Anyone else lose easier when they do not exercise but net the same?

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13

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  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have totally seen this! It frustrates me but I keep thinking that part of the reason is because I'm not (hopefully) losing muscle weight as fast since I'm lifting and doing some cardio. When I don't exercise, I drop really fast. It can be totally depressing at times but I keep telling myself that if I keep lifting and eating less then I will eventually lose all that I need to. It's just going to be slower then I want it to be.

    See thats how I feel too. Its like sometimes I just want to go back to only dieting. Same amount of food or very little difference and yet I lose quicker or at all? I stall for so long when I exercise.

    You should not care about just the scale.

    You are still quite overweight. There is a lot about this process you have to learn and one of those things you could wrap your head around is the idea that you're trying to form healthy habits for life.

    Do you realize that there's a National Weight Control Registry of successful maintainers? They all have some things in common, and one of the things they have in common is exercise. They all found exercise to be very important when it came to the maintenance phase of weight loss.

    Furthermore, the closer you get to goal, the harder it is to form a deficit, and exercise can eliminate some of the problems that might arise from logging errors.

    Not only that, exercise is a healthy habit that does your joints, bones, heart, and lungs a world of good.

    And you're willing to put aside all of these benefits for a number on the scale.

    Relax. It's not a race.

    I'm actually a NWCR participant and I don't exercise, I didn't exercise at all during my weight loss phase either. Not saying exercise is bad or anything, it's just not a factor for me and I'm coming up on 4 years of maintenance :)

    OP-when I started this whole thing I was really overwhelmed with a new pre-diabetes diagnosis. I only focused on my calorie/food intake and I kept things really simple. It's worked well for me, but others enjoy exercise and factor it into their plans. Just figure out what works for you and then do that.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    Nope. Rate of loss is the same either way when net intake is the same. It is the first several weeks where water weight is retained that is appears to be slower, but isn't actually any slower. The body is tricky. If you understand what it's doing, I don't see what the concern is.
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
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    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    I noticed my weight loss slowed right down right around the time i got my Fitbit and I started doing purposeful exercise for the first time in years (Walking).

    It could have been because I'd already lost the bulk of my weight around that time, so it would have slowed down anyway, or my appetite increased along with the exercise. Probably a bit of both I'd say.

    Also could have been from water/glycogen retention, which is very common when starting an exercise program that your body isn't accustomed to. And sometimes takes several weeks to go away.

    It's been nearly 2 years since i got my fitbit, so i think the new exercise water weight is well and truly gone :smiley:
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have totally seen this! It frustrates me but I keep thinking that part of the reason is because I'm not (hopefully) losing muscle weight as fast since I'm lifting and doing some cardio. When I don't exercise, I drop really fast. It can be totally depressing at times but I keep telling myself that if I keep lifting and eating less then I will eventually lose all that I need to. It's just going to be slower then I want it to be.

    See thats how I feel too. Its like sometimes I just want to go back to only dieting. Same amount of food or very little difference and yet I lose quicker or at all? I stall for so long when I exercise.

    You should not care about just the scale.

    You are still quite overweight. There is a lot about this process you have to learn and one of those things you could wrap your head around is the idea that you're trying to form healthy habits for life.

    Do you realize that there's a National Weight Control Registry of successful maintainers? They all have some things in common, and one of the things they have in common is exercise. They all found exercise to be very important when it came to the maintenance phase of weight loss.

    Furthermore, the closer you get to goal, the harder it is to form a deficit, and exercise can eliminate some of the problems that might arise from logging errors.

    Not only that, exercise is a healthy habit that does your joints, bones, heart, and lungs a world of good.

    And you're willing to put aside all of these benefits for a number on the scale.

    Relax. It's not a race.

    I'm actually a NWCR participant and I don't exercise, I didn't exercise at all during my weight loss phase either. Not saying exercise is bad or anything, it's just not a factor for me and I'm coming up on 4 years of maintenance :)

    OP-when I started this whole thing I was really overwhelmed with a new pre-diabetes diagnosis. I only focused on my calorie/food intake and I kept things really simple. It's worked well for me, but others enjoy exercise and factor it into their plans. Just figure out what works for you and then do that.

    Thank you for the openness :) I like when people don't insist one way is right. Everyone is different. I love exercise in certain forms, but too much of it is possible for me right now and I think I need to slow it down
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    AspenDan wrote: »
    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.

    What do you mean subconsciously move less? How can you do that? I focus really hard when I exercise because it's a game (I use zumba core for kinect) and I try hard to get more stars and a higher score lol
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    Nope. Rate of loss is the same either way when net intake is the same. It is the first several weeks where water weight is retained that is appears to be slower, but isn't actually any slower. The body is tricky. If you understand what it's doing, I don't see what the concern is.

