Those who maintain without exercising...
stricklee11
Posts: 218 Member
I'm looking ahead to when I reach my goal weight and estimating that my maintenance caloric goal will be around 1,870. I wonder if I can feasibly eat at this level for the rest of eternity. Before starting my weight loss journey, I was eating around 2,200 calories a day. My plan is to add daily cardio exercise to burn off the difference so I can go back to eating at pre-weight loss levels since I wasn't necessarily eating badly, I was just eating calorie dense foods while working a desk job and driving (instead of walking/taking public transport).
This got me thinking: Do people who have maintained their weight loss without adding any form of exercise exist? If you are one, has it been hard for you to eat at maintenance?
This got me thinking: Do people who have maintained their weight loss without adding any form of exercise exist? If you are one, has it been hard for you to eat at maintenance?
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Replies
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I’m planning on maintaining at my current levels of extremely light exercise (15 min of cardio/ish circuit training three times a week) which counts for very little of my total calorie burn for the day.
Over the weight loss journey, i’ve built in more activity during my regular day (more walking around the office, taking public transportation which requires more walking, just trying to not lounge around on weekends like I used to do) and I think all that has allowed my general maintenance level to be higher than it would have been before the weight loss journey. I was losing weight on 1650 a day including activity calories, and now I’m maintaining on 1900 without changing that activity.
Long story short, I hate purposeful exercise and plan to maintain comfortably with as little of it as possible!6 -
stricklee11 wrote: »I'm looking ahead to when I reach my goal weight and estimating that my maintenance caloric goal will be around 1,870. I wonder if I can feasibly eat at this level for the rest of eternity. Before starting my weight loss journey, I was eating around 2,200 calories a day. My plan is to add daily cardio exercise to burn off the difference so I can go back to eating at pre-weight loss levels since I wasn't necessarily eating badly, I was just eating calorie dense foods while working a desk job and driving (instead of walking/taking public transport).
This got me thinking: Do people who have maintained their weight loss without adding any form of exercise exist? If you are one, has it been hard for you to eat at maintenance?
There are people who lost and maintained without doing intentional exercise. There's a thread somewhere about increasing your NEAT that might be useful, I will see if I can find it and edit link in.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p16 -
Mrs Jruzer doesn't do any intentional exercise. She does work at a fairly active job, which maybe earns her a few hundred more kcal per day.
She's just very careful about portions, and keeps a close eye on her weight.4 -
stricklee11 wrote: »I'm looking ahead to when I reach my goal weight and estimating that my maintenance caloric goal will be around 1,870. I wonder if I can feasibly eat at this level for the rest of eternity. Before starting my weight loss journey, I was eating around 2,200 calories a day. My plan is to add daily cardio exercise to burn off the difference so I can go back to eating at pre-weight loss levels since I wasn't necessarily eating badly, I was just eating calorie dense foods while working a desk job and driving (instead of walking/taking public transport).
This got me thinking: Do people who have maintained their weight loss without adding any form of exercise exist? If you are one, has it been hard for you to eat at maintenance?
I'm sure they exist, but everyone I know personally who maintains a healthy weight is fairly active. It may not be going to workout, but they are active in one way or another. I personally hit the weight room 2-3x per week for a 30-40 minute lifting session and that's all I consider something I do to be an actual "workout".
I enjoy cycling and ride my bike quite a bit, but it's as much recreational activity and hobby for me as it is exercise...it's just something I really enjoy. I also like to get up into the mountains to hike and enjoy some rock climbing here and there and we just built a pool, so I'll be splashing around a lot this summer with the kids, and I walk my dog most days.
Most of my "exercise" is what I would consider to be recreational...I don't really "workout" all that often, but I'm pretty active.4 -
I won’t rely on cardio for maintenance but I like the idea of running a few times a week for heart health. I sit a lot at work though so I will be surprised if I can eat over 17001
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I would lose my mind if I had to limit myself to my sedentary calorie level - in fact when I have had to due to injury, it was awful. Why would you want to? If you are physically able to be active you should, for your health - regular physical activity is the one single thing under your control that most greatly increases your change of a long and healthy life.8
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I do next to zero cardio and maintain my weight just fine. I do lift weights regularly but the observed effect on my TDEE is fairly minor. If I had/have to stop lifting for an injury, trip, etc. it doesn't keep me from maintaining. Logging diligently is the key IMO, if your target is accurate, you just need to make sure you're not in a consistent surplus and maintaining shouldn't be a problem, regardless of activity level.0
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It's rare someone maintains without exercise. There's a national "registry" called the "National Weightloss Registry". It tracks people that have been obese, then lost the weight and maintained for over a year.
A few common themes from their questionairres were most that succeed weigh daily, have a "red line" where they will go back to whatever worked for them if they go above it and they worked out, on average, an hour a day.
I fit in that group (once obese and I've maintained for going on 9 years). I workout an hour a day on average. I have a red line as well and weigh myself nearly daily.
