Losing weight by diet change only.
nisie3
Posts: 99 Member
Has anyone here had any success with losing weight only changing your diet and not exercising?
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Replies
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Down 41lbs so far with diet only.10
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If by "changing your diet" you mean eating fewer calories and making sure you're in a calorie deficit, then yes, many people have done that. You don't have to exercise to create a calorie deficit; you only need to eat fewer calories than your body burns. However, simply making dietary changes without being in a calorie deficit will not cause weight loss.6
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-42 pounds, all done by sticking to my calorie allotment and no additional exercise other than what I was doing previously.6
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When I started my weight loss journey I lost the first thirty pounds with diet alone. I started to exercise because I wanted to improve my fitness - not to alter weight loss.8
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I'm down 20+ pounds by changing the way I eat. If anything, I've been less actively lately, what with the frigid weather and all.
Do wanna emphasize I've changed the way I eat, not what I eat. I still eat three square meals plus snacks, I enjoy chocolates and sweet treats, I have weekends out with my girlfriends where we pound burgers (veggie, in my case!), beers, and fries - I'm just cognizant of the number of calories I'm taking in. If I'm not indulging my cravings, I'm more prone to over-indulging them - it becomes a balancing act!11 -
Down 37 pounds with very little exercise, if you count walking the mall for 30 min during lunch. I don't even change out of my boots. If not, then no exercise, haha.6
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Has anyone here had any success with losing weight only changing your diet and not exercising?
Yes. 70lbs so far. But, see the quote below - I changed my diet by eating less calories, not radically changing the type of food I eat. I do try to choose slightly "healthier" things for some meals these days, but I by no means eat what a lot of people might call a "healthy diet"!If by "changing your diet" you mean eating fewer calories and making sure you're in a calorie deficit, then yes, many people have done that. You don't have to exercise to create a calorie deficit; you only need to eat fewer calories than your body burns. However, simply making dietary changes without being in a calorie deficit will not cause weight loss.
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Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. It seems like everyone is telling me I have to go to the gym daily for weight loss and I thought it was more about having a caloric deficit. Thanks again!7
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Losing weight is all about how much you eat. But you want to eat more than exercise haha. I work out 6 days a week so I can have extra bites of dessert.5
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Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. It seems like everyone is telling me I have to go to the gym daily for weight loss and I thought it was more about having a caloric deficit. Thanks again!
You can achieve a caloric deficit in one of 3 ways:- Eat less
- Move more
- Both
While I personally find I'm happier when I do both, you can definitely lose weight by calorie reduction alone.1 -
What happens when you start eating more calories? Are you staying at a caloric reduction for the rest of your days?
I find it laughable that people who say they have lost weight only through dieting are doing great. Studies prove that simply reducing your intake will eventually result in gaining it all back within 2 years once the dieting has ended, usually when a "goal weight" is achieved. People just stop "dieting" at some point. This is one of the biggest reasons why these diet businesses (WW, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig etc.) make so much money (yo-yo dieters).. WW had $1.25 Billion in assets in 2017.
Sustained weight loss requires both healthy diet and exercise and should be a form of lifestyle change. It is proven to be the most effective way of maintaining a weight loss.26 -
What happens when you start eating more calories? Are you staying at a caloric reduction for the rest of your days?
I find it laughable that people who say they have lost weight only through dieting are doing great. Studies prove that simply reducing your intake will eventually result in gaining it all back within 2 years once the dieting has ended, usually when a "goal weight" is achieved. People just stop "dieting" at some point. This is one of the biggest reasons why these diet businesses (WW, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig etc.) make so much money (yo-yo dieters).. WW had $1.25 Billion in assets in 2017.
Sustained weight loss requires both healthy diet and exercise and should be a form of lifestyle change. It is proven to be the most effective way of maintaining a weight loss.
I'm almost 6 years into successfully maintaining a 50ish pound loss and better health markers (no longer a pre-diabetic etc), and exercise has never been a factor in my weight management plan. I lost the weight with no exercise at all and in maintenance I still don't do intentional exercise, besides some walking when the weather is nice (and my walks burn less than 100 calories usually).
What's sustainable is going to be different for each person and is highly individual.13 -
I just had my annual physical and my doctor said when it comes to weight loss it's 80% food restriction and 20% exercise.9
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lauragreenbaum wrote: »I just had my annual physical and my doctor said when it comes to weight loss it's 80% food restriction and 20% exercise.