    Well thats what I mean. "appears slower" is slower technically because youre holding water. The concern is more because I have a deadline lol
  • ashcky
    ashcky Posts: 393 Member
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    Verity1111 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have totally seen this! It frustrates me but I keep thinking that part of the reason is because I'm not (hopefully) losing muscle weight as fast since I'm lifting and doing some cardio. When I don't exercise, I drop really fast. It can be totally depressing at times but I keep telling myself that if I keep lifting and eating less then I will eventually lose all that I need to. It's just going to be slower then I want it to be.

    See thats how I feel too. Its like sometimes I just want to go back to only dieting. Same amount of food or very little difference and yet I lose quicker or at all? I stall for so long when I exercise.

    You should not care about just the scale.

    You are still quite overweight. There is a lot about this process you have to learn and one of those things you could wrap your head around is the idea that you're trying to form healthy habits for life.

    Do you realize that there's a National Weight Control Registry of successful maintainers? They all have some things in common, and one of the things they have in common is exercise. They all found exercise to be very important when it came to the maintenance phase of weight loss.

    Furthermore, the closer you get to goal, the harder it is to form a deficit, and exercise can eliminate some of the problems that might arise from logging errors.

    Not only that, exercise is a healthy habit that does your joints, bones, heart, and lungs a world of good.

    And you're willing to put aside all of these benefits for a number on the scale.

    Relax. It's not a race.

    Again I care more about measurements but Im a contest right now so its irritating. That said I also just wanted to know if other people get as affected by it as I do. I feel so bloated too. A mix of sodium intake and the exercise regimen I think. Wish I could figure out what foods or drink might help. Trying higher fiber and stuff but idk what else. Its hard to keep sodium low too because I need to go shopping. Canned vegetables are not as good as fresh. Anyway my joints are in bad pain. I probably need a day off anyway.

    Are you drinking 8 cups or so of water daily, spread through the day? There are lots of opinions about how much water (or equivalent liquid) is necessary, but certainly if your sodium consumption is higher, drinking enough water (don't need to go crazy with it) is one thing that helps some flush out the water weight (I know that sounds odd - drink water to reduce water weight, but it's true. You maybe can kind of think of it as diluting the effect of the sodium).

    Also, with the understanding that you are trying hard temporarily to lose the maximum in order to win a contest that will help you give your kids a better Christmas - you might not want to greatly increase your fiber intake right before a weigh-in, since the weight of food in your system and water in your system is a contributor to scale weight. Do get enough fiber to keep things moving, though!

    But I'd feel like I was being irresponsible if I didn't say this, too: I think it is risky behavior to do less healthful things in order to win a contest, and it's not something I'd encourage or recommend. I understand that you are doing it for selfless reasons, but it might also be good to consider the effect of your health (good or bad) on your family via mood, susceptibility to illness, fatigue, etc., and the effect on your children of seeing you model less-than-ideally-healthful things.

    Best wishes to you, and your family!

    Thank you! & I drink lots and lots of water! I love water. I drank about 3 cases in the last 2 weeks but I would drink more if it wasnt expensive. Our tap water is kind of gross lol Maybe I have been restricting my water the last week since Im low and should pick up another case. Drinking extra for a couple days might help. Ill try to add more fiber too. Thank you. :)

    A filter for your tap will help save money. You can also buy a pitcher that filters water.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,735 Member
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    Verity1111 wrote: »
    AspenDan wrote: »
    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.

    What do you mean subconsciously move less? How can you do that? I focus really hard when I exercise because it's a game (I use zumba core for kinect) and I try hard to get more stars and a higher score lol

    Move less outside of exercise, not during exercise. (I've read some research along those lines, too. I could critique it in some respects, but that's outside the scope of this thread.)

    The idea is that your body sort of compensates for the exercise by doing less at other times: Maybe by less fidgeting, making something that's easier to fix for dinner, parking closer to the store at the mall, etc., etc. These kinds of things can add up surprisingly. Other studies have found that especially fidgety people burn up to a 300 calories a day compared with another person the same age/size, just by fidgeting!
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    ashcky wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have totally seen this! It frustrates me but I keep thinking that part of the reason is because I'm not (hopefully) losing muscle weight as fast since I'm lifting and doing some cardio. When I don't exercise, I drop really fast. It can be totally depressing at times but I keep telling myself that if I keep lifting and eating less then I will eventually lose all that I need to. It's just going to be slower then I want it to be.

