Exercise & Keto
tlblanksfit
Posts: 1,573 Member
Hello LCHFers,
I just wanted to get a census on doing the LCHF WOE and exercise. I have been looking at different people's LCHF stories and have found that a good bit of them state that they did not exercise and still lost a lot of weight. It seems for me when I exercise I gain weight and when I don't exercise I lose weight. I was thinking that I would just focus on what I am eating and let the pounds come off and then when I get to my goal weight or close to it, I will add back the exercise. What are your thoughts.
I just wanted to get a census on doing the LCHF WOE and exercise. I have been looking at different people's LCHF stories and have found that a good bit of them state that they did not exercise and still lost a lot of weight. It seems for me when I exercise I gain weight and when I don't exercise I lose weight. I was thinking that I would just focus on what I am eating and let the pounds come off and then when I get to my goal weight or close to it, I will add back the exercise. What are your thoughts.
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Diet is supposedly like 70% of weight loss, so you could totally lose weight sans exercise.
For myself, I'm not interested in being skinny-fat. I want to build muscle, and when better to do it then when I have extra fluff to convert? I work out vigorously several (3 - 5) days per week. This is what works for me, but may not be what works for you.
I suggest finding what is best for your body, what makes you feel good, and sticking with it - whether that's couch potatoing, marathon training, or something comfortably in between.2 -
I second what @Panda_Poptarts has stated. While exercise is not mandatory, I do it for other reasons than weight loss.
If you are finding that you exercise and gain weight, and weight loss is your goal, then there's no need to do it.
Maybe you can add it on in the future - that seems to be what some people do.0 -
i just started working with a crossfit coach this week (1 week down) in order to both get stronger and lose about 30 pounds. he made me PROMISE not to look at the scale for a month!?! ...since even with great eating, i'll be replacing fat with muscle. makes sense. by the end of three months, though... i'm hoping (or sweating and near dying) for strong arms and a hard as rocks behind, lol. though, i'll settle for firm!! good luck whichever way you decide to go!1
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I agree with panda, though I'd say weight loss is closer to 100% diet. You do not need to exercise at all to lose weight. Though as you get smaller and smaller it becomes more difficult to eat at a deficit without at least some additional calorie burn from exercise.
keep in mind that even though you can lose weight by diet alone, you will also lose muscle when eating at a deficit, it won't all be fat. as you lose muscle you can end up not looking how you thought you would after reaching your goal weight. if you incorporate some weight lifting while eating at a deficit it will help you to retain some muscle, it does in the beginning cause increased fluid retention, which will show as an increase on the scale, but that's just fluid and inflammation in the muscles repairing themselves. if you do it that way you will be much happier when you reach your goal weight and be much closer to how you want to look.2 -
To piggy-back off of what @auntstephie321 said, I'm kind of a classic example of inflammation gain. I didn't lose any weight at all for 2 months, then suddenly dropped off a few pounds of water weight. Despite not losing any weight, the difference in my overall appearance is pretty major. I'm one who has a really, really hard time ignoring the scale, but I've found inches and pictures to be MUCH more truthful.
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I am one who has done it (albeit slowly) without regular exercise. For me, exercise induces a pain response greater than just being sore. I've tried several different exercises but always end up hurting. This makes me reluctant to keep hurting myself. I can see more muscle definition than I've ever seen with weight loss. Yes, you will lose some muscle (side effect of almost all ways of eating), but LCHF is more muscle sparing than other options. I'm okay with doing what I can, when I can, and am happy with the results! Finding your balance is part of the process! Good luck with finding yours!1
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I have lost 25 lbs. and rarely if ever exercised because I was getting my RA issues under control. This past month or two I have finally felt good enough to exercise so I've been working out 5-6 days a week. So you can lose without exercise but if you feel up to it then go for it! There are lots of benefits beyond weight loss to exercising!
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I think the daily weighing is getting to me. I am going to continue to exercise and TRY not to weigh myself for a week and see where I am then. Thanks for all of the responses.1
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I am super lazy! I highly encourage you to NOT do what I've done if you can help it. I've barely exercised at all. I've lost weight but I still have a flabby fat belly at 8 pounds to goal! You won't look like you want to without exercise. Who cares what the scale says anyway?!?! The only reason you gain when you exercise is because of water retention so that your body can heal. It's not REAL weight. Don't let scale weight deter you. It's about your overall health, not the scale.2
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I started with no exercise, it's what I pretty much intended to do, I just never had energy, I was so tired all the time.
After a few weeks in, I had more energy so started just pacing around at work. About a week of that, it just wasn't enough, so I started going for short walks.
In under 2 months time, I went from about 6K steps to over 22K steps. I mostly walk, but I have started doing other "home exercises" because I have SO much energy.
I'm no longer tired and I sleep better. I'm not exercising for weight loss (I sometimes lose slower if I've changed up what activity I do).
I'm just moving more because of all the pent up energy! I love it. ^_^4 -
I just started but I will start exercising after 2 weeks. When energy kicks in.0
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Thanks for all of the advice. I am going to continue to workout 6 days a week. I have decided not to weigh myself this week and to just stick to the plan. I can see the changes in how my clothes fit and I am happy with that.
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Exercising from the start, will teach your body about fat adaption, especially if you workout fasted.Afroditaa77 wrote: »I just started but I will start exercising after 2 weeks. When energy kicks in.
Exercise can be just a walk, may as well go for a walk, why put it off ?
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Do what feels good and fun for you and the rest will follow. Now I am exercising to keep stress down and I feel the need for physical activity. I am also doing more weight lifting and HIIT exercises for a more toned body. I am thinking of starting yoga for stress reduction and improved flexibility. There is a yoga studio near me that has a introductory package $30 for unlimited access for 2 weeks. May give that a try to see if I like yoga, has been a hit or miss for me in the past. One of these days I want to try rock climbing but I think I need to rebuild by upper body strength. Just do what you enjoy. The more you enjoy it and you see changes, physical body changes, improved health, reduced stress, etc... the more you will push yourself to the next level.1
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Yes, yes, yes, me too. I gain weight when I exercise and l Iose when I stop. I tried to explain this to my doctor once, but all I manage to get out of him was. "Well I'm not going to tell you to stop exercising. "
I've found myself in a position where I don't have a choice. I have to perform very physical tasks on a daily basis. And I am losing weight. I think it would be quicker and I would lose more if I didn't have all this physical exercise but like I said, I have no choice. Eventually my body gave up some weight despite my exercising. I think many people actually can lose weight with exercise. But some of us have to exercise a huge amount to make any impact on our weight loss. I don't know why. Is it we retain more water? Is it our muscle mass is heavier? Is our metabolism slowing more rapidly when we exercise? Whatever the reason, just know that eventually with enough exercise and diet you will lose weight. It just takes longer.0
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