What about dieting but NO exercise ?
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I am 74, and losing weight. I feel much better when I walk a bit, swinging arms and stretching, but I seem to go from one problem to the next. It started with sciatica, which kept me in bed for about 2 months. Then arthritis in my knee stopped me walking and swimming. That has now eased, and I am back to walking and stretching. What a relief! Back to dancing soon!5
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I couldn't do that without restricting my diet to an unhealthy low number of calories. If very sedentary, knocking calories down to 1,200 wouldn't do much of anything according to internet calculators.
And throughout life I have found it easier and healthier to manage my weight by exercise than by tightly controlling eating.
People do drop weight when sick and bedridden if they can't eat so obviously it's possible. Not sure it's healthy, maybe if you are so fat it is harming your health then yes better to drop the weight even if by unhealthy means, because the resulting lower body mass will benefit your health more than the harm of losing through a damaging event?0 -
etruscansunited wrote: »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.
But...a calorie is a calorie. a calorie is a unit of energy. Saying a calorie is not a calorie is just like saying an inch is not an inch or a gram is not a gram.3 -
I just recently started exercising (nothing too extreme, just walking) but I lost around 8 pounds without any exercise at all, which is good considering I didn't have too much to lose to begin with. I like being able to eat more calories with exercise though0
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I lost 123 pounds and exercised only once throughout the loss -- one time when I thought I would continue but didn't. Now, I am ridiculously weak and without muscle.
Someone up there ^^ said to exercise for strength. They are right. I fear that those who exercise for weight loss will be very disappointed, but if you want to get to the weight you want, and have the strength to enjoy it, exercise.
Sure, I did the yard work, walked, cleaned the house, lifted heavy objects, etc., but that was not enough. And I am paying for it.2 -
Started a bit over a month ago and lost as much as you would expect in such a time frame. Haven't really exercised, because we have no space for equipment or exercise videos (I love those) right now and it's 100+ degrees outside with 100% humidity. I will exercise eventually, but so far so good.1
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This is easy :-) There's an acronym called "N.E.A.T." - it stands for Non-exercise-activity Thermogenesis. In other words, ANYTHING you do that makes you move, burns calories. You can burn a remarkable amount of calories just puttering around the house; and then you can step it up a bit by adding to your routine. If you're walking up the steps, do a squat or two, or calf flexes. Do some curls with those canned goods you are putting in the pantry. Rake the leaves with gusto. Dance while cooking dinner. It all adds up.
Furthermore, myfitnesspal uses the NEAT calculation to determine your calorie goal for weight loss. Deeper in the weeds is the calculation for "net" calories burned in exercise, and there are enlightening discussions you can find here about that.
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I'm curious to what people are classing as exercise?
When people say they do NO exercise, does this mean the usual sedentary level of under 5000ish steps a day and nothing else? Or are they doing plenty of walking around but not classing that as exercise..
When I first started i was in the zero exercise camp, i was lucky if i averaged 3500 steps a day max! Now i aim for 20,000 steps (15kms) 7 days a week. But some people wouldn't see walking as exercise.
I'm wondering if people think exercise and assume this means gym time, weights, gym classes or running/biking for miles etc1 -
Getting more active was what I enjoyed the most about losing weight. I don't like exercising just for the sake of health, however. The activity has to have some purpose.
I lost my first thirty pounds when I was nearly completely sedentary.
Then I tried all sorts of activities to see what I liked.
I like Zumba, going on runs, Mud Hero, Pokemon Go, and my paper route.
I suggest you try all sorts of activities to see what works for you. You might put out flyers to mow your neighbour's lawns. Earn a little extra money and stay active at the same time.
I'm kinda like this, too: not wanting to exercise just for health. I think it's a boredom factor. It's why I hate doing treadmills, step machines/step boards (the latter usually having some boring-a%$ cardio DVD to go with it) that go nowhere. If I'm going to do any kind of walking, I want to actually walk someplace and explore my neighborhood and my town up close and personal. I like strength training because I know it burns fat, but I also like the opportunity to test out my new muscle strength by lifting heavy stuff around the house while cleaning. And listening to music while exercising/cleaning is a no brainer.
Oh, and in January of this year, I added Tae Kwon Do to the mix because I always wanted to do that, both for self-defense, and for health. Best. Decision. EVER!!!!
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Yep ... slowly but I'm losing. I believe this ... "You lose weight in the kitchen and you gain health in the gym"1
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I've lost around 20 lbs since January through counting calories alone, however, the weight loss is extremely slow. I'll be joining the gym in a month or two, once I have a bit more time. That way I'll get to eat more than the 1200 calories I'm having now and get fitter in the process.0
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I got to my goal without excersize. I doubt its impacted much muscle loss and I'm happy its been possible. In the past I lost weight primarily by adding in gym weights, jogging, various excersize programs, but this time I just rested and lost the easy way. The weather isn't satisfactory for getting out much atm, but once it is I aim to get back walking every day. I never stop doing my regular yoga and physio body work in the mornings though it isn't burning any real calories to speak of I'm sure.
