Can you lose weight by just counting calories and not workin

msreenivas
msreenivas Posts: 10
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
With my hectic work and school schedule, I hardly have time to work out. I manage to get 20 minutes on the treadmill at least 5x a week.....Its not much I know. According to the app, I'm allowed 1260 calories a day and I've been sticking to this- most of the time falling under my daily caloric goal....So is working out just as important while counting calories to lose the weight? Talk to me peeps!!
I would love to know if anyone has tried this?

Today I came home at around 8:30pm and got on the treadmill around 9pm...ten minutes into my work out....my neighbors were knocking at my door saying the treadmill was too loud- so I had to cut that workout short- !!! Not being lazy people....just having to deal with stuff like this? I think I might need to start my workouts at the crack of dawn!
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Replies

  • carajo
    carajo Posts: 532 Member
    diet is 90 percent!! Ever heard abs are made in the kitchen? Its true HOWEVER working out will, specifically strenght will build muscle, therefore burn more calories!! I'm all for a good workout! Start with the diet though, and you'll start seeing results! Good luck!!
  • msreenivas
    msreenivas Posts: 10
    Oh thats great advice! Thank you :)
  • tri3tsch
    tri3tsch Posts: 2
    I'm not exercising at all and have lost 10 pounds - about a pound a week by staying within the daily calorie limits.
  • kanatagrandma
    kanatagrandma Posts: 2
    Yes you can lose weight just by counting calories, the key is to take in less calories than you used too. But exercising is vastly important for more than just weight loss. The benefits of exercise are immeasurable. And not only cardio, but weight-bearing exercises which build bone and muscle strength. Plus by exercising you won't have to reduce your calorie intake as much. And remember also, you shouldn't just be counting calories - you have to keep track of carbs, fat and protein also!

    20 minutes a day is admirable, better than most. Consider changing 10 of those minutes to strength training - weights, core exercises, etc. Perhaps you could find another 10 minutes a day?

    Hope this helps!
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Lose weight in the kitchen.

    Get sexy in the gym.

    Just sayin'...
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I lost 40 pounds a couple years ago and never exercised... Once I stopped eating healthy I gained it all back... But YES it can be done!
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    It's completely possible to lose weight without exercise. If you can't do it you can't do it.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    Yep. As long as you're on a deficit you'll lose.

    If you only have brief periods of time for exercise I would suggest getting a set of weights. You can power through a lot of short exercises very quickly and weight training will help you to not lose muscle at the same time you lose fat. I'd say in order of importance it's 1) eat at a deficit, 2) lift weights, and a distant distant 3) cardio.
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    diet is 90 percent!! Ever heard abs are made in the kitchen? Its true HOWEVER working out will, specifically strenght will build muscle, therefore burn more calories!! I'm all for a good workout! Start with the diet though, and you'll start seeing results! Good luck!!

    I agree! Before I was counting calories I walked the dog 45 minutes twice a day FOR A YEAR and did not lose an ounce. I started counting calories and slowly my exercise time has lessened to a lucky 20 - 30 minutes twice a day of walking the dog, sometimes more and sometimes less due to my increasingly hectic life. I like to exercise so I can eat more! Lol! but diet is NUMBER ONE in my experience! Do what you can when you can. If you have to go to the gym try an inexpensive mini trampoline at home. I got one on amazon and use it on rainy days and to supplement at night sometimes. Anything is better than nothing! Keep up the good work!
  • msreenivas
    msreenivas Posts: 10
    Thank you everyone! I will definitely incorporate strength training to my work outs! I'm just so tight on time!!
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Thank you everyone! I will definitely incorporate strength training to my work outs! I'm just so tight on time!!

    Just like anything important, you have to make time for it. Make it a priority in your life. 30 mins of workout 2-3x per week is not too much to ask.
  • AlysonBug
    AlysonBug Posts: 67 Member
    If you can only get 20 minutes in make those 20 minutes count, as in up the intensity.
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 811 Member
    I used to HATE exercising. I just couldn't do it. So when I wanted to lose weight, I started to eat healthier and cut the soda and what not. I ended up losing 12lbs from it. So yes, you can definitely lose weight from your diet alone.

    Edit: Also, Jillian Michaels Kickbox Fastfix and 30 Day Shred are each 20 minutes and people have gotten amazing results from it. Just sayin~! :D
  • natalie2355
    natalie2355 Posts: 93 Member
    "diet to look good in clothes. exercise to look good naked" :blushing:
  • Scott_P
    Scott_P Posts: 95 Member
    diet is 90 percent!! Ever heard abs are made in the kitchen? Its true HOWEVER working out will, specifically strenght will build muscle, therefore burn more calories!! I'm all for a good workout! Start with the diet though, and you'll start seeing results! Good luck!!