For me it was 100% food intake/creating the correct calorie deficit by adjusting how much I was eating. You can approach weight loss a few different ways, but at the end of the day it comes down to CICO.3 -
Of course it is possible - but that doesn't mean it's good.
If you try and lose weight only by reducing food intake, (aka starvation) your body will fight you every step of the way. You will find yourself moving less, maybe having an afternoon nap, you'll feel colder, you'll lose muscle mass and you'll definitely get very, very hungry.
If you maintain the same calorie deficit by eating more but expending more calories, you help stop your body from losing muscle and generally slowing you down - as an added bonus, you'll improve muscle tone which will actually make you look thinner. Furthermore, because you can eat more, you keep your stomach a bit busier and feel less hungry - it's much healthier and more sustainable in the long term.
Exercise does not necessarily mean going to the gym. It is any activity that gets you moving about. Find something you like doing - be it walking, rock climbing, ballroom dancing, formation pogosticking or extreme ironing. It really doesn't matter as long as it gets you off the couch.25 -
hypocacculus wrote: »Of course it is possible - but that doesn't mean it's good.
If you try and lose weight only by reducing food intake, (aka starvation) your body will fight you every step of the way. You will find yourself moving less, maybe having an afternoon nap, you'll feel colder, you'll lose muscle mass and you'll definitely get very, very hungry.
If you maintain the same calorie deficit by eating more but expending more calories, you help stop your body from losing muscle and generally slowing you down - as an added bonus, you'll improve muscle tone which will actually make you look thinner. Furthermore, because you can eat more, you keep your stomach a bit busier and feel less hungry - it's much healthier and more sustainable in the long term.
Exercise does not necessarily mean going to the gym. It is any activity that gets you moving about. Find something you like doing - be it walking, rock climbing, ballroom dancing, formation pogosticking or extreme ironing. It really doesn't matter as long as it gets you off the couch.
Nope, not my experience at all.
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Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. It seems like everyone is telling me I have to go to the gym daily for weight loss and I thought it was more about having a caloric deficit. Thanks again!
Weight loss and exercise are related, but not usually in the way most people think. I believe you control weight with a fork not with exercise. You can't outrun a bad diet - that's just truth. I have a cycling friend that rides ridiculous mileage and is probably 30 pounds overweight. My personal doctor competes in full Ironman events and will tell you he needs to drop 20 pounds. I run and cycle a lot. I use the Happy Scale app to monitor weight trends. When the scale moves up too far I alter the trend by eating less - not by exercising more. If the scale is dropping more than I want (I'm in maintenance) I eat more - not exercise less.
I exercise because as I lost weight I enjoyed being ABLE to exercise. Exercise decreases my stress - and I'm a stress eater, so it kept me from eating. If someone is telling you that you MUST go to the gym daily to lose weight stop listening to them. Are we recommending exercise to you? Certainly. You will preserve muscle mass, feel better, and probably like the changes in the mirror. Is it a perk that you can eat back exercise calories? Sure - but exercise makes some people feel more hungry.
Learn to control your food intake and you'll lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit.8 -
What happens when you start eating more calories? Are you staying at a caloric reduction for the rest of your days?
I find it laughable that people who say they have lost weight only through dieting are doing great. Studies prove that simply reducing your intake will eventually result in gaining it all back within 2 years once the dieting has ended, usually when a "goal weight" is achieved. People just stop "dieting" at some point. This is one of the biggest reasons why these diet businesses (WW, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig etc.) make so much money (yo-yo dieters).. WW had $1.25 Billion in assets in 2017.
Sustained weight loss requires both healthy diet and exercise and should be a form of lifestyle change. It is proven to be the most effective way of maintaining a weight loss.
Because many people go "on a diet", seeing it as a temporary thing, then go back to eating the same way they used to once they reach their goal (or get bored of "dieting", whichever comes first).
Weight loss programs make money because they don't teach their followers how to maintain their losses. So they gain it back and guess what? Sign up for the program again (or a different one) so that they can spend more money just to do the same thing all over again.
You are right in that successfully-maintained weight loss requires a lifestyle change. That change does NOT have to be killing yourself at the gym or running marathons. The sustained "caloric reduction for the rest of your days" comes from the fact that a smaller body needs less calories to function. So yes, unless you greatly increase your exercise, you WILL need less calories for the rest of your life.