I found 'formal' ( if I can designate it that way) excersize raised hunger levels, so it just seemed easier to avoid it.1 -
I have gained a significant amount of weight over the past 4 years. I have had 3 surgeries and in 2014 was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (explained the constant/chronic pain that nobody seemed to understand). I have been in a deep depression for many years since I was very active prior to all this happening. This year I seriously contemplated suicide and other serious injuries to myself. I was admitted to a Stabilization Unit in May 2016 and have been diagnosed as Bipolar as well as extremely depressed. I am on different meds, but don't really have any appetite to eat. I also cannot stand to cook as my back issues and legs keep me from standing too long. My fingers go numb after just 5-10 minutes.
Now I am 270 lbs and want to lose the weight, however, depression has kept me house bound for more than 4 years and breaking out of my habits are hard. Slowly I am making some progress - opening the blinds and going through each room - one at a time - slowly cleaning and putting things in order. I have been working on my master bedroom for 2 weeks now but only doing things maybe once or twice a week.
I am not ready to exercise as my body does not allow me to do that. Hopefully I can lose some weight and be more able to start walking at least. I use to love walking. Is anybody here with me? Do you live in the Conyers, GA area?
Hello clark,
I'm not in Conyers, Ga... but just wanted to say I think it's wonderful that you are here on MFP and are ready to change your life. It can't have been easy to get to this point what with Fibromyalgia and depression. Good on you!
As many others on this post have pointed out, losing weight without exercising/working out CAN be done. Eating less is all we have to do. Take it one day at a time, one meal at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself, we can't be perfect every single day, but we owe it to ourselves to try. Best of luck on your journey.
Greta7611: Great question. Great answers and information. Gotta love MFP.0 -
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.
One idea for exercise by not calling it exercise: walk whenever you can instead of using your car or an elevator/escalator.
Park your car at the far end of the lot when you shop. Carry what you can manage and don't use a cart unless you have a heavy load (carrying items = carrying weights).
Walk to work, to class, or to stores if possible.2 -
If you're really fat and have lots of body fat sure, you can get all your deficit from cutting calories and still eating a good amount. But if you're close to normal BMI range trying to get leaner, you'll want to get some of the deficit from exercise in order to avoid having to eat too little.
For example, I went from 152 to 116 lbs while eating an average 1700 - 2000 calories and exercising. That would have been impossible (or taken too long) without exercise. The alternative (with no exercise) would have been to eat 1200 calories and I refuse to subject myself to such little food for the length of time it took to lose the weight.0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I'm curious to what people are classing as exercise?
For me it's about intent. When I first started I would have said that I was't doing any exercise before that, but I live on the fourth floor (and have an upstairs, so on the 5th), and ran up and down that regularly, sometimes with groceries or other heavy things. I also did a lot of my errands on food and walked to public transportation to commute to work, so I walked over 10,000 steps a day, often significantly more. The first things I did when deciding to lose weight was to add to the walking by deciding I would walk absolutely everywhere possible -- for example, that first weekend I walked briskly (in some snow) to our winter farmer's market, which was about 3 miles there and another 3 miles back. At the time (I was quite overweight) that was a challenge for me, despite the regular walking, but it was somewhere in-between exercise and just regular daily activity in my head, because my goal wasn't to work out, but to go to the market. If someone walks for the purpose of getting exercise, I think of that as exercise.
For the purpose of those studies, though, I think any of this walking (at least if done briskly) counts as exercise, and what I would 100% recommend doing if at all possible is just getting more active (if one isn't), as I think that's quite important for health.
My walking was as beneficial in burning calories and helping me get into better shape as things I did class as exercise, like light biking and swimming, so the whole distinction seems rather unimportant to me. (And adding in bike commuting -- which unfortunately I can't do very often right now -- was extremely helpful even though I didn't really consider it exercise, because of the purpose again.)
I think your question is interesting.2 -
I lost my initial 15lbs without exercising just by eating at a deficit. I was feeling so uncomfortable at 200lbs that I decided to try and lose some weight before starting to exercise, now that I'm down a bit, it's easier to move without that extra weight and am now exercising as well.
This is what I'm doing, too. Baby steps. I've lost almost 13 lbs and coming from almost exactly where you are. My sister has a FP Group dedicated to healthy lifestyle and we have started doing 30 day exercise challenges. We are 21 days into a 28 day plank challenge and we're up to 3 minute planks! The goal is 4 minutes. In just those 21 days I am much stronger and my belly is flatter than it was before. Our next challenge is going to be an arm challenge. While it not full on cardio or strength training, it's helping us slowly wake up or bodies and get us moving. I love Zumba, but at nearly 200lbs jumping and bouncing is hard to do and so so hard on my poor knees. I need to loose a bit more before I get back into that. But I will. Baby steps.