It's just so much easier if you're active. I do think weight loss happens in the kitchen but maintenance is very hard without exercise.8 -
I walk a fair amount (live in a European city and don't drive) but otherwise don't do much cardio. The rest of my exercise is weights or yoga 3-4 times a week usually. I maintain on about 2,200, but I'm also pretty tall (just under 6 ft)0
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Since my maintenance calories would be 1400, there is no way I would be able to maintain without exercise. I like food too much.10
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I eat more when I exercise or work hard. I had to learn to adjust my calories when I wasn't burning them or else gain quickly.0
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That person is me* I've lost weight and maintained it with no exercise. I lost 8 pounds doing just about nothing. I did no intentional exercise. I walk 90% of the time. To where I need to go. I walk miles to get where I need to. Also just clean around my house, that's about it. I wasn't literally sitting on my butt all day.
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Exercise isn't all it's cracked up to be.
First of all, lots of times I'm told I only burned 150 calories at the classes I take at the gym. 2ndly, I've read that exercise over 18 months only accounts for a 5 lb weight loss. And lastly, I'm STARVING after I do a high-intensity class!
Exercise is great for a lot of things but I'm not sure it's a must if weight loss is the goal.7 -
DeterminedFee201426 wrote: »That person is me* I've lost weight and maintained it with no exercise. I lost 8 pounds doing just about nothing. I did no intentional exercise. I walk 90% of the time. To where I need to go. I walk miles to get where I need to. Also just clean around my house, that's about it. I wasn't literally sitting on my butt all day.
I don't know that "no exercise" and "walk miles" go together.
Walking is a form of exercise. Maybe not an extremely vigorous one; but certainly one that's relatively easier to implement.9 -
The main problem that I could see is that as you age your muscle mass deteriorates and you need fewer and fewer calories to maintain your weight year on year. The best way to counter it is to build or work on maintaining your muscle mass through exercise. Other wise you'll find your weight creeping up over the years unless you progressively eat less.8
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I use various strategies that I learned while I was losing the weight that I keep to maintain it. Exercise actually stresses me out more so I opt for more relaxing exercise like light walking or stretching but that's about it. Cardio exhausts me and leaves me not feeling good ever. I prefer to go for a hike once or twice a month though lol.
Otherwise what I learned during my weight loss, are the strategies I keep in order to keep my intake down. I portion out my three main meals during the day so that I have enough to have a nice desert or snack at night, since my main problem was snacking all day long, so I save it for the evening, but of course still portioned out.
Since snacking was an issue for me all day like I used to. I used to do it emotionally or out of boredom. And in oder to stick to my three main meals and nothing else during the main part of the day I kinda imagine myself doing 2 mini fasts between my meals. waiting 4-5 hrs between my main meals, but as long as I only snack on really low calorie foods and liquids to me it still counts to keep that calories down. I'll drink water, coffee, Powerade Zero, and seltzer water, diet soda, prob not the best but you gotta enjoy your life sometimes, and then I can snack on low to no-calorie foods like cucumber, pickles, bell peppers, and even popcorn chips, between my meals or even at night if I'm feeling way too tempted. It still helps if I feel like I'm gonna go nuts.
Most days I'll have short Intermittent fasting period at night too but nothing too crazy just 10-13 hours most nights just to prevent myself from my old evening snacking issues that I used to have. But yeah I created a routine that fits my calories that works for me. And trust me this took years to finally figure out what the best way was for me. I spend many years before this trying various things to lose and re gaining the same amount of weight. Just gotta find what works for you and what feels good. I wish you Good Luck!3 -
I’m paraphrasing this, but easy enought to Google for yourself. The National Weight Loss Registry tracks thousand of people who have lost weight and maintained it. One of the top commonalities among all, is consistent exercise.
Yes, it can be done, but our bodies are made to move.9 -
I've been maintaining for 4 months and haven't done much exercise besides walking (about 8,000 steps a day) and cleaning house. I wouldn't call it ideal - I needed to start strength training years ago but I'm having trouble sticking with it - but it can be done.1
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MostlyWater wrote: »2ndly, I've read that exercise over 18 months only accounts for a 5 lb weight loss.
That's an absurd statistic with no context. Calories in/calories out. If a sedentary person with 40% body fat changed nothing about their intake but burned an 300 extra calories via exercise every day for a year and a half I guarantee you they'd lose more than 5 lbs.
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I have both lost and maintained as a slug at times over the last nine years. Right now I walk and it gives me a couple hundred calories a day. I eat them happily but what I’ve come to realize is that I can’t depend on always having those calories. Things happen, you get hurt or sick. I’m getting older and I know I’m not always going to be able to keep up the pace I have now so when I don’t “earn” extra calories I try to stay within my maintenance calories. In general I find on days I don’t get those extra calories I’m not as hungry and so it’s no big deal. Having a plan to maintain with some exercise is an excellent one, just keep in mind that life happens and exercise won’t always happen so try to plan for that too.6
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