Possible Success without Excercise????

TrishaAvina · February 2012

I am not very motivated to excercise at this point in my weight loss, I think I need to loose more before I get to that point. Can anyone share a success story thus far without excercise and with just diet? Any help is appreciated!!

amykathleen2005 · February 2012

I have lost 14 lbs. without exercise.

TrishaAvina · February 2012

That's good. How long have you been at it?

KrzyRiver · February 2012

I have lost almost 70lbs over the last year without ever exercising consistently. It would definitely be an asset, but when I was 245, I just didn't want to do it. Once I got down about 40lbs, I started exercising bits here and there, but I've never been good at keeping up with it. As long as you watch what/how much you're eating, you can definitely lose weight without a serious exercise regimen.

nani726 · February 2012

im losing 2 lbs a month without exercise...but im vegan

not sure if that'd be your cup of tea! i drink nothing but water and decaf hot teas, drink veggie juice and eat whole foods. Im not a big fan of exercise but ive decided to put on my big girl panties and suck it up, so im doing jillian michaels' 30DS to tone up, im in no rush to drop weight quickly so 2lbs is good for me right now

hope you find the motivation to exercise, you'll feel tons better once you get moving!

cloud2011 · February 2012

I have tried to get a handle on my food first. Exercise never used to be a problem for me...I could easily exercise a lot, but wouldn't lose, because I ate enough calories to maintain my weight.

So, I've had to focus on food. I have exercised if you want to call it that, just by moving more. Sometimes a slow walk, sometimes a brisk walk, walking down the stairs at work (not up!), but if I do it fast, it makes a difference. I have to park in a garage and sometimes run up those stairs. After losing 33 lbs, my resting heart rate is lower, and so is my BP.

So I do short bursts of quick walking or just take leisurely walks when I'm doing errands. Cleaning house, and yardwork, also count at moving more. Some exercise buffs on MFP and in the real world, wouldn't count this "moving" as exercise, but if you have been sedentary, it does help to simply move more.

I now have more energy and am still focused more on food. I'm trying new recipes, and trying to eat more filling (whole) foods.

Good luck!

TrishaAvina · February 2012

thank you! That is very helpful to know that it is possible. It's so much easier to focus on one thing at a time when the idea of losing weight in itself is overwhelming.

bcc112986 · February 2012

Hi, TrishaAvina. It is possible to lose weight without exercise; however, it is so important to get your body moving everyday. I recommend walking until you are more comfortable with other workouts. Walk a mile 4 days of a week. Walk 2 miles 4 days for 2 weeks. Walk 2.5 miles 4 days for 3 weeks. Add slowly. When you are seeing results, you will be encouraged to do more and you will feel better for it. Please remember you are important. And your health is important.

Brittany

knight76306 · February 2012

I've lost over 100 lbs and yes you can do it without exercise. I hated to exercise. The only thing I did was walk my dog. But, as I lost weight I felt better and started walking. That's all I did for a long time. But now I love to exercise. I'm at the gym almost everyday. I feel like something is missing without it. When you do start, find something you like to do.

wittlelacey · February 2012

In december my family was going through a hard time and there wasn't much food in the house, so without trying or exercise I lost 6 pounds in about two weeks. I wasn't hungry or eating, I was just forced to eat a lot of oatmeal, rice cakes, plantain chips, etc. (all low cal foods) and we had chicken breast most days for dinner. These actually became my all time favorite foods! In January I continued this diet (purposefully) and shedded another 6 pounds, going from 120 to 108 altogether. I've now added exercise, but I haven't been as strict with my diet and am at 105.

If you're not motivated to exercise but you want to lose the weight before toning, try walking! I know it's still exercise, but you can make it seem less of a chore by bringing along a friend or ipod

Walking on top of a good diet won't do any harm!

paxetamore · February 2012

I have this debate with myself every day LOL! I have lost 25 lbs with sporadic exercise, like long walks, Wii, and dancing out.

That said, I have been at this a while and if I could just stick to a routine then the weight would drop faster because my metabolism would be burning higher.

I am not a gym girl, but there are soo many things we can do! Take it slow, build up, and find stuff that is fun! IMHO.

An MFP'er once posted that she makes exercise every day a priority, it is non-negotiable for her, like brushing her teeth every day. I thought,"well put!"

