Losing without exercise....

lpaeplow
lpaeplow Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everybody. Looking for advice on weight-loss without exercise. Due to medical restrictions, I am unable to exercise (except for moderate walking, which I do). My question is, is it okay to have a reduced calorie intake (I've been eating about 800 cal/day for the last 5 weeks) if you're not exercising (and therefore don't require as many calories)??

I lost 9 pounds by last week (end of week 4), but have actually been UP 1.5 pounds since. I haven't increased my daily calorie intake. Is this gain from eating too few calories? Or should I continue with the 800/calories per day since I can't exercise.

I'd like to lose another 5 pounds from where I am now.... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Replies

  • MichelleakaGiGi
    MichelleakaGiGi Posts: 1
    I was told that counting calories is a waste of time... you have to eat healthy foods... the foods that burn fat NOT store fat... examples: Meats, eggs. fruits, vegetables, rice.. Also the way of cooking it too.... use coconut oil to cook with instead of vegetable oil, and use REAL butter instead of margarine... also stay away from artificial sweetener they make you store fat! Just found all this out at www.BeyondDiet.com Check it the video tells you all about what I just wrote... hope it helps!
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Just an fyi, you still require around 1200 calories even if you're not exercising. Just because you aren't exercising doesn't give you a free pass to eat a stupidly low amount of calories.
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
    I think 800 calories a day is too limited. You need more and from good sources if you want to be fit.

    Can you swim? Row? use resistance bands?

    Even if you can't, you should up your caloric intake and definitely talk to your doc about solutions for you.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    MFP is set up so that it gives you a calorie deficit without exercise. When you set up your account, it asked you your activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc) and how many pounds per week you'd like to lose. Based on the calculations this website/app uses, you can lose the weight hitting the calorie goal they set for you.

    It is not healthy to eat less than 1200 calories per day (for women, the limit for men is more lik 1400 or 1500) on a regular basis as you aren't providing your body with enough fuel. Something you can do to figure out your minimum is to use the BMR tool here or on another website. BMR is the # of calories your body needs in order to survive as if you were in a coma. Eat somewhere between 1200 and whatever your BMR is and you should be fine. Exercising, even lightly will help with your physical fitness.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Calories in and out determines weight loss. Exercise is for fitness and provides other benefits. You should set your goal at .5 lb per week since you are very close to your goal. As your body is closer to the goal, the more need there is for calories. If you don't eat enough, your body will fight to maintain your body fat.


    Also, if you can't exercise, just try to do a lot of walking. Park further away from the store. Take the stairs more. Walk around your neighborhood. And if you have trouble losing, add another 200 calories. But either way, things take time.
  • AutumnsPassage
    AutumnsPassage Posts: 33 Member
    I've been reading a bit on nonexercise activity thermogenesis, Move a Little Lose a Lot by Dr. James Levine might be a good book for you.
  • 2lovelala
    2lovelala Posts: 13
    I think you should go by your BMR and adjust a little according to that. You will have muscle loss that will wreck your metabolism if you consume to little in calories. I am no expert, indeed, but I have done what you are doing and now feeling repercussions from it.
  • lpaeplow
    lpaeplow Posts: 11 Member
    Thank you to everybody for all your helpful suggestions--I will definitely increase my calories. And I will check out the BMR calculator, as that sounds like a good tool. Thanks again!!
  • lpaeplow
    lpaeplow Posts: 11 Member
    Ok, so it says my BMR is 1186. So, how many calories per day should I be consuming with no exercise?
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Have you not set up your numbers under the diet/fitness profile settings? It calculates everything for you.
  • lpaeplow
    lpaeplow Posts: 11 Member
    Yes, it says I should eat 1200 calories. But if my BMR is only 1186, how will I lose any weight eating 1200 calories per day?
  • ChelseaRW
    ChelseaRW Posts: 366 Member
    BMR is like you doing absolutely nothing at all but breathing. So 1200 is far below what you really burn by moving around throughout the day.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Yes, it says I should eat 1200 calories. But if my BMR is only 1186, how will I lose any weight eating 1200 calories per day?

    Even if your BMR is only 1186, assuming you have an utterly sedentary lifestyle you should still multiply it by 1.2 to account for activities of daily living (unless you are totally bedridden, I guess.)

    Multiplying by 1.2 gives a likely (without accounting for exercise) daily calorie usage of 1432. Eating 800 means that you're only eating about 56% of your daily caloric needs, which is awfully low. Eating 1200 (net) would have your daily deficit at 232. Since a pound is about 3500 cal, you ought to lose ON AVERAGE a pound every 15 days with this.

    This may seem slow, but if your BMR is 1186, you are pretty small already. Your OP said you only wanted to lose 5 more lbs. Yes, it'd take 2-3 months to lose them at that rate, but if you keep working a) you'll get there, b) it'll help you maintain the weight at that lower weight, which is what you really want to do, right?
  • lilsassymom
    lilsassymom Posts: 407 Member
    I know I am trying to figure mine out too. MFP calculates my BMR to 1218. I am 5'1 and 30 years old and want to weigh around 118 lbs and this morning I was 123-124 lbs.
    Is this correct----that the lower your BMR mean that it will take longer to lose because you are fairly fit already?
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    I was told that counting calories is a waste of time... you have to eat healthy foods... the foods that burn fat NOT store fat... examples: Meats, eggs. fruits, vegetables, rice.. Also the way of cooking it too.... use coconut oil to cook with instead of vegetable oil, and use REAL butter instead of margarine... also stay away from artificial sweetener they make you store fat! Just found all this out at www.BeyondDiet.com Check it the video tells you all about what I just wrote... hope it helps!

    Please explain your sources for these opinions you state. No reputable study has been done to prove that artificial sweeteners make you store fat. They don't. There really aren't foods that burn fat... exercise and movement burns fat. Yes, capsacian (sp?) has been shown to speed metabolism but for the amounts normal people eat (even those that love spicy food) it will not burn fat that much more than anything else.

    Artificial anything isn't the greatest for you but it doesn't hinder weight loss. It doesn't make you store fat. It hasn't been proven to. It hasn't been proven to make you crave anything else.

    Calorie counting is not a waste of time. You can eat enough healthy foods to gain weight and become obese. Yes, it's not all that common however it can happen.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    800 calories - wayyyyy too little. that's a good way to starve yourself, and affect brain function, organ function, etc. EAT MORE. You shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories a day.
  • lpaeplow
    lpaeplow Posts: 11 Member
    Once again, thank you to everybody for your encouragement and helpful advice--I will be taking it all to heart!

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