Eating right but not working out ?

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mariaeli93
mariaeli93 Posts: 42 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, ive started a job a 2 months ago that requires me to run around and be on my feet lifting and pulling everyday for 9 hours per day. It says on my fitbit that im walking around 12-15km per day steps-wise and definitely burning a lot of calories (enough to allow me a nice calloric deficit) My commute time is long and by the time I get home I have to meal prep or do homework/study and then I pass out.
Now, what im wondering is if its possible to lose weight just by having an active job and eating right (calories and macros, of which im doing a low carb high fat regiment currently) and not at all going to the gym. Im not super overweight I only have about 8 kilos to drop.
Im wondering this because since I started the job and stopped going to the gym ive gained a bit of weight but it was also because I slacked on my macros but im back on it and life is good.
Input?
Thanks! Any details I should add for better advice feel free to ask.

Replies

  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    your body doesnt magically know if your at a gym lol. Active job and walking and calorie counting is how i lost 105 pounds in a year. All you need is the deficit
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    Yes, absolutely. Fitness if good for you though! But you can just eat at a deficit and lose weight. You don't even have to do low carb or high fat. You'll want to weigh all of your food using a food scale.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    No gym necessary, just calorie deficit.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    This^^^
    Set your activity level to active/very active ( adjust using personal data). Weigh and log your food and drink and you should lose.
    A goal of .5lbs a week would be good with only 8 kg to lose.

    Cheers, h.
  • mariaeli93
    mariaeli93 Posts: 42 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Of course, I know this well and its completely logical and all but if I simply eat at a deficit without watching my macros I blow up again. So I have to be super careful :/ I went 5 months just simply being at a deficit and I gained 5 kilos so im enslaved to macros..
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    mariaeli93 wrote: »
    ]

    Of course, I know this well but and its logical and all but if I simply eat at a deficit without watching my macros I blow up again. So I have to be super careful :/ I went 5 months just simply being at a deficit and I gained 5 kilos so im enslaved to macros

    Food scale. Buy one. Use it.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    mariaeli93 wrote: »
    ]

    Of course, I know this well but and its logical and all but if I simply eat at a deficit without watching my macros I blow up again. So I have to be super careful :/ I went 5 months just simply being at a deficit and I gained 5 kilos so im enslaved to macros

    You weren't in a deficit then. How do you measure your calorie intake?
  • mariaeli93
    mariaeli93 Posts: 42 Member
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    To everyone saying I should use a scale, I own 3. I meal prep using my scales everyday (or every other day if I make big portions) I measure everything I eat and drink, geez ive lost a total of 25kilos doing this, but I just keep jo-joing with the last 10kilos
  • mariaeli93
    mariaeli93 Posts: 42 Member
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    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    mariaeli93 wrote: »
    To everyone saying I should use a scale, I own 3. I meal prep using my scales everyday (or every other day if I make big portions) I measure everything I eat and drink, geez ive lost a total of 25kilos doing this, but I just keep jo-joing with the last 10kilos

    you said in a previous post you gained 5 kilos eating at a deficit - that is not possible - so something was off in your measurements - do you weigh everything you eat??

    Yep, I even have a scale at work
  • MommaGem2017
    MommaGem2017 Posts: 405 Member
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    Improper macros are NOT going to make you gain weight if you are truly eating at a deficit.

    But to answer your original question - No, you do not need to exercise to lose weight. I walk about 10k steps a day and ensure I am eating at a deficit and I lose about 1.5 lbs a week. No other intentional exercise, because I just don't have the time.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,217 Member
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    I would advise to not take your fitbit calories as gospel. I had been eating back all my workout calories recorded by my Polar H7 heart rate monitor and not seeing much fat loss to show for it. Last week I switched to a TDEE spreadsheet vs. the recorded calorie burn and have been happy with the change. I stumbled upon the sheet via Reddit and have lost over 1.5lbs since, which is huge for me where I am under 14% body fat. Be diligent logging and weighing daily and it averages out what your TDEE is and your recommended calorie level for your desired weight loss rate.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started
  • mariaeli93
    mariaeli93 Posts: 42 Member
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    steveko89 wrote: »
    I would advise to not take your fitbit calories as gospel. I had been eating back all my workout calories recorded by my Polar H7 heart rate monitor and not seeing much fat loss to show for it. Last week I switched to a TDEE spreadsheet vs. the recorded calorie burn and have been happy with the change. I stumbled upon the sheet via Reddit and have lost over 1.5lbs since, which is huge for me where I am under 14% body fat. Be diligent logging and weighing daily and it averages out what your TDEE is and your recommended calorie level for your desired weight loss rate.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started

  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
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    have you readjusted your calories since losing weight? the less you weigh, the less you need, meaning if you don't reassess after every 5 kilos or so you're going to end up wiping out your deficit just by eating the same as you did to lose in the beginning.
  • Bradley_J84
    Bradley_J84 Posts: 110 Member
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    I have an active job where I'm on my feet all day. I'm down 84 lbs in 6 months. Not a day in the gym
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    You lose weight by eating less than you burn. Think of exercise as being more for health and fitness, but unnecessary for weight loss.

    This.

    Op I lost 50lbs with no exercise factored in at all.
  • RockinLowCarbs
    RockinLowCarbs Posts: 10 Member
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    It definitely works the opposite way. Once i stopped bartending where i was constantly moving for an office job i put on 5kg in a month! All those km u do on the job def count.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,515 Member
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    Careful with fitbit calories, especially if your heartrate does go up significantly when walking around. It might give you much more calories than you really need to lose. I know my workout/just walking around calories on my fitbit are grossly inflated, and I would gain weight at a very fast pace.

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