What about dieting but NO exercise ?

Anyone counting calories and NOT exercising and still losing ?
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Replies

  • girl_inflames
    girl_inflames Posts: 375 Member
    edited July 2016
    I lost 40 pounds without exercise. However, I'm still active (hiking, walks, etc). Lately I've been exercising since now that I'm at a lower weight I'm not losing as fast as I was and I want to dedicate myself to a healthier lifestyle.
  • nuttyfamily
    nuttyfamily Posts: 3,394 Member
    I lost my initial 50 pounds with no exercise.

    Now I exercise because I enjoy it and love to get out and do things. It also helps to stay at maintenance goals.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Due to a health condition I go stretches of several weeks at a time without exercising and I keep losing weight. A calorie deficit through eating less is more than enough. It is easier to achieve with exercise though, because you get extra calories to eat.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    Yes, you can still lose weight. Unfortunately, you will lose more muscle this way than if you exercise.
  • aquablue_1111
    aquablue_1111 Posts: 40 Member
    Several years ago, I cut out dairy and changed nothing else about my diet (kept eating same amounts, ate same things minus dairy of course). I wasn't exercising at the time either. Although I wasn't using a scale, I'm sure cutting out dairy caused a calorie deficit and I lost weight.

    So yes, the short answer is you can lose weight by creating a calorie deficit through changes in diet alone.
  • greta7611
    greta7611 Posts: 13 Member
    I know it seemed like a silly question, what with a calorie deficit and all. Just curious of the experience of others. I don't like to "exercise". I like to do something constructive that is exercise like cut the grass. I need ideas of things like that that will result in exercise by not calling it exercise.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    greta7611 wrote: »
    I know it seemed like a silly question, what with a calorie deficit and all. Just curious of the experience of others. I don't like to "exercise". I like to do something constructive that is exercise like cut the grass. I need ideas of things like that that will result in exercise by not calling it exercise.

    Not a silly question at all. It is a very good question as there are many that believe they have to exercise to loose weight. I am not one that does not exercise, but there are plenty of members here in the MFP community that have and do successfully lose weight with no exercise. Besides there are going to be those that cannot exercise due to medical conditions or physical limitations.

    If you use two things, the MFP app and a food scale alone you will see amazing results. No exercise needed! :)
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    Just find any activity you like. Sports or anything really. I have found that I love kickboxing! I do weights to keep my muscle mass, but do the kickboxing for fun. I also love to swim in the summer and it's a great full body workout.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Not a debate topic.

    Of course it is possible to do, but if the goal is health I wouldn't particularly recommend it unless you have an inability to exercise for some reason.
  • etruscansunited
    etruscansunited Posts: 18 Member
    edited July 2016
    Lost 8kgs off 83kg within 8 weeks of starting ketogenic diet. Deliberately avoided exercise other than mild walking in order to remove one variable in order to demonstrate the effects of the macronutrient mix to diabetes educator and endo who had no idea of even the existence of ketogenic nutrition let alone the scientific basis for the physiology / biochemistry.

    Two memes from publications in BMJ and other medical publications might help to start understanding this option (not a substitute for scientific explanation or personal medical advice):
    1. You cannot exercise away a bad diet.
    2. A calorie is not a calorie.

    The latter refers to the different efficiencies and consequences of whether the fuel for your daily energy needs is stored-fat or stored-glycogen based.

    Personally, since becoming substantially ketogenic adapted in under two months I have lost a lot of visceral abdominal fat that had stuck around for years despite exercise, reduced my waistline back to needing trousers stored away years ago, high blood pressure dropped to extent of nearly off meds, avoided all post prandial BGL spikes, avoided most risk of hypoglycaemia, sleep better, feel much better cognitively, eating more food including certain vegetables and expect in my next blood tests much better cholesterol levels and ratios.
    I hypothesise that if I continue I will substantially reduce risks of cardio disease, strokes, retinal damage and kidney damage.

    Eating is easier than before - in fact I now struggle to eat enough yet I continue to lose weight (fat not water). I have resumed brekkie after decades of skipping it. I have no need to count or restrict calories. I rarely carb count, causing much discombobulation among the type 1 diabetes health care providers. Eating is a pleasure after years of nightmare diet restrictions and calculations.
    The food budget is better too.
    Without going into all the adjustments, my only special efforts daily are to add flaxseed which I mill onto my food and a daily half teaspoon of a rather singular extra virgin cod liver oil. These are to maintain sufficient levels of omega 3 and aim as close as practical to a daily intake in a ratio of 1:1 of omega 3:omega 6.

    Despite those two additional efforts, it has been a dream effort to lose fat and improve overall daily health and hopefully long term biomarkers.

    All of the above applies generally even to those without insulin dependent diabetes.

    If you wish to explore this, I suggest you initially ignore all fads, celebreties and other pop culture "experts". It might be better to start your exploration by looking into ketogenic diets for epilepsy, cancers, diabetes and athletes. That would tend to expose you first to a more scientifc foundation before having to filter the pop culture pundits.
    By the way, "LCHF" and "low carb high fat" phrases are not rigorously scientific (why state what it is relative to a presumed bad diet?) nor does that concept comprehensively deal with all nutritional needs (protein, micronutrients, relative composition, hydration ...) but so long as you bear in mind its shortcomings it is helpful.

    As always, your own particular condition must dictate your actual optimal nutritional needs.
  • jennypapage
    jennypapage Posts: 489 Member
    i lost my first 20 kgs with no exercise at all. then did some exercise with wii games, till i went on vacation and lost my will to continue. Last week i started c25k and i'm almost at 30kgs lost.
  • jammer1963
    jammer1963 Posts: 106 Member
    greta7611 wrote: »
    Anyone counting calories and NOT exercising and still losing ?

    I did that for the first part of my weight loss. I am sure it cost me muscle so I joined the local gym and was going for about a month before I recently injured myself and now I'm restricted from going to the gym for 6 weeks. But to answer your question, it can be done. As many of the posters have said, you lose weight from calorie deficit, so as long as you do that, you'll see weight loss.
  • berolcolour
    berolcolour Posts: 140 Member
    I did that when I started too. I think it's why I have been successful, I didn't try to change too much at once. First I started with a small deficit, then added a step tracker a while later.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,907 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Not a debate topic.

    Of course it is possible to do, but if the goal is health I wouldn't particularly recommend it unless you have an inability to exercise for some reason.

    Yes, huh.