Does it work without exercise??

Options
albali
albali Posts: 225 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi
I have never seen a 'homepage' for this site where it explains the ideas and methods behind the MFP site, or how to make it work for you! Have I missed it?? Presuming I haven't, I'd like to ask a question about weight loss. Is it possible to use this site without exercising and just sticking to the calories suggested? I know you wouldn't technically become fitter, but you may lose weight? I was wondering if anyone just did the calorie counting and still had good loss! Or if you had to do the exercise to see real and long term loss.. Thanks.
«1

Replies

  • jenniferlecaptain
    jenniferlecaptain Posts: 10
    Options
    Yes, MFP figures how many calories you should eat to lose weight, without figuring in your exercise. It will ask you to input your exercise goals, but it has nothing to do with how many calories you should eat.
  • craftylatvian
    craftylatvian Posts: 599 Member
    Options
    Fro the first two weeks on MFP, I just watched what I ate and lost 2 lbs.
    Then the enablers here motivated me to exercise :wink:
  • Tzavush
    Tzavush Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    I started out just counting calories. I was losing without adding in the exercise. After a little while though, I just felt like doing more.
  • Tzavush
    Tzavush Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    sorry..double post.
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    Options
    Of course you can, but for myself..I don't want the flabby skin. I want to be toned and stronger.
  • bjswartwout
    bjswartwout Posts: 1
    Options
    :flowerforyou: Yes, it does, I just use the food diary portion. I have been in a weight loss program and working with a personal trainer, so I don't worry about the Net calories. I do note exercise days and what the general mood is, especially during stressful times. So far I have lost 72 pounds over the past year or so. This site helped me change my eating habits and general relationship to food.
    Good luck and hang in there.
  • snowness
    snowness Posts: 71
    Options
    Just doing the calorie counting will work with the losing weight if you set your settings to not include exercise. It will come off faster and your body will change more noticibly if you workout but if you don't want to calorie counting will work.
  • lulu1962
    lulu1962 Posts: 210
    Options
    I'm losing weight just by following my calorie guidelines & drinking 8-9 glasses of water a day. I haven't begun any sort of exercise plan as of yet, but it sure would help tone me!:flowerforyou:
  • purpl3sox
    purpl3sox Posts: 38
    Options
    Technically the site will work without exercise however, exercise is what ensures that your weight loss is fat loss and not muscle loss. Muscle requires 9 calories to maintain where as fat only requires 4 calories, so when your body begins to deal with a caloric deficit it is going to break down muscle first because it is what is hardest to maintain. Exercise is what ensures that your body goes for the fat and not the muscle. I would strongly recommend including exercise in your weight loss plan.
  • cscoggins
    cscoggins Posts: 17
    Options
    You will lose weight by limiting your calorie intake, but you will lose it more quickly and creating healthier habits for your life (that will help KEEP the weight off) if you exercise. I just started a little less than a month ago and exercise for 1/2 hr 3 times a week. (Just swimming laps at the pool, walking, cleaning house, or doing Wii Fit.) I have lost 7 lbs already! It doesn't take much. You don't have to start running or join a gym. Do what you are comfortable with and/or enjoy! Good luck!! :)
  • Emmy_Ann
    Emmy_Ann Posts: 60
    Options
    Yes you can definitely lose weight by just watching your calories, but you'll see way better results and your body will be healthier if you add in exercise.. Even if its just walking!
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    Options
    yes...
    for first couple of months, i just ate very healthy, right up to my 1200 cal limit... and lost well

    then i started adding cardio, stuggled a lil to get calories consumption of the extra calories working well for me... and doing fine again *S*

    edited to add:
    i actually lost more per week when i was not exercising... it seemed 1200 per day was the spot my body was realy happy and willing to release weight... but i am not sure how accurate the calories are that i am recording for the cardio (i tend to develop muscle tone easily) and am still searching for the 'sweet spot' as to how much of those exercise calories i need eat back (right now am eating 1/2 back). i am losing again now but at a lower rate.

