Has anyone managed to lose significant weight without lots of exercise?

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snowy_sk
snowy_sk Posts: 117 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello, I have about 3 stone to lose. So much harder this time round though because I'm a stay at home mum by day and a mobile beauty therapist by night, so pretty much zero time to fit in any significant exercise. Has anyone still managed to lose weight through diet alone? X

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  • MomTo3Lovez
    MomTo3Lovez Posts: 800 Member
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    Don't go over your calorie deficit and you'll be fine without much exercise, I would still encourage you to try and get in whatever kind of exercise you can but you can lose the weight without much exercise...again as long as you stay within you calorie deficit.
  • HerHusbandTheirDaddy
    HerHusbandTheirDaddy Posts: 13
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    I did that once and lost 10 pounds in a few months. At the end I had my body fat measured again and 9 of those 10 pounds I lost was lean mass, aka muscle. So, while the number on the scale might please you, losing muscle is not the way to go. That is what happens when you use diet only and no exercise to lose weight....At least that is what happened to me in my experience.
  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 535 Member
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    MomTo3Lovez wrote: »
    Don't go over your calorie deficit and you'll be fine without much exercise, I would still encourage you to try and get in whatever kind of exercise you can but you can lose the weight without much exercise...again as long as you stay within you calorie deficit.

    I agree with this. Calorie deficit is what matters. I workout so that I can eat more (and cause I love the feeling I get when Im done... plus I love food so... win, win for me) . Thats just my style. I find it harder to stay within my calorie goals when I don't workout because 1. I have more free time to mindlessly snack and 2. I have less calories I am allowed to eat.
  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 535 Member
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    HerHusbandTheirDaddy wrote: »
    I did that once and lost 10 pounds in a few months. At the end I had my body fat measured again and 9 of those 10 pounds I lost was lean mass, aka muscle. So, while the number on the scale might please you, losing muscle is not the way to go. That is what happens when you use diet only and no exercise to lose weight....At least that is what happened to me in my experience.

    Yea this too... If you can fit in a little exercise, then I would make it strength training for sure. This will help you get away from the "skinny fat" look that people talk about when they eventually lose the weight.

  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I have a coworker that has had a messed up foot for the last 4 months. In that time, she's lost 20 pounds. You can do it with just diet.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
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    yeah, I have been losing weight steadily without too much exercise. But I really miss the exercise because it makes me feel better. Been too wrapped up with other issues to make the gym or home exercise regularly.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,952 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Oh yeah, for sure you can lose without exercise. I lost 20 lbs without any exercise (10 lbs away from my goal). I see no reason why you can't do it through diet alone.

    Some people may point out that it's a good idea to lift weights while losing weight. This helps you retain your muscle mass (since you lose that when you eat at a deficit too). This is nice because then, when you're at a lower weight, the nice muscles you have hiding will show nicely. Basically prevents "skinny fat" (though in my opinion, I feel like "skinny fat" is a harsh term for something that isn't always bad. It depends on the person, you know?). Exercise is also the most effective way of reducing your visceral fat (fat around the organs... which is pretty important to reduce).

    I however, am glad I waited to start exercising, and there's nothing saying you won't want to add it later. MFP does that to you... makes it start feeling interesting. It may just take a while (nothing wrong with that!). Losing weight through diet alone reduced my stress about the whole weight loss thing (Didn't make so many changes at once). Plus, when I started exercising, I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to do than it was when I was heavier.

    I might point out that as a mom and a mobile beauty therapist, you're likely moving a lot more than I was, or many people do, during the day at their desk jobs. I wouldn't call you inactive! A workout doesn't have to be a traditional gym workout to count. So I think you're in a good position. Good luck!
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    Almost the entirety of my weight loss has occurred during intermittent physical activity. I've not done any lifting or anything like training for a 5k. Just some basic stationary cycling, and for a time I was doing aquatics. Not saying it's ideal, but you can definitely do it... Just takes extra discipline. And you really shouldn't let being a stay at home mom be an excuse because in ways, you have way more flexibility to fit in 15 minutes of lifting or cardio here and there.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
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    yes. I lost the first 30 lbs without much "formal" exercise at all, and when I did "exercise" it was pretty much just walking.

    Park far away, take the stairs, take the long way around the grocery store, pace while you are on the phone, do more activities with the kids that involve you walking/standing/stooping whatever activity you can fit in. All those little things add up and take barely any time to do.