Of course exercise is healthy and great for your body - nobody here claimed otherwise. The OP asked if anyone had had success without exercise, and yes, we have.
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What happens when you start eating more calories? Are you staying at a caloric reduction for the rest of your days?
I find it laughable that people who say they have lost weight only through dieting are doing great. Studies prove that simply reducing your intake will eventually result in gaining it all back within 2 years once the dieting has ended, usually when a "goal weight" is achieved. People just stop "dieting" at some point. This is one of the biggest reasons why these diet businesses (WW, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig etc.) make so much money (yo-yo dieters).. WW had $1.25 Billion in assets in 2017.
Sustained weight loss requires both healthy diet and exercise and should be a form of lifestyle change. It is proven to be the most effective way of maintaining a weight loss.
Most people don't maintain weight loss regardless of how they lost weight or whether or not they were exercising. It is possible to lose weight and to maintain weight without exercise. If someone eats more but only up to maintenance then they will maintain weight.
There are tons of people who go on a diet and start exercising and then get to goal and go back to the way things used to be and stop exercising and go back to old eating habits...that's why very few people keep the weight off and yo-yo.
I am personally a big believer in regular exercise and I do it namely for health and my overall well-being and because it allows me some wiggle room for things like beer and pizza. I have maintained going on 6 years and have had stints of up to 3 months where I haven't been able to exercise due to injury and I still managed to maintain my weight.9 -
What happens when you start eating more calories? Are you staying at a caloric reduction for the rest of your days?
I find it laughable that people who say they have lost weight only through dieting are doing great. Studies prove that simply reducing your intake will eventually result in gaining it all back within 2 years once the dieting has ended, usually when a "goal weight" is achieved. People just stop "dieting" at some point. This is one of the biggest reasons why these diet businesses (WW, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig etc.) make so much money (yo-yo dieters).. WW had $1.25 Billion in assets in 2017.
Sustained weight loss requires both healthy diet and exercise and should be a form of lifestyle change. It is proven to be the most effective way of maintaining a weight loss.
So if someone couldn't exercise, you would tell them to give up, that weight loss is impossible for them?10 -
I have (finally) and successfully lost 50lbs and now within a healthy weight range (If at the upper end).
For various health reasons and I'm in a wheelchair I haven't been able to exercise. Although I do what I can to increase calorie burn and maintain my current level of fitness. As I don't want to deteriorate any further.
My weight loss was through diet alone. As I found MFP and learnt a lot along the way. I lost weight and have successfully maintained my new weight. As I now have my personal data, have learnt how many calories I need, as a daily average, to maintain.
It is possible, as I haven't returned to former eating habits.
I'm choose to continue tracking to stay as healthy as I can. Knowing my limits, doesn't mean I'm "dieting", but it does continue to work.6 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
So if someone couldn't exercise, you would tell them to give up, that weight loss is impossible for them?
Nope, but then there are very few people in the world who cannot exercise at some level. Even the morbidly obese can exercise (see "my 600lb life" TV show).
My point was this: if you truly want to lose weight and keep it off you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle which includes eating nutritious foods and getting regular exercise.
There are some people, who are the vast minority who can successfully lose weight and keep it off through an overhaul in diet but typically the average person simply can't maintain a loss that way.8 -
hypocacculus wrote: »Of course it is possible - but that doesn't mean it's good.
If you try and lose weight only by reducing food intake, (aka starvation) your body will fight you every step of the way. You will find yourself moving less, maybe having an afternoon nap, you'll feel colder, you'll lose muscle mass and you'll definitely get very, very hungry. .
Who says "less calories" equates to starvation? On my dietitian's advice, I eat 1600 calories a day and I'm neither starving nor hungry. I eat quite well - and I've taken off 59 lbs since July 1. I go to physical therapy twice a week. That is currently my only exercise, because of injuries.
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janejellyroll wrote: »
So if someone couldn't exercise, you would tell them to give up, that weight loss is impossible for them?
Nope, but then there are very few people in the world who cannot exercise at some level. Even the morbidly obese can exercise (see "my 600lb life" TV show).
My point was this: if you truly want to lose weight and keep it off you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle which includes eating nutritious foods and getting regular exercise.
