How fast should I lose without exercise?

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ajc1309
ajc1309 Posts: 255 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not sure how much I weigh right now as I don't have access to scales but I've recently put on about 2 inches on my waist and hips which bothers me as I'm terrified of going back up to my old weight (or even close to it). I previously lost nearly five stone, the last half a stone has been going back on and off over the last 2 years. Last time it went back on, I lost it with help of my exercise bike and constant logging.

Now it's come back on and I'm working full time, so I never have time to plan meals or log everything I eat at work etc. I also don't have the time to exercise as I'm always exhausted after work and start work early. I work retail so am on my feet for about 11 hours a day.

I really want to get back down to 126lbs (I think I'm about 134-136 now). Can I do this by just cutting down? If so how quick should it come off? I have been snacking a lot more lately but I've never lost weight without exercise.

Replies

  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I don't believe people should exercise for weight loss. People should exercise for fitness. Weight loss should come through diet. So, to answer your question, all it takes to lose weight is to eat at a caloric deficit. You should be able to lose weight as long as you're in a deficit. As far as how quickly it should come off, that is tough to answer. Every person is different.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You can lose without the exercise part, but the logging is key as otherwise, how would you know how much you're consuming?
  • ajc1309
    ajc1309 Posts: 255 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You can lose without the exercise part, but the logging is key as otherwise, how would you know how much you're consuming?

    I couldn't know for sure but without snacking I only eat two meals a day. One being my lunch and that's usually a small sandwich.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ajc1309 wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You can lose without the exercise part, but the logging is key as otherwise, how would you know how much you're consuming?

    I couldn't know for sure but without snacking I only eat two meals a day. One being my lunch and that's usually a small sandwich.

    The number of meals you eat will be less important than the number of calories in each meal. This is where logging can really help you.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
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    Well, the good-ish news is that being on your feet all day does burn more calories than sitting on your butt! :) Yes, you can absolutely lose weight without exercise. It might be easier to keep track of your intake if you weigh and log all the food, but people do do it without. How much and how quickly really depends alot on how much you are cutting down, and nobody can tell you that without some actual numbers on current and future calories (which I know you can't give us). Just do what you can do, and re-evaluate your situation in a few weeks. If its working, great. If not, then maybe you can re-evaluate whether you want to take the extra time to plan and log meals.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    you lose weight in the kitchen, not the gym.

    enter your details in mfp. eat what that tells you.
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
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    ajc1309 wrote: »
    I'm not sure how much I weigh right now as I don't have access to scales but I've recently put on about 2 inches on my waist and hips which bothers me as I'm terrified of going back up to my old weight (or even close to it). I previously lost nearly five stone, the last half a stone has been going back on and off over the last 2 years. Last time it went back on, I lost it with help of my exercise bike and constant logging.

    Now it's come back on and I'm working full time, so I never have time to plan meals or log everything I eat at work etc. I also don't have the time to exercise as I'm always exhausted after work and start work early. I work retail so am on my feet for about 11 hours a day.

    I really want to get back down to 126lbs (I think I'm about 134-136 now). Can I do this by just cutting down? If so how quick should it come off? I have been snacking a lot more lately but I've never lost weight without exercise.

    If you want to lose weight, you're going to have to track what you eat. If you "cut down" by 100 calories a day, but you're still 300 calories a day over your maintenance calories, you're still going to gain weight.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
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    Run_Fit wrote: »
    I don't believe people should exercise for weight loss. People should exercise for fitness. Weight loss should come through diet. So, to answer your question, all it takes to lose weight is to eat at a caloric deficit. You should be able to lose weight as long as you're in a deficit. As far as how quickly it should come off, that is tough to answer. Every person is different.

    Completely agree.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    Standing up burns ~50 calories an hour.
    Eating right is 90% of the battle. Try your best to avoid fast food which is was my downfall.
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
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    You can, but you shouldn't focus on quick weight loss ever. If you try to eat very little and lose the weight quickly, you'll keep battling that half stone forever. It sounds like you're plenty active enough to not do dedicated exercise. Find little changes that work for you (and consider eating something for breakfast) and lose weight slowly but surely.
  • Spierce02
    Spierce02 Posts: 29 Member
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    I don't exercise. I've cut my intake in half from what it was, my max is 1250calories a day. I've only been doing this for 4weeks but I've lost 7 pounds just by eating better and logging. My work is pretty crazy too so I make my breakfast, snack, and lunch every night and log it the night before. If I don't eat something I take it off.
  • steuartcj
    steuartcj Posts: 132 Member
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    Without a scale, both a bath type and a food type, how do you know where you're starting at, how much you lose and how much you're eating.. Pre plan your meals, make good choices, follow your goal calories. It will come off. They don't need to be high priced scales to work.

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