Just counting calories! No diet no formal exercise

alabastermama
alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
edited December 25 in Motivation and Support
Hello! Is anyone else on MFP just counting their calories? Since I’m somewhat sedentary I just started counting my calories a couple of months ago to create a deficit for weight loss. I’ve been successful so far losing 13 pounds. Are there any others here that are doing this or have done this? If so, how long did you do it? Did you eventually have to start exercising or become more active to keep the weight loss going?

Replies

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I started almost that way. I committed to getting in a minimum 25-minute a day walk, just so I didn't spend the whole day glued to my computer, but otherwise, yeah, just counting. Over time, I've build up my exercise time; but the only 'diet' I follow is "No desserts over 200 calories per serving except on VERY special occasions". Like, 2 of my nephews live in my city; they each have birthdays and on those birthdays, I may have a small piece of my sister's homemade birthday cake kind of special.
  • aranchmom
    aranchmom Posts: 176 Member
    This is my current goal, too. I’ve done it before and it works. I also try to get a walk in every day, but honestly I haven’t lately.
    I’m struggling to stay on track with my calories - can we keep this thread going to help motivate each other?😄
    Or motivate me, anyways.
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    @aranchmom - Yes. I use to exercise but now I just hate it. I use to love walking but I’m struggling with that as well. I lost 34 pounds the last time I started walking without changing my food or reducing my calorie intake. I’ve lost my motivation to do any type of activity now.😞
  • LovingLifeTonya
    LovingLifeTonya Posts: 3 Member
    Hello!

    My doctor just put me on a low calorie diet ... I’ve seen a few pounds come off in the past month but not much. Still sticking with it though. Because my job is considered sedentary I try to walk daily. I started out (set timer on my phone ) walking 10 minutes away from my house & wherever I am in minutes.. I turn around and walk home (adds to be 20 min walk) . The next week add on 5min. It’s really a mental thing more so than physical. Now I can put my music on and walk 2-3 miles. I have my days of NO ENERGY or NO MOTIVATION! But we gotta keep pushing towards our goal cause the goal is not coming to us ... lol 😂
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    I just count calories as well. I'm working on getting more exercise, but it is a goal separate from weight loss. It has some overlap because exercising means I get a few extra calories to eat, but I treat them as separate because I've lost most of my weight with little exercise.
  • roz0810
    roz0810 Posts: 1,244 Member
    me too just calorie counting and walking
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited April 2020
    alabastermama wrote: »
    Hello! Is anyone else on MFP just counting their calories? Since I’m somewhat sedentary I just started counting my calories a couple of months ago to create a deficit for weight loss. I’ve been successful so far losing 13 pounds. Are there any others here that are doing this or have done this? If so, how long did you do it? Did you eventually have to start exercising or become more active to keep the weight loss going?

    I will say for me personally, I did eventually have to add exercise. I'm on the short side and I like to eat. At sedentary I'd have to eat 1350 calories to lose, and after a while I just couldn't keep doing it. So I had to both increase my activity level and increase my exercise. Now that I'm at maintenance I've kept it up, because with daily walks and my increased activity level I can fit in more of the foods I love more often, and an occasional drink. I also found being more active made me feel more successful and energetic, which made it easier for me to control my eating. But that's specific to me and YMMV, you have to find what works for you.
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    @kimny72 - I agree. I’m only taking about 1240 calories a day. I’m not having any difficulty because I eat whatever I want. I cook for my husband (old fashioned) and my son (picky eater). I hate cooking two different meals so I eat whatever they eat (with added veggies) just much smaller portions. Ex. Spaghetti night I know how many calories in 1 cup spaghetti noodles and I weigh out my meat to get the calories for that and then measure the serving amount in the sauce. That way I’m eating the same meal just much less of it. I do snack on raw veggies and count out or weigh things like grapes or strawberries. To me it’s much better than cooking two different meals.