There are some people, who are the vast minority who can successfully lose weight and keep it off through an overhaul in diet but typically the average person simply can't maintain a loss that way.
The reality is the majority will fail at long term weight loss adherence, regardless of what they do. The success rate is absolutely dismal, even among those who incorporate exercise or do a 'lifestyle change.'
There's no one way of maintaining that's been proven to be any more successful than another. For the Vast Majority- all methods end in failure within a two year period.
The NWCR, which I'm a part of, is tracking trends from a pool of long term maintainers and there's some commonalities with some of the participants, but there's no clear list of 'do these steps to be successful for 40+ years'. There's no consensus on why a few people can successfully maintain long term, when most everyone else fails (many times over and over again).
I'm one of the statistical freaks of nature who is successfully maintaining. My weight management plan is highly individualized, I've figured out what works for me and that's the first step in this whole process. Everyone of us is different and everyone needs to approach maintenance differently. Having someone say that everyone must do certain things in order to be successful shows a lack of understanding, and most likely isn't very far into the process.
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Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. It seems like everyone is telling me I have to go to the gym daily for weight loss and I thought it was more about having a caloric deficit. Thanks again!
While one does not have to go to a gym for weight loss, anyone who can do cardiovascular exercise and strength training, should, for the health benefits they provide.
I hate gym cardio and get it outdoors. I'm going to go snowshoeing today for the first time this winter - woo hoo!
My friend's sedentary mothers are all deceased. My mom is still going strong and went hiking in the White Mountains for her 80th and 81st birthday. Many people end up in a nursing home because they are no longer able to go to the bathroom unassisted. During gardening season, Mom is in and out of squats all day long. Squats are also part of the exercises RBG's trainer recommends to keep her from losing independence.
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/pop-culture/why-ruth-bader-ginsburg-workout-inspiration-we-all-need-ncna9085911 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
So if someone couldn't exercise, you would tell them to give up, that weight loss is impossible for them?
Nope, but then there are very few people in the world who cannot exercise at some level. Even the morbidly obese can exercise (see "my 600lb life" TV show).
My point was this: if you truly want to lose weight and keep it off you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle which includes eating nutritious foods and getting regular exercise.
There are some people, who are the vast minority who can successfully lose weight and keep it off through an overhaul in diet but typically the average person simply can't maintain a loss that way.
The reality is the majority will fail at long term weight loss adherence, regardless of what they do. The success rate is absolutely dismal, even among those who incorporate exercise or do a 'lifestyle change.'
There's no one way of maintaining that's been proven to be any more successful than another. For the Vast Majority- all methods end in failure within a two year period.
The NWCR, which I'm a part of, is tracking trends from a pool of long term maintainers and there's some commonalities with some of the participants, but there's no clear list of 'do these steps to be successful for 40+ years'. There's no consensus on why a few people can successfully maintain long term, when most everyone else fails (many times over and over again).
I'm one of the statistical freaks of nature who is successfully maintaining. My weight management plan is highly individualized, I've figured out what works for me and that's the first step in this whole process. Everyone of us is different and everyone needs to approach maintenance differently. Having someone say that everyone must do certain things in order to be successful shows a lack of understanding, and most likely isn't very far into the process.
An almost universal commonality in the NWCR participants is exercise.
http://nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm
...94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
There is variety in how NWCR members keep the weight off. Most report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity.- 78% eat breakfast every day.
- 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
- 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
- 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
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I started with IIFYM and I am down 15 pounds in a month and that's eating a steady 3030 calories a day on top of just taking daily walks.0
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I get a moderate amount of exercise just because I live in a very rural place and don't have a choice. I still managed to put on 25 lbs over a few years just by eating too much. I have now lost those 25 lbs during the past 4 months without changing my daily physical output.2
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You can't exercise off a bad diet. Exercise will make you look more toned and it has great mental benefits, but its not a weight loss strategy.0
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You can't exercise off a bad diet. Exercise will make you look more toned and it has great mental benefits, but its not a weight loss strategy.
I wonder why people say this. Weight loss is CICO and exercising gives you a way for calories out.
Eating less without exercise is one way.
Eating a little less plus exercising is another way.
Eating at maintenance and not eating exercise calories back is yet another way.
Cutting off a limb is another way....an EXTREME way that I wouldn't advocate but still!
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