    See thats how I feel too. Its like sometimes I just want to go back to only dieting. Same amount of food or very little difference and yet I lose quicker or at all? I stall for so long when I exercise.

    You should not care about just the scale.

    You are still quite overweight. There is a lot about this process you have to learn and one of those things you could wrap your head around is the idea that you're trying to form healthy habits for life.

    Do you realize that there's a National Weight Control Registry of successful maintainers? They all have some things in common, and one of the things they have in common is exercise. They all found exercise to be very important when it came to the maintenance phase of weight loss.

    Furthermore, the closer you get to goal, the harder it is to form a deficit, and exercise can eliminate some of the problems that might arise from logging errors.

    Not only that, exercise is a healthy habit that does your joints, bones, heart, and lungs a world of good.

    And you're willing to put aside all of these benefits for a number on the scale.

    Relax. It's not a race.

    Again I care more about measurements but Im a contest right now so its irritating. That said I also just wanted to know if other people get as affected by it as I do. I feel so bloated too. A mix of sodium intake and the exercise regimen I think. Wish I could figure out what foods or drink might help. Trying higher fiber and stuff but idk what else. Its hard to keep sodium low too because I need to go shopping. Canned vegetables are not as good as fresh. Anyway my joints are in bad pain. I probably need a day off anyway.

    Are you drinking 8 cups or so of water daily, spread through the day? There are lots of opinions about how much water (or equivalent liquid) is necessary, but certainly if your sodium consumption is higher, drinking enough water (don't need to go crazy with it) is one thing that helps some flush out the water weight (I know that sounds odd - drink water to reduce water weight, but it's true. You maybe can kind of think of it as diluting the effect of the sodium).

    Also, with the understanding that you are trying hard temporarily to lose the maximum in order to win a contest that will help you give your kids a better Christmas - you might not want to greatly increase your fiber intake right before a weigh-in, since the weight of food in your system and water in your system is a contributor to scale weight. Do get enough fiber to keep things moving, though!

    But I'd feel like I was being irresponsible if I didn't say this, too: I think it is risky behavior to do less healthful things in order to win a contest, and it's not something I'd encourage or recommend. I understand that you are doing it for selfless reasons, but it might also be good to consider the effect of your health (good or bad) on your family via mood, susceptibility to illness, fatigue, etc., and the effect on your children of seeing you model less-than-ideally-healthful things.

    Best wishes to you, and your family!

    Thank you! & I drink lots and lots of water! I love water. I drank about 3 cases in the last 2 weeks but I would drink more if it wasnt expensive. Our tap water is kind of gross lol Maybe I have been restricting my water the last week since Im low and should pick up another case. Drinking extra for a couple days might help. Ill try to add more fiber too. Thank you. :)

    A filter for your tap will help save money. You can also buy a pitcher that filters water.

    I guess so. Ive never considered it. Our apartment is kind of ghetto though and our faucet is awful lol but it might work. Ill look some up.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    AspenDan wrote: »
    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.

    What do you mean subconsciously move less? How can you do that? I focus really hard when I exercise because it's a game (I use zumba core for kinect) and I try hard to get more stars and a higher score lol

    Move less outside of exercise, not during exercise. (I've read some research along those lines, too. I could critique it in some respects, but that's outside the scope of this thread.)

    The idea is that your body sort of compensates for the exercise by doing less at other times: Maybe by less fidgeting, making something that's easier to fix for dinner, parking closer to the store at the mall, etc., etc. These kinds of things can add up surprisingly. Other studies have found that especially fidgety people burn up to a 300 calories a day compared with another person the same age/size, just by fidgeting!

    OHHH I see. Weird. I actually seem to have more energy clean more and do more when I exercise. I fidget constantly too. Always shake my leg. it drives my boyfriend crazy. Lol. Sadly exercise hasnt helped with that lol
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    AspenDan wrote: »
    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.

    What do you mean subconsciously move less? How can you do that? I focus really hard when I exercise because it's a game (I use zumba core for kinect) and I try hard to get more stars and a higher score lol

    Move less outside of exercise, not during exercise. (I've read some research along those lines, too. I could critique it in some respects, but that's outside the scope of this thread.)

    The idea is that your body sort of compensates for the exercise by doing less at other times: Maybe by less fidgeting, making something that's easier to fix for dinner, parking closer to the store at the mall, etc., etc. These kinds of things can add up surprisingly. Other studies have found that especially fidgety people burn up to a 300 calories a day compared with another person the same age/size, just by fidgeting!

    And to add, some feel that they have exercised and don't need to do anything more for the rest of the day.

