Is there a way to lose bodyfat with just EXERCISE (including cardio, strength training etc) alone?

I know my lowest weight was when I was walking 40 minutes to and 40 minutes from work everyday. I wouldn't say I was consciously counting cals at the time, but I was also doing some exercise in the evenings and had a job that kept me on my feet all day. Even then, it was one eye on the scale. Have a pizza if I wanted it, have whatever I wanted to eat whenever, and when my weight inevitably crept up a bit it was back to being 'good' for a couple of weeks. I had obviously found MY balance, but this will be different for everyone. One thing I will say is that after a long time counting calories you start to get a good feel for the calories in foods, what you can eat in a day etc, and it does become less of a chore.

SideSteel wrote: »

So first of all I think what you're really asking is whether or not it's possible to lose weight without tracking calories.

It certainly is for some people but it may not be possible without some other form of restriction somewhere, and/or without taking the time to develop habits around food that facilitate weight loss.

I do think that short term tracking is highly beneficial to help this process along as it can help you become aware of proper portion sizes.

I also think there are going to be preferential aspects of dieting that will differ from person to person so it can become difficult to recommend a framework that is going to apply to everyone. That being said, I've been experimenting with this both for myself and for a couple of clients. I've blogged about it here and you can feel free to take a look at it just in case you get anything of value from it. I don't claim this advice to be universally applicable to everyone -- this is just a general set of ideas that has been helpful for me and a few others, and I'm sure I'll add to or modify this as I get more experience doing this myself and coaching others:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/SideSteel/view/methods-without-logging-697613

Logical thought out response that bares repeating.

peter56765 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Everyone keeps saying you can't out-train a bad diet as if it's automatically assumed the diet will be bad.

No, we say because it's truism about weight loss. If you eat a bad diet, you can't out train it. Don't read more into it than that.

One can out-train a good diet that has no calorie counting.

By definition, you don't need to out train a good diet.

If he is aware of how much he usually eats and makes effort not to eat more than he does he will eventually lose weight if he includes some good burns into his routine.

That really only works if you eat the same things every day. The problem with monotonous diets is that people don't tend to stick them. Real life gets in the way. Sure you eat chicken breast and asparagus on Sunday and you're doing fine but come Monday you forgot to do your grocery shopping the day before so you impulse buy a turkey and cheddar panini at the supermarket deli. On Tuesday, you decide to try something new like making your own pizza. You try all kinds of cheese and meats on it. You eat 1/3 of it. On Wed, it's your niece's birthday and you have a piece of spice cake with cream frosting and a scoop of ice cream. Thursday you work late and grab a Chipotle salad on the way home. It's just a salad so you adding sour cream and guacamole is OK, right? Friday your co-workers talk you into going out for Mongolian BBQ. Next week every agrees to sushi and you'll be eating eel for the first time! Saturday is a cookout with burgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob and one or maybe two or perhaps three beers. Now, how many calories did you eat that week? Did you go over or not? Can you honestly hope to guestimate and expect to be in the right ball park?

I just see this statement thrown around whenever a person prefers not to count and spend extra effort on exercise, who already said he will not be stuffing his face with high calorie food all day.

And yes, you need to "out-train" any old diet to lose weight. Using the term loosely to mean burn more than you consume through your diet.

All the situations you mentioned can be controlled without counting calories. Isn't that what people who are naturally thin do? For someone who is not naturally thin there will be a learning curve, but it's doable. Impulse buy panini? Have as soup and a big bowl of green salad 10 minutes before you sit down for the panini and you're full enough not to overeat it. Want to make pizza? Have something low calorie but satiating for breakfast. A cookout or a party? Eat light for a few days and train extra, then indulge at the party within reason.

Did you go over your calories that week? The scale will tell you and you will gradually learn how to cope and adjust. You have a mental picture of the size of your portions and your eyeballing skills get better the more you use them.

Being aware, and not mindlessly putting things in your mouth + having the ability to devise strategies to fit your personal preferences and circumstances is all it takes. It may mean slower progress, some weeks of not losing, other weeks of losing too fast, or maintaining. It will be less predictable, but as long as one takes more steps forward than he does backward it all works out.

I maintained for about 5 months before resuming my weight loss and it was without counting a single calories. Why do I count now you say? Because I enjoy numbers and like the predictability.