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I find it's easier to keep weight off for good if you do both. I've lost 5 kg in a week by tracking my meals and doing simple exercises/stretches. Try Nike Training Club or Sworkit0
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I have lost 28 pounds since Feb '16, and haven't exercised at all. I am currently dealing with an arthritic knee and am on an anti-inflammatory drug which is helping immensely. I will shortly begin a stretching routine, and then by the end of August, be heading to the gym to do cardio and strength training. I'm hoping this will accelerate the weight loss and build lean muscle mass.0
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Lost 70+ pounds mostly with moderate walking (though I was doing some weight training, Pilates etc early on). My doctor in fact suggested focusing on diet, and leaving the exercise for later in the process. I average about 7000 steps/day right now - mostly walking to-from work, shopping, going for walks, etc. I'm on my last 15 lbs and am going to get back into weight training and more serious cardio because those last few pounds are slow to come off.0
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I lost over 200 lbs with Weight Watchers and never exercised one day. Calories in Calories out.1
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cerise_noir wrote: »etruscansunited wrote: »
But...a calorie is a calorie. a calorie is a unit of energy. Saying a calorie is not a calorie is just like saying an inch is not an inch or a gram is not a gram.
I think it takes a leap of faith to believe that many years of eating a very unhealthy 1,600-calorie diet results in the exact same weight outcome as a very healthy 1,600-calorie diet. We are complex organisms, not a bunsen burners.
The prior poster said it all: "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.1 -
andream1976 wrote: »I lost my initial 15lbs without exercising just by eating at a deficit. I was feeling so uncomfortable at 200lbs that I decided to try and lose some weight before starting to exercise, now that I'm down a bit, it's easier to move without that extra weight and am now exercising as well.
This is what I'm doing, too. Baby steps. I've lost almost 13 lbs and coming from almost exactly where you are. My sister has a FP Group dedicated to healthy lifestyle and we have started doing 30 day exercise challenges. We are 21 days into a 28 day plank challenge and we're up to 3 minute planks! The goal is 4 minutes. In just those 21 days I am much stronger and my belly is flatter than it was before. Our next challenge is going to be an arm challenge. While it not full on cardio or strength training, it's helping us slowly wake up or bodies and get us moving. I love Zumba, but at nearly 200lbs jumping and bouncing is hard to do and so so hard on my poor knees. I need to loose a bit more before I get back into that. But I will. Baby steps.
If you love Zumba,but find the impact hard on your joints, try Zumba gold. It is just as much fun but low impact.
Cheers, h.1 -
Exercise contributes to calories out and helps prevent muscle loss. It will be more difficult to lose only by restricting calories in and the results might not be what you want.0
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when I first starting using MFP I lost 5kg before I joined the gym, granted I lost quicker once going to the gym for 2 hours 4 days a week but the weight was coming off without it to start with0
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Yes.but it gets harder to do the closer you get to the goal. At first the weight will fall off as you are eating so much less, but then you will start to stabilize where the amount of food this place suggests takes you. It is obvious that even the bare minimum setting on the auto suggestion account for people that do some sort of activity every day. Be it walking to the car, around an office, etc. if your body or activity falls outside the generic parameters here, it will cause frustration as you will have to eat even less.
I suggest simple walking. Walk as far as you can every other day. Use a free app like Sportstracker to measure your distance, speed, and calories burned. Increase frequency and distance of walks as they become easier. The walks will help you lose weight faster and allow you more food options or quantities. You will also find strange side effects, like sleeping better and thinking clearer.0 -
BeverlyMarsh1986 wrote: »Started a bit over a month ago and lost as much as you would expect in such a time frame. Haven't really exercised, because we have no space for equipment or exercise videos (I love those) right now and it's 100+ degrees outside with 100% humidity. I will exercise eventually, but so far so good.
Check out Pinterest for no equipment workouts. In my challenge group none of the 30 day challenges require equipment and while most of us do have at least a pair of hand weights or something, we wanted to keep it no equipment so that everyone could participate without feeling they had to go out and buy equipment. Same with the walking/step challenge. Just download a free app onto your smart phone and you can track so much without having to buy a thing. And you can do floor exercises inside, where it's air conditioned. Squats, wall sits, push ups, sit ups, crunches, jumping jacks ,lunges, planks, walk or jog in place, even Yoga. There are many places to find free workouts that don't require a lot of space, equipment or going out into the heat and humidity.
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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.
If you prefer to do something that seems productive rather than exercise for its own sake, there are options.