    i sure wish i had a HRM so could be more sure of my calorie burns *L*
  • Creiche
    Creiche Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    I did my first two months of calorie counting on here without exercise and lost weight, so it's definitely doable. I got much better results after adding exercise, and it's nice to have the added calories to eat every day though. :)
  • HilarieXcore
    HilarieXcore Posts: 214 Member
    Options
    I've lost 25lbs since November (with a 2 month break in there..) and I've exercised very few times. I need to start exercising though because, although my clothes are getting bigger on me, I want a nice flat stomach and cardio is the only way to get it.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Options
    Exercise is important for many reasons. If you just lost weight without gaining muscle and tone you would risk becoming what is known as 'skinny fat'. I've read this is actually very unhealthy for your body, even though essentially you are thin. There was an article in Allure magazine about this.

    For me personally, when I workout I sleep better, eat better, perform better at work and am overall healthier. For women, it's important to exercise because bone loss and muscle loss begins in your 30s and 40s. Muscle helps you to burn fat even when the body is at rest. In order to have the energy to do the things I enjoy I find that I need some sort of activity each day. I'm also trying to stay in shape to lower my risk of diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure that run in my family. What's the point of being thin if it's an unhealthy thin for your body?

    You can lose weight on restricted calories alone (that's the way MFP is set up). A person that is in shape will hold their weight differently (and look thinner) than a person of the same weight and height that does not exercise. Human beings were designed to get some sort of activity in each day.
  • 2BfitMimi
    2BfitMimi Posts: 2
    Options
    I agree with what everyone has said. You will lose weight but will lose it faster with exercise. Like mentioned below, exercise involves a lot of different things including cleaning your home or working in the yard or playing with your kids if you have them. You can get a step counter and make your first goal to walk 5,000 steps/day building up to 10,000...just moving helps. Also, I'm sure that as you lose some weight, you are going to feel like being more active. That is what I've experienced.
  • deniseg31
    deniseg31 Posts: 667 Member
    Options
    It's possible. My mother at one point lost around 30 lbs. just by watching what she was eating (not on MFP). She then hit a plateu and then had to start walking to shed the rest.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    Options
    Hi
    I have never seen a 'homepage' for this site where it explains the ideas and methods behind the MFP site, or how to make it work for you! Have I missed it?? Presuming I haven't, I'd like to ask a question about weight loss. Is it possible to use this site without exercising and just sticking to the calories suggested? I know you wouldn't technically become fitter, but you may lose weight? I was wondering if anyone just did the calorie counting and still had good loss! Or if you had to do the exercise to see real and long term loss.. Thanks.

    You should experience great weight loss. Unfortunately it will be more muscle then fat. And, weight will go back on quickly if you get off track.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Options
    You will lose weight through diet alone, but only so far. You do need some muscle for a healthy metabolism, and you won't get that from sitting around.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Options
    Everyone has pretty much covered most of it. MFP basically considers exercise for fitness, not necessarily weight loss. MFP chose to use the Mifflin-St Jeor formula because it is generally considered more accurate. They created this site to be different from other sites for a specific reason. Most sites use Harris-Benedict and use exercise to create the deficit for weight loss, keeping the daily cal goal static.

    MFP recognizes that many people cannot exercise regularly, or maybe at all, due to physical limitations or time. And many people set up an exercise plan, but as we know, that's not necessarily what actually happens every day. So they wanted to create a site that allows for weight loss, regardless of exercise. So, they set it up to use BMR + activity level. The activity level is not intended to include any purposeful exercise.

    That way, if you do no exercise, you still have a built in deficit for weight loss. When you do log exercise, cals are added back in to keep that deficit stable.

    Might also help to read these threads that explain how MFP works, how it gets the numbers it gives you and how metabolism works (exercise, notably strength training, WILL help metabolism).

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/237264-great-article-on-skinny-fat

Categories