    Also at the time I was not exercising I had my goal set at either .5 or 1 lb per week so I could eat plenty. It's better to lose .5 per week or even maintain and actually DO it than to set too aggressive goals and give up trying because it's too hard .
  • jessupbrady
    jessupbrady Posts: 508 Member
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    snowy_sk wrote: »
    Hello, I have about 3 stone to lose. So much harder this time round though because I'm a stay at home mum by day and a mobile beauty therapist by night, so pretty much zero time to fit in any significant exercise. Has anyone still managed to lose weight through diet alone? X

    Absolutely, I have a genetic joint connectivity disorder that messes up with my ability to exercise, especially in the cold of winter. Couple that with my 3-4 hour round trip daily commute with my 9 hour working day. Yep, it can be tough - and still workable. I've lost 60 lbs.

    However, I would recommend checking out Fitness Blender - They have a lot of free (hosted on youtube) full length workout videos. Everything from stretching those sore joints to low impact workouts in as little as 10 minutes and as extreme as burning 1000+ calorie workouts (when you have the spare hour and half). It was recommended by my geneticist and it has an incredible search feature to help you find exactly what you need. You can sign up for free and book mark your favorite workouts. So, getting in 10 minutes here and there is quite doable.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I've been exercising for years now at the gym, but I lost a lot of weight when I was at university from simply not eating much, and walking, so you don't need to do loads of exercise. I find weight loss a lot easier with exercise though.

    If you did want to exercise, does your gym have a crèche? I have 3 children, but my husband does shift work so I fit the gym around that, although if he's on early shift and I want to do a morning class I use the crèche.

    Plus you can walk. My kids love going out. My older two (5 and 3) have scooters and love going on the seafront. When they were babies they went in the pram and I walked. I also have a 9 month old. Dragging the pram onto the beach is a real workout!
  • RK17RK
    RK17RK Posts: 1 Member
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    Yes, it is possible, but mentally much dificult. Moderate exercising alows you to eat more and to be without hunger. Walking is also exercise, one hour a day is enought, try to spend more time outside.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
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    yes ive losted 20 pounds without exercise ! & lose weight without exercise is do-able !!
    just stay at a calorie deficit ,
    exercise is'nt necessary to lose weight but it does help it really do! you can eat more +you will have a much better body if you exercise while losing & also you might feel stronger and much better about urself
  • tekkiechikk
    tekkiechikk Posts: 375 Member
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    You can always find time to get in some free weights, if nothing else. It helps raise the metabolism and tone your body. Lots of fantastic, short weight training videos on YouTube.
  • turtlesaver
    turtlesaver Posts: 31
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    DawnieB1977 wrote: »
    Plus you can walk. My kids love going out. My older two (5 and 3) have scooters and love going on the seafront. When they were babies they went in the pram and I walked. I also have a 9 month old. Dragging the pram onto the beach is a real workout!
    tekkiechikk wrote: »
    You can always find time to get in some free weights, if nothing else. It helps raise the metabolism and tone your body. Lots of fantastic, short weight training videos on YouTube.

    ^this^ Depending on how old your kid is, you can get them involved, too! Walking with your children is good for everyone. And you can get hand weights and do some lifting at home. Yoga would be another good option. When my son was small I would place his playpen in the living room and follow along with a yoga tape.
    Another suggestion I have is to get a hula hoop! It's more fun than just doing calisthenics (to me) and my kid loves doing it, too. You can buy adult sized hula hoops online pretty inexpensively, or you can buy the materials to make them. I bought tubing and tape at a home and garden store for about $20 (£15) and I made hoops for my son and myself. We watch Youtube videos and try to learn different moves together.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    I'm sure everyone has told you that all you need is a calorific deficit and the most important creator of that is by moderating what you eat and the amount. There are plenty of people here who have lost a lot of weight without any exercise and then even more who have lost just by walking and moving a bit more.

    I would say there are several advantages to exercise though. It makes the weight loss easier, it can give you more to eat, it can make you feel better and has many health benefits. Even busy people can make some time to do some exercise and I was reading the benefits for your general health are significant even if overweight with moderate amounts. As pointed out above you can do exercise at home or just moving more in general in a way that fits in with your life and around your family. It doesnt have to be scary at all.
  • awolf2011
    awolf2011 Posts: 265 Member
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    I lead a very busy life. I have 4 young boys and work outside the house. My older 2 boys are very much into activities so we do a lot of running. I find some time to fit in walks while they are at practice, but sometimes that doesn't always work. I found that if I take a nice brisk walk (17 min) in the morning before work, then try to squeeze one in around lunch (20 min) I feel better about not having that time to do substantial workout. I do agree that maybe throw in some lifting, nothing huge, just like 5 lbs weights and do some arm curls, etc. I'm kind of working in this mode right now since I don't have a lot of time. If you stick with your diet and within your calorie goal, then you will see some weightloss.

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