    I am pretty much sedentary apart from exercise. I cant get lazier than I already am lol
  • LithePrincess
    LithePrincess Posts: 4 Member
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    An important thing to remember is that muscle weighs more than fat. With exercise, you build muscles. So there's a good chance you are still burning just as much fat but also building muscle so gaining that weight so it doesn't seem like losing as much. Also if you are figuring calories subtracting what you burn, you may be misfiguring how much you are actually burning. I try to keep my overall calories under 1500 but total after exercise around 1200 or so. That way, if I'm figuring wrong, I still have cushion room to be low enough I'm still losing weight.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,735 Member
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    An important thing to remember is that muscle weighs more than fat. With exercise, you build muscles. So there's a good chance you are still burning just as much fat but also building muscle so gaining that weight so it doesn't seem like losing as much. Also if you are figuring calories subtracting what you burn, you may be misfiguring how much you are actually burning. I try to keep my overall calories under 1500 but total after exercise around 1200 or so. That way, if I'm figuring wrong, I still have cushion room to be low enough I'm still losing weight.

    Well . . . as a generality, a woman has to work really hard at a progressive resistance exercise program (like weight lifting), eat at maintenance, and get her nutrition (especially protein) on point in order to gain even a quarter of a pound of muscle per week. Otherwise, it's going to be less than that. When eating in a deficit, maintaining muscle is a more realistic goal if one works diligently at it (although one can potentially increase strength in a deficit.)

    So she's probably not gaining muscle under her current circumstances, which seem to involve a significant deficit, some nutritional compromises, and variable exercise.

    But, yes, a given volume of muscle does weigh more than the same volume of fat (muscle is more dense) - that's why muscular people tend to look trimmer than squishy people of the same weight. Or, to put it differently, a pound of muscle is smaller than an pound of fat.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
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    Verity1111 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have totally seen this! It frustrates me but I keep thinking that part of the reason is because I'm not (hopefully) losing muscle weight as fast since I'm lifting and doing some cardio. When I don't exercise, I drop really fast. It can be totally depressing at times but I keep telling myself that if I keep lifting and eating less then I will eventually lose all that I need to. It's just going to be slower then I want it to be.

    See thats how I feel too. Its like sometimes I just want to go back to only dieting. Same amount of food or very little difference and yet I lose quicker or at all? I stall for so long when I exercise.

    There are many things that are more important than just the scale...

    Not right now Im in a weight loss contest lol afterward yes I care more about measurements than weight

    That's not what I was talking about....

    Regular exercise is essential to overall wellness and good health...weight is only one tiny aspect of health...

    Im shallow. Im here for health but Im also here for how I look. I have no shame in that. Also I read something about dieter's edema that seems pretty legitimate...going to read more about that.

    Exercise will also have a significant impact on how you look in the end...there's an element of vanity for myself as well...exercise definitely results in me having a better body than no exercise.

    If you're shallow and vain I'm actually shocked that you're not working out...

    I will be after the contest. Working out strength training makes me gain temporarily so not the best for a biggest loser contest (only lasts a few weeks) plus I have a long long way to go for my goal weight of 127 so I might stick to cardio and then add in strength training later. I usually go to the gym a few times a week but right now Im just doing Zumba. Easier with kids since I dont need a sitter.

    If it's causing joint pains maybe find something with less impact.
    From day one of losing weight I always exercised so know no different. Weight loss only stalled for me if I stopped logging or got careless with logging.

    P.s if it's only 10 days left I don't see why 10 days of not exercising will harm, win the money for your kids.
    But pick up the exercise when contest is over, exercise has so many benefits
    Good luck
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    I have totally seen this! It frustrates me but I keep thinking that part of the reason is because I'm not (hopefully) losing muscle weight as fast since I'm lifting and doing some cardio. When I don't exercise, I drop really fast. It can be totally depressing at times but I keep telling myself that if I keep lifting and eating less then I will eventually lose all that I need to. It's just going to be slower then I want it to be.

    Actually, that's probably true, isn't it? A pound of muscle represents fewer calories than a pound of fat, so if you're not exercising and your body is cheerfully burning up your muscles, the weight will go down faster. But not in a good way! Ugh.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    AspenDan wrote: »
    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.

    That's a bit of an oversimplification of the study that you're quoting.

  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    Verity1111 wrote: »
    AspenDan wrote: »
    A lot of people subconsciously move and burn less when they work out. Lot of studies have looked into this.

    What do you mean subconsciously move less? How can you do that? I focus really hard when I exercise because it's a game (I use zumba core for kinect) and I try hard to get more stars and a higher score lol

    There was a study done wherein the people who exercised very vigorously had low NEAT (non-exercise activity) otherwise. This is something you can counteract if you're aware of it.

    I know I do.