    ^^ This!
  • crimznrose
    crimznrose Posts: 282 Member
    You can to a point. Eventually your body adjust and adapts to fewer and fewer calories. You have to continually shake it up. I have been on a plateau since January despite monitoring calories. I've recently added the intentional workout to try and jump start my weight loss again since it stalled out after 30lbs lost.
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    Yes you can, I have done it before. But my body did not change in the same ways. Before at 135 pounds I was barely in a size 10. This time when I was 135 I was in an 8 and it was loose. The difference being I now work out.
  • abbezen
    abbezen Posts: 405 Member
    I started counting calories at the beginning of February and have lost 7 lbs to date. Today, I started 30 mins on the treadmill. By moving my butt, I know it will make a big difference in how fast the weight comes off. I'm hoping, anyway!

    Good Luck!
  • 1fitmamaof3
    1fitmamaof3 Posts: 6
    Loading weight is a math problem. If you take in less than you burn you will lose weight regardless. However, I must warn you. Even when you get to your goal you will still not like the way you look. You will be as what most people call it "skinny fat". I would suggest buying some run bells, educating yourself on some exercises, and spend at least ten minutes a day using them. Everyone has time to do that. If you disagree you're just bull ****ting yourself and being lazy. I have one year old twins, am a student and I still manage to work out. It can be done
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Yes.... but, we can all find time it's just how you have your priorities set.
    I work 2 jobs and go to school full time and still find time to work out.
  • ejanderson
    ejanderson Posts: 29
    I lost 50 pounds with diet only 3 years ago. I didn't even calorie count just started trying to do better with portion control and I cut out anything with saturated fat in it for 6 months, then added it back in VERY slowly. allowing myself 2 grams per day for 3 months, then 6 grams per day for three months. After that I started wishing I was toned up and so running and later going to the gym became part of my "plan" I gained back about ten pounds a year ago, then got motivated again.
  • msreenivas
    msreenivas Posts: 10
    Yes you can, I have done it before. But my body did not change in the same ways. Before at 135 pounds I was barely in a size 10. This time when I was 135 I was in an 8 and it was loose. The difference being I now work out.

    Yes I def agree....working out is crucial...I just feel incomplete on those days when I don't get to work out! There's no feeling in the world that compares to getting a real nice work out :)
  • asia_hanebach
    asia_hanebach Posts: 275 Member
    If you don't exercise at all, there's a good chance that what the weight that you're losing is muscle and not fat, and who wants that! However hopping on a treadmill a couple of times a week sounds like exercise to me. So I wouldn't worry too much about it. The majority of weight loss comes from fixing your everyday eating habits.
  • LadyBeryl
    LadyBeryl Posts: 344 Member
    Definitely. I lost weight and kept it off for years without exercising at all. Just staying under 1500 calories worked for me.
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
    Lose weight in the kitchen.

    Get sexy in the gym.

    Just sayin'...

    Well said.
  • arobinson2390
    arobinson2390 Posts: 16
    I worked out 4-5 times a week from july-december 2011 and didn't lose anything! not even a pound! i got a second job in january and didn't have time to workout, i've probably worked out MAYBE 15 times since the new year, and since i started mfp i've lost 14 pounds, without working out, so it's definitely possible
  • kshirar
    kshirar Posts: 2 Member
    I did a weight loss program for 9 months and lost 23 lbs. In the program, you are to count calories and NOT exercise until month 5. The theory is that you will drop weight by soley reducing calories....but by month 5, you will plateau, and will need to start exercising to kick start the weight loss again.

    Hope this helps! :)
  • jourelemode
    jourelemode Posts: 15
    like everyone else has said, if you got your calories and nutrition down you should be good. If you have 20 minutes to workout on a semi regular basis, I suggest not wasting your time on the treadmill. Just do some interval training, it'll help with your metabolism and possibly even give you a tiny bit of muscle. Try a 30sec on/15 second rest interval for 10 intervals. You don't need any special equipment. Just do some squats with your body weight, some mountain climbers, push ups with knee checks, alternate lunges, alternating muay thai knees, hindu push ups, shoulder press ( no weights needed, just do the movement), lunges again while twisting to the left or right, some supermans, jump squats etc. there are a ton of exercises you can do that will be way better than the treadmill. just get 10 exercises in each round and try to work up to doing 3 rounds with 2 mins or less rest between rounds. search youtube and you'll find lots of great routines. Marcroops makes a lot of good ones, and ones specifically for women. Good luck!
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I lost my first 20lbs without working out, but I had a pretty bad diet then. Lots of soda, fried food, and big portions. After my diet cleaned up, I didn't start really losing weight again until I started working out. So it depends.
  • jillian769
    jillian769 Posts: 247 Member
    Exercising is a HUGE part of losing weight, and probably the key reason I have been successful over the last 12 months...I workout a ton!!! I do the treadmill, stair stepper, weights, strength classes, Zumba and Zumba toning and it is completely transforming my body. If you don't exercise you will not be toned and you can ALWAYS tell the people that lost weight through diet alone because they look flabby!!!! Yuck!!!! :)
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