Now, if I would just do it :blushing:

Best on your journey!

emmiee921 · February 2012

the more you weigh its easier to lose weight without exercise but if you only want to lose say 10 pounds then its more necessary to do exercise as you will need to be toning up

kcoftx · February 2012

I'm a believer in the Change One Theory. I've never follows or even read that diet but the blurb for it made sense to me. Start small and build up. It really should be looked at as a lifestyle change rather than simply a weight loss diet. So with that in mind, your first change might simply be logging your foods and being more aware of what you eat. Once you start consistently meeting your calorie goal, then add another goal. For a bit it was ensuring that I ate breakfast everyday. For me right now it is upping my water intake. Next might be changing quality of foods so I am getting wider set of nutrients. When you start exercise, do the same thing. Start small and build up your goals. The first goal really is to just start. I bought a pedometer to encourage myself to move more. Then build up.

The truth is yes you can lose weight without exercise. If it is overwhelming to you right now, just get a pedometer and start being aware. It doesn't have to be your primary focus yet. I agree, sometimes we got to get a handle on other parts first because truthfully, the whole thing is a huge change all at once.

It might be helpful to list all your goals. Then decide what your primary goals are that need to be tackled now and what goals you would like to ultimately reach. Here is a hint. Dieting alone has a ton of different things involved. Each of those should be listed as a separate goal. Goals also change over time. That's okay too. Mini-goals are easier for me to achieve and because I practice them for a few weeks before moving on and adding another goal, many of them stick long term. Even though I have gotten off track because I had a major life change and went through a denial period, this time it is easier because I realize I still have many of the same habits from my year and a half big weight loss and life style training I did 5 years ago. This is also helping me reanalyze what didn't stick and work on it.

HonkyTonks · February 2012

Yes.
You can create a caloric deficit through eating less alone. You don't need to exercise. I think you should be fine but as you go down you should add in some exercise for good health. Plus, exercise means you can eat a bit more

celtsguy81 · February 2012

I will agree that you can create a calorie deficit without exercise. If that is how you want to do it just be wary of becoming "skinny fat" someday.. where you lost a lot of weight but you haven't gotten into shape.. and more likely than not you're going to be losing a lot more muscle than fat. That's not the best way to go, but it will get you a lower number on the scale.

I decided to respond to your question because I was EXACTLY where you are a little while ago. The only thing I liked doing for exercise was playing basketball. But at 5'10" and 270 lbs I sorta sucked at it.. and people at my gym aren't the best at being inclusive in that regard.. so often I didn't get to play as much as I wanted, and as a result I felt that I couldn't even exercise if I WANTED to.

I dreaded all forms of exercise outside of that. ALL of them. They seemed so incredibly boring and mind numbing and I had decided it would be better to be fat and unhappy than to subject myself to anything like it.

However.. I somehow got a burst of motivation (somehow = seeing my weight hit 276 after the superbowl (about a week and a half ago). My weight has been climbing for over a year. And I hated it. 276 was my new all time high. I was devestated.

I'll tell you what I have been doing.

#1) I haven't been limiting my foods at all, really. I'm eating BETTER, but not like a fitness rockstar. I'm just monitoring my calories closely, skipping the extra little things here and there, and really knowing what is going into my body calorie-wise.

#2) This is going to sound crazy, but I am also going to the gym every day. 20 minutes on the elliptical isn't so bad if you have a smartphone and a netflix subscription ($7 a month!). I'm almost done with season 1 of Arrested Development.

On the days off I have had, I have taken a couple of nice long walks (at a brisk pace.. but not really to the point where I was sweating all that much) with my GF.

I'm making sure I get a deficit every day, and if not I have planned to pad my numbers a little to make sure I can eat an unhealthy meal (I ate like a king on Valentine's Day).

I am telling you.. 20 minutes a day. Or 30, even, if you're feeling brave. Don't understimate your calorie intake and don't overestimate your exercise.. but be fair with yourself. The exercise isn't so bad if you do a little each day. I have only been at it a little over a week.. but I'm telling you that I know this is going to work for me (I'm down 6 pounds, I feel 10x better, and I'm the biggest sad-sack weight-loss-wannabe that has ever existed).. and I bet the same would go for you. GOOD LUCK!

nursy911 · February 2012

I have a foot issue (going to undergo surgery on it 2/29/12) so I have been unable to exercise for the last 5 months :-(. I got serious about losing weight mid January and have lost 7 lbs so far. I have always exercised (power walk) but am disabled at the moment.....I will tell you this.....I FEEL so much better when I can exercise. Even though I am losing some weight....if I were exercising too....the inches would be melting too. Find something you ENJOY doing....that is the secret to sticking to exercise....Also---find a friend to do it with you. I have found that if I tell someone that I will be somewhere to exercise....I will do it....I am not as committed when it is just me!

edmoulaison · February 2012

I've lost nearly 50 pounds since mid november without much exercise. Once a week at best. I think exercise is great for you. Truth is, it is not necessary for weight loss.