Heavy-duty gardening & landscaping chores are great - I'm talking about digging new planting beds with a shovel, spreading mulch, moving rocks around, etc. Maybe your yard/garden needs a makeover? Or you could eat more healthily with a new (or bigger) vegetable garden?
Carpentry projects aren't too bad, if you work along steadily. Even painting will burn some calories. Snow shoveling is amazing exercise, if you live in the right climate. Cutting, splitting & stacking firewood is excellent. Active hunting, or the more vigorous forms of fishing, if you're so inclined?
If you don't have things around your place to do, how about volunteer work? In a lot of places, Habitat for Humanity is looking for people to help build houses.
If you don't enjoy any of those things, even some less active hobbies will burn a (very) few more calories than just sitting watching TV - knitting, sewing, etc. I wouldn't try to measure/estimate those and eat it back, but it's well known that fidget-y people burn more calories than calm ones, so activities involving minor movement ought to help a tiny bit.1 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »cerise_noir wrote: »etruscansunited wrote: »
But...a calorie is a calorie. a calorie is a unit of energy. Saying a calorie is not a calorie is just like saying an inch is not an inch or a gram is not a gram.
I think it takes a leap of faith to believe that many years of eating a very unhealthy 1,600-calorie diet results in the exact same weight outcome as a very healthy 1,600-calorie diet. We are complex organisms, not a bunsen burners.
The prior poster said it all: "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.
1. This is in regards to those who go over maintenance. Sure, you can't out exercise when you eat 500+ over maintenance. That's why that 'saying' exists. But one can easily lose weight if they are in a calorie deficit even by including chocolate or ice cream in their diet.
Regarding the bolded... have you ever read about the guy who ate nothing but twinkies at a calorie deficit, improved his blood test markers AND lost weight? If not, I highly recommend you read up on it. I'm not saying all I eat is 'junk food'. I like to include so called 'junk food' because I enjoy it...Oh, and my blood test results have improved and I've lost almost 100lbs. So there's that. I used to eat healthy vegetarian and was at my highest weight... So, if the only way to lose weight is to eat healthy food and being in a deficit, did I imagine my weight loss? So, if I eat oeros, I won't lose weight? Funny.... For an experiment, I ate only 'healthy' foods for 3 months but kept my usual 500 calorie deficit. The verdict? I lost 1lb a week, just as I would if I had thrown a few oreos, a few glasses of wine and ice cream in there. La di dah, woop di doo. I weighed all my food and logged it as usual, too. 500 cal deficit. So, to say that eating healthy only but keeping the same deficit will result in better weight loss is absurd indeed.
Many of us here have had successful weight loss by including so called 'junk food'. Why? Because all foods have calories, and in the end calories are king for weight loss. You'll have many who have lost weight and kept it off here tell you the same thing. It's not just me who lost weight and kept it off with purely a calorie deficit. So, do pray tell, how did we all lose weight if we didn't keep our food 100% healthy?
Derp. Weight loss is basic science.
2. Yes, it is. A calorie is a measurement of energy not a type of food. All food has calories and calories do add up. Saying a calorie isn't a calorie is just like saying a meter isn't a meter, or pound isn't a pound. There are many here who include so called 'bad foods' and have been successful with weight loss and fitness goals. Junk food doesn't automatically cause your body to hang onto fat. If you feed your body less energy than it requires to maintain its current weight, there WILL be weight loss.
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But...a calorie is a calorie. a calorie is a unit of energy. Saying a calorie is not a calorie is just like saying an inch is not an inch or a gram is not a gram. [/quote]
You missed the point which I understand due to the brevity of the forum.
I referred to a meme. I do dispute that a calorie is an objectively verifiable unit of measure. That is not the meme. The meme refers to the flaw in analysis of assuming that a calorie of intake has the same effect within the human body regardless of the source of the intake. The research compellinlgy supports the conclusion that the assumption is wrong.
In simple brief and practical terms for this forum, a calorie from a carbohydrate has a different net energy effect for the human body compared with a calorie from fat or a calorie generated after the synthesis of protein.
Of course there are many variables but as a generalisation for the sake of designing personalised nutrition plans you should not ignore the scientific evidence for the different effects of different fuels ingested by or generated by the human body.
In this sense a "calorie in" is not all the same hence the meme (a shothand phrase for a larger, more complex concept).
The more complex concept is acutely relevant for assessing nutrition alternatives for people with epilepsy, some cancers and some other ailments.
To them, life-changing benefits have demonstratively, over many decades, come from the fact that a calorie of fuel from one source has a different effect (and different net energy) from a calorie of fuel from a different source.
Hence many pages of physiological explanation and references to published articles are summed up in the meme "a calorie is not a calorie".
True, the meme can be rejected for being literally wrong but that's not what a meme is.0
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