Is sticking to calories really enough?
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hoops1888
Posts: 93 Member
Hi MFP-ers
I started back on the calorie counting and trying to eat healthy/do some more exercise. My question is, is staying within calories (without exercise) enough to get to goal?
The reason I ask is because I walk about 2 miles a day through going to work and back but don’t have a lot of time to do more walking, although I am majorly working towards this. Will my weight loss be compromised if I don’t actively seek out more exercise such as another small walk after work? I am strictly keeping to calories and logging burned calories through Fitbit (with negative adjustments enabled). I will weigh myself monthly and this is coming on to week 3. Is this okay to lose the weight, for now?
I started back on the calorie counting and trying to eat healthy/do some more exercise. My question is, is staying within calories (without exercise) enough to get to goal?
The reason I ask is because I walk about 2 miles a day through going to work and back but don’t have a lot of time to do more walking, although I am majorly working towards this. Will my weight loss be compromised if I don’t actively seek out more exercise such as another small walk after work? I am strictly keeping to calories and logging burned calories through Fitbit (with negative adjustments enabled). I will weigh myself monthly and this is coming on to week 3. Is this okay to lose the weight, for now?
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Replies
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If it is enough to get to a goal depends on what the goal is. To only loose weight sticking to calories is enough and you do not need any execise at all really, however not exercising and doing some strength training will make more of the weightloss come from muscle than if you do not. The majority will still be from fat so if you are very obese it will not be very visible, but of course, health wise exercise is always the optimal thing.
You will also have som emetabolic adaptations, meaning your body gets used to the calories you are eating and you have to lower them a little bit to keep getting progress. This is partly because the body get more efficient, and partly because having a smaller body takes less energy to keep alive
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It will work. I lost from 225 to 192 before I started exercising other than my lunch time walk to de-stress and from 192 to 165 before I started lifting weights.9
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Yup, what you're doing will work. I bet that as you lose you'll start wanting to be more active just because you're able to. Keep doing what you're doing, good luck. 4
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Calories are for weight loss. Exercise is for health.
And to be able to eat more.
Because some of us don't like the thought of only eating 1400 to 1600 calories a day to maintain. 15 -
It depends on a lot of things. In theory, what you eat is all that matters. In practice, it's much easier to lose weight if you can eat more calories by adding exercise.
Also you might not get the body you're looking for if you don't exercise at all, as you are more likely to lose some muscle too.6 -
Yeah...but it's harder without exercise because exercise allows you to eat a little more while still accomplishing the same thing. Like if I didn't exercise I could only eat around 1800-2000 calories to lose 1 Lb per week....with regular exercise I can lose that same Lb per week eating around 2300-2500 calories. Plus, exercise is really good for you. That said, walking 2 miles per day is exercise...it's light exercise, but it's still exercise.4
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Yeah...but it's harder without exercise because exercise allows you to eat a little more while still accomplishing the same thing. Like if I didn't exercise I could only eat around 1800-2000 calories to lose 1 Lb per week....with regular exercise I can lose that same Lb per week eating around 2300-2500 calories. Plus, exercise is really good for you. That said, walking 2 miles per day is exercise...it's light exercise, but it's still exercise.
It probably adds up 150 calories or something... which is better than nothing.1 -
Like others have said, it depends on the goal.
restricted calorie intake will reduce weight
exercise will make you fitter
the food choices (nutrition) will affect your health
you can live off gummy bears, not exercise and lose/maintain your weight, it doesn't mean that is a good idea for your overall wellbeing 5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Yeah...but it's harder without exercise because exercise allows you to eat a little more while still accomplishing the same thing. Like if I didn't exercise I could only eat around 1800-2000 calories to lose 1 Lb per week....with regular exercise I can lose that same Lb per week eating around 2300-2500 calories. Plus, exercise is really good for you. That said, walking 2 miles per day is exercise...it's light exercise, but it's still exercise.
It probably adds up 150 calories or something... which is better than nothing.
A glass of wine 8 -
Hi MFP-ers
I started back on the calorie counting and trying to eat healthy/do some more exercise. My question is, is staying within calories (without exercise) enough to get to goal?
The reason I ask is because I walk about 2 miles a day through going to work and back but don’t have a lot of time to do more walking, although I am majorly working towards this. Will my weight loss be compromised if I don’t actively seek out more exercise such as another small walk after work? I am strictly keeping to calories and logging burned calories through Fitbit (with negative adjustments enabled). I will weigh myself monthly and this is coming on to week 3. Is this okay to lose the weight, for now?
If your goal is just weight-loss then yes, calories alone will do it. If your goal is overall health and fitness then you should include exercise in my opinion.6 -
Thanks for your responses, this really helps. I just wanted to make sure. Going to aim for more exercise in the future 3
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Exercise helps, but isn't required. Gives you a little more leeway with your calories, and eventually you'll start to like it. I REFUSED to exercise, other than walking the dog, when I started on MFP. In five weeks I'll run a 25k trail race. Start small. Count the calories. Move a little more. Repeat.7
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I lost over 50lbs and the only purposeful exercise I did until that point was walking. One mile at lunch and a mile or so with the dog at night. Else I just was careful about tracking what I ate and stayed at my calorie goal. It's certainly possible - you just have to make sure that you're smart about tracking and logging carefully because you don't have as much wiggle room with food as someone who exercises more.1
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Look at it this way...controlling your caloric intake is about 80% of your weight loss success and exercise is about 20%. So yes, exercise definitely HELPS with weight loss, but only up to a certain point. Controlling your caloric intake has way more effect on your weight than how much you exercise. https://www.vox.com/2018/1/3/16845438/exercise-weight-loss-myth-burn-calories6
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Exercising will help you feel better in general, but diet is where it counts. How often and how much. I've had better luck just eating less often.
As someone who's lost a lot of weight and yo-yo'd twice (not as badly the second time), I think the most important thing is finding a rhythm and being vigilant for times in your life that may throw off your rhythm (change of employment, divorce, kids, etc.)1 -
The first couple of months I started last year I literally couldn't do much exercise..... but stuck to the calorie goal and lost weight.
However now 11 months later, I find the endorphins or just shear enjoyment of being active helps KEEP me to that daily calorie goal.1 -
Hi MFP-ers
I started back on the calorie counting and trying to eat healthy/do some more exercise. My question is, is staying within calories (without exercise) enough to get to goal?
The reason I ask is because I walk about 2 miles a day through going to work and back but don’t have a lot of time to do more walking, although I am majorly working towards this. Will my weight loss be compromised if I don’t actively seek out more exercise such as another small walk after work? I am strictly keeping to calories and logging burned calories through Fitbit (with negative adjustments enabled). I will weigh myself monthly and this is coming on to week 3. Is this okay to lose the weight, for now?
I lost 20 lbs doing no cardio...although I do lift, but lifting weights 3 times a week won't burn a significant amount of calories...nonetheless it was all about caloric deficit for me (and works for everyone even though you will always have that one person claiming that it's not the case...that person is wrong).2
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