    States walking today though.
  • PrairieSlims
    PrairieSlims Posts: 42 Member
    Walking and counting calories but I feel need a support system
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    edited April 2020
    While you can lose weight without exercise, you WILL be losing weight from muscle as well as fat. The body's main purpose (if you're looking at it from a scientific perspective) is to just stay alive so you can procreate. That said, it's accustomed to events of a scarcity of food and of course, the fat cells are great at storage from abundance. When you're losing weight AND not using your muscles for anything but just basic movement, the body senses the muscle as NOT being that important to fuel, so you lose more of it in your weight loss journey. As you lose more muscle, your metabolic rate slows down (because it takes way fewer calories to supply energy just to keep the body going) and your weight loss will eventually stall to crawl EVEN if you're eating in a calorie deficit and have a lot of weight to lose. Not to mention those flabby parts will get even flabbier because at that point, you've got atrophied muscle (which becomes less and less firm) underneath that fat.
    So while many may hate exercise, the purpose for it is NOT only for health, but to maintain the muscle you already have. If you're okay with that, then keep at it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,539 Member
    Exercise is overrated as a weight loss strategy. I exercise for fitness. And if by following a diet you mean some version of “eating healthy, ” I’ve never purposefully done it. What I eat would probably pass for pretty healthy most of the time, but I didn’t set out for that.

    What I found was that if I wanted to get enough to eat, I had to make good use of my calories. Then, as I lost weight my calories decreased. I ended up eating reasonably healthy because following the program took me there over time.
  • teenagexriot
    teenagexriot Posts: 2 Member
    I started in July and until January did calorie counting only and lost 40lbs. Middle of January I started adding cardio and upped my calorie intake a bit and am at 55lbs lost and counting 😀
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    I actually went over my calorie limit yesterday but go back on track today. Was active doing a little yard work and awoke 1 pound lighter this morning since the last weigh-in. 14 lbs lost since getting on MFP, 18 lbs lost since Feb. 1st. Not trying to lose fast at all because I don’t want to gain it all back and more.
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    How is everyone doing?
  • melc2910
    melc2910 Posts: 26 Member
    Hey :) I’m Mel nice to meet you :) I don’t do exercise as I’m not mentally upto it yet. I’m just counting calories atm and it’s been working so far :)
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    edited May 2020
    @melc2910 Hi Mel! Nice to meet you! I got a notification that you sent me a message but I don’t see it Tim messages.
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    How is everyone doing?
  • Fabuluna
    Fabuluna Posts: 6 Member
    I would love to have support from friends that open their diaries. I am an all or nothing so when I do mess up, I just get frustrated and quit. I did a boot camp for 6 months. 3 to 4 times a week but didn’t drop any weight. 😳
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    edited May 2020
    Hi @Fabuluna! My diary is viewable to MFP friends only. However, I’m different than perhaps a lot of other members in that I’m not following any special diet or plan other than counting calories. I eat all the same foods I’ve always eaten I just count the calories and serving sizes. I do this because I have dieted off and on over the past 30 years and have not been able to stick within anything long enough to lose all the weight I need. I’m a month away from 55, have about 100 lbs I need to lose, a husband I cook for everyday. We are old fashion southern folk and we eat what we want(some maybe fattening). We exercise when we feel like it. I’ve lost 18 lbs over the past 3 months this way. I do have days that I don’t want to count calories because it’s not as easy as it sounds. I say “I quit” often but always get back on track with counting the next day.

    You can send me a friend request and will accept so you can see what I eat. Again it is not a diet as some here are use to. As far as support to continue and not give up, I can give you that and so can many others here on MFP. Nothing worth doing is easy. Not to be spiritual but the Bible does say “not all who runs a race obtains a prize but he who endures to the end.”

    You can do it! Adjust your expectations, be patient but consistent and you will achieve your goal.

    Angela in
    Alabaster, Alabama
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited May 2020
    Yes this is me. However I want to get back into lifting weights soon so that I don't lose my muscle mass while calorie counting to lose weight. However that never burned many calories for me so I don't worry about it.

    Over time I did notice trends like feeling hungry on days I didn't eat much fat or protein. So I do try to get a good amount of those, but I don't focus on hitting those goals. I just know I'll feel crappy if all I eat is granola bars and pasta lol. So now I just eat SOME granola bars and pasta... with my meat and cheese. Basically... i eat what my kids eat. I don't have it in me to make special meals just for me for the rest of my life.
  • swimmchick87
    swimmchick87 Posts: 458 Member
    edited May 2020
    I am just counting calories and walking. I am losing just fine, but I started with a lot to lose. I think I'm going to have to add in exercise to lose/maintain as I get smaller. I didn't want to overwhelm myself with too many goals/"new" things at once and I know eating less is the most important thing for weight loss anyway. I have been going strong with the calorie/counting walking since January 1.

