and exercise because that is what I should do, but I can't focus on that now.

so what exactly do you want to hear? im confused

I read a post when I first started that said you can use your calories for fruit/veg and general dood food, or you can use it for a burger (or whatever takes your fancy), but its like putting low octane gas in a high octane car - it will still go, just not as well.

Apparently you will lose weight, but your heart, cholesterol levels and blood pressure etc wont thank you for it later on.

Also if you are doing a bit of walking then you can count that as exercise. But add up each walk, so a walk from your home to college might be 10 mins, so total that day you did 20 mins. Then out to the grocery store, and home might be 15 mins return.

I used to weigh small but was flabby. I think you could do that for awhile to get some weight off, then maybe later start some strengh training to reduce the body fat and build up the muscle. Can you read while doing treadmill work or a stationery bike with a book there? May not be much but it's something.

If not, at least tracking your calories, is better than doing nothing. Maybe you can look at your eating and see what better changes you can make. I still like to have naughty foods too, but I found that 3 musketeers mint or the 3 musketeers truffle bars are 170 calories versus 210 - 260 for other candy bars. So maybe at least, you can get started in a better direction for now.

Just a note - make sure you don't have your loss/week goal higher than it should be. You don't have a lot to lose, so you can't handle a large deficit. Being relatively lean already, it shouldn't be more than 1 lb per week, and probably only 1/2 lb per week. Undereating can impede weight loss, and make the impact of lack of exercise and less-than-healthy food even worse.

Might help to read these threads -

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

hello everyone,
I've been reading these boards non stop even though I should be focusing on finals :grumble:

So I have a quick question - I am 5"7' and weigh 154. I want to lose weight mainly in my face (lol, don't ask) and having a lifestyle change is not an option for me now. So, I found MFP and I am on 1200 calories - and everyday, I try to stick to those BUT some days I'll eat healthy and other days I'll just have tater tots and dark chocolate to fill my calories. I don't watch the carbs or the sodium aka living the high life, and do not exercise because I am in law school aka never, ever do anything but study. Is weigh loss possible with just calorie watch but not healthy foods and no exercise? I haven't weighed myself since I started because I do not have a scale. I know you'll advise me to eat and exercise because that is what I should do, but I can't focus on that now.

ok... *tough love talk ahead*

LAW SCHOOL IS NO EXCUSE! I was in the best shape of my life when I was in law school. 3 times a week, I did back to back step aerobics classes (yes 2 hours, 3x per week). (I don't know if DC has this, or if you are at a big enough school, but I took the classes through the community college (really cheap!), plus you could use the health center if you were a student (kind of like free healthy insurance). I also fit in going to the driving range (golf) 2x per week and golfing on Saturday's.

Law school allows an incredibly flexible schedule. How many hours a day are you in class? 3? 4? SCHEDULE a workout... THEN schedule your studying around everything else. In all reality, YOU NEED A BREAK during the day or you'll burn out. Use that break time to exercise. At a minimum get out and walk around the block, go out dancing (minus the drinks) or check out some fun exercise programs (c25k - couch to 5k is only 30 minutes a day 3x per week).

You said "lifestyle change is not an option for me now." LOL! Seriously? Law School was the biggest lifestyle change you'll go through - it's HOW you go through it which matters. NOW is the time to establish the lifestyle you want to live! You are right, it's not an option... it's a choice. You can choose to be healthy, or you can choose to make excuses. If you can't handle adding exercise to your life now when you truly do have a lot of free hours (it's HOW you manage those hours that counts), then forget about when you start adding in a real job and the "real world." As a new associate, you'll be working 60+ hours per week. (60 hours a week means a lot of ordering in food and no exercise). You think the freshman 15 was bad... I've seen new associates gain 30 lbs in the first 6 months. Add on top of that a spouse, kids and life and you're in for a HUGE shock! Trust me, it's easier to lose a few lbs and maintain now with a little bit of effort. Let it go, and you could very well be facing 50lbs 10 years from now. (ahem... really... trust me cuz that's where I'm at RIGHT now! :grumble: ) Please trust me on this - I WISH I could go back to the days of law school. It really was my "me" time.

There is no magic cure. Sure, you can diet without exercise (then you'll be skinny fat... LOVE that phrase) or you can exercise but not diet (and be buff unhealthy). Better yet, a little bit of both and you can be FABULOUS!