    I have lost weight in the past using a combo of calorie cutting and exercise, and got to the point where I kept feeling like I had to "up" my exercise as I got fitter. At my lowest weight, I was spending 1.5-2 hours per day in the gym. I hated it, was constantly sore, and felt like I was just losing so much free time from my day. Unlike other people, I did not "learn to love" working out. Obviously eventually I just stopped going all together, and here I am.

    This time I'm hoping I won't have to do so much because my body isn't so used to the exercise now- by the time I start doing it again even 30 minutes will be a "new" thing to keep my weight loss going. And then I plan to not increase that time too much. I can always up the intensity of what I'm doing without upping the time.
  • fatmanthinuk
    fatmanthinuk Posts: 44 Member
    Hey all! At last I find a group similar to me!

    I used MFP 7 years ago to lose nearly 5 stone. I did couch to 5k but didn't enjoy running at all, although I was always impressed I could do it. However, over time, and due to some really bad life decisions, it's all gone back on and more unfortunately.

    So I'm at over 20st at the moment and pretty miserable about myself. Recently I have developed chronic tendinitis of my ankle muscles effectively ruling out running and long distance walks until I can get seen by a podiatrist and get sorted which was supposed to be last month, but has understandably been put on hold. I need to get some of this weight off to take some pressure of my joints before I even think about going bouncing around on them.

    So for the foreseeable future I'll just be counting cals, but eating normally as this is what worked for me last time.

    I'm not interested in any fad diets, 16 meals a day, fasting, running marathons or you becoming my own remote online personal trainer for only £30 per hour!! (Been back only a couple of weeks and already had multiple offers?!?!?)

    But if you've got some serious weight to lose, are eating sensibly, are not obsessed by how many miles you've run this month and have an open diary (so I can get inspiration, not judge!) I would love to be your friend on here and support you along your journey to become a happier, healthier you!!

    Love and respect to all.

    Andy
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    Hi!

    Yeeeeeeah definitely no specific diet here. Just trying to make sure I’m at a deficit. My husband literally brought home more Ben&Jerry’s today, I’m not going stop enjoying my treats. I’m just going to learn how to keep them within my calorie budget.

    I do try to work out though, but not because of the calorie burn. I have some fitness goals I want to reach, and during quarantine I get barely any general activity from things like commuting, walking around the office and so on, so I have to actually go out and exercise. As the genius Elle Woods from Legally Blonde put it, ”Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” I definitely agree with Elle, exercise puts me in a good headspace and that in turn helps me stick to my calorie budget. Sure, the increased burn is a nice bonus, but that’s not WHY I do it.

    During normal times I go to the gym 1-3 times per week. In summer seasons I usually take up running, and I’ve been trying to do that this year as well but ran into some health issues so now I’m just walking.
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    Hi all! I’m glad to see others doing pretty much the same as me. Counting calories and eating what I want mostly.

    @VeryKatie I’ve sorted and tried all kinds of stuff over the years to lose weight. At 1 month away from being 55, I didn’t want to do all of that. This works fine for me and my lifestyle currently. But protein is way more important than carbs when losing weight to keep from losing muscle.

    @swimmchick87 as long as what you’re doing is working for you, keep doing it.

    @fatmanthinuk I find that as I have gotten older and more sedentary, any amount of activity out of the ordinary has resulted in some type of weight loss. So, as long as I keep a calorie deficit I think I will be ok. You have a friend here!

    @hipari life’s too complicated sometimes to focus on specific diet plans. You know your body and how it loses weight. Losing weight is simple- take in less than you burn and you will lose weight! Keep up what you’re doing.

    Angela in
    Alabama
  • alabastermama
    alabastermama Posts: 45 Member
    How’s everyone doing?

    I lost another pound this week. Anybody else had any success or even no change? How’s calorie counting going?
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