Can you make progress on MFP without excercise?

Options
gwynethabaker
gwynethabaker Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
Is anyone out there watching their food intake alone and not excercising. What are people's experiences of this? Is it possible to make progress by diet alone? In case you haven't guessed, i hate excercise!!
«1

Replies

  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    Options
    I'm certainly no expert here but I think yes. I read somewhere that proper diet/nutrition is 80% of the weight loss journey. However, if you want to be fit, preserve lean body mass and not end up looking skinny fat and having skin that droops, then you should incorporate some kind of exercise in your program.
  • BlueStar1989
    BlueStar1989 Posts: 130 Member
    Options
    when I was injured and could do no physical activity aside from normal every day walking and movement I was extra careful about what I ate. As long as your physical activity level reflects the fact that you do nothing outside of normal activity (sedatary level) then you should be fine watching what you eat and not exercising, but working out even for 10 minutes a day does wonders for you. The more you move the more you loose.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Options
    Yes, you can lose weight without exercise. When it comes to weight loss, all that matter is that you eat less energy than your body uses.

    HOWEVER, I'm sure you're well aware of the benefits of exercise. It will help you maintain your muscle as you lose fat. It will increase your physical fitness and health. Eventually, you may even enjoy it and use it as stress relief.
  • CariKK
    CariKK Posts: 2
    Options
    I have lost 20+ pounds over and over again, only to gain it back plus more. Unless you intend to follow the exact diet plan that gets you there and never, ever cheat - like say on a caribbean vacation with pina colada's ??? You must add exercise to your diet plan to keep the weight off. I hate exercising too, can you tell?
  • damnedlady
    damnedlady Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    It is! You should make sure to be moderately active for your health, though. That's important for your body and general well-being. But in my case, I don't have much time for exercise and I rarely have those huge burns others have. But by watching my intake versus what I burn, I've lost weight.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Options
    Honestly speaking, if someone is on the journey, why take the road trip without the map?

    You could definitely lose the weight but then your body hasnt been put through the fine-tuning that it needs to be at an optimal state of health. Cardiovascular health is VITAL. Its like a recipe for Beef Stew, but you leave out the beef!

    Exercise doesnt have to be a chore.... its how you make it for yourself.
  • amazing_shrinking_woman
    amazing_shrinking_woman Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    I just watched what I ate for the first month and a half and I lost almost 10 pounds. Then I realized I would be saggy unless I threw exercise in there , too. But yes, it can be done.
  • Kayley
    Kayley Posts: 327 Member
    Options
    You can, but from personal experience, I haven't done so well with just dieting. Doing no exercise at all made me feel "meh" and even though the pounds came off, there was still a lot of fat on my body. :ohwell:
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options
    Something like 85 to 90% of weight loss is achieved by creating a dietary calorie deficit, so of course you'll lose weight if you cut enough calories. But exercise does help, especially after you've achieved your goal weight. It also often provides an ongoing feeling of well-being and mastery. I would try to find things you like. If you have to start small, fine, be consistent.
  • Drastiic
    Drastiic Posts: 322 Member
    Options
    I've never been a big fan of exercising. But then I realized I have 2 functioning legs, 2 arms, and I'm not disabled. Being at a healthy weight is good and all, but if I'm not able to be active then what's the point? I don't want to be out of breath walking up the stairs. I've slowly incorporated lifting into my routine and now I've started walking. After a couple weeks or so, I actually look forward to exercising and getting outside. You can lose fat by just diet alone, but making exercising a habit will allow you to eat more and keep it off in the long run.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
    Options
    Yes, you can lose weight on a calorie deficit. Indeed to lose weight a calorie deficit is all you need. But that won't make you fit obviously - just thinner.

    I used to hate exercising. I ran 11 miles today... :-) Maybe just give it a go. I started with just walking half an hour every day, and built up from there.
  • VenomousDuck
    VenomousDuck Posts: 206
    Options
    lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    Options
    Yes you can, but if you are looking to tone you need to lift some weights. You can always do this later too after losing a lot of lbs. Not to worry, many people don't even workout that hard and still lose, some just walk around their neighborhood for 30 minutes every day and watch their calories. You can do it for sure!!
  • PinkEarthMama
    PinkEarthMama Posts: 987 Member
    Options
    I had ankle surgery in April that went very poorly. I've lost quite a few pounds since then, by diet alone. I'm mostly couch bound at this point.

    However, if you can find ANY exercise you like, start doing it. Maybe even force yourself to do exercise you don't like, because eventually, you WILL like it. I hated going to the gym, and now I really miss it!
  • kb_CG_wife
    kb_CG_wife Posts: 181 Member
    Options
    Great abs do start in the kitchen, but sexy strong abs start in a sit-ups position! <3
  • jenmarie2012
    jenmarie2012 Posts: 180 Member
    Options
    yes..yes..yess.yess!! i actually when i first start MFP i just was counting cals...and i noticed it within the first week i was loosing weight...so yes it can be done :bigsmile:
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Options
    lose weight with diet and look good. lose weight with diet and exercise and look good naked.

    ROFLMAO... I knew something like 'this' was due to be posted! LOL!
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    Options
    Yes, you can. I've seen plenty of posts in the success stories forum where all they did was focus on diet! It can happen. It just depends on your personal goals. If weight loss alone is your primary goal, diet can get you there. However, easing into exercise is a good idea because it has a lot of benefits! But it's not necessary for weight loss!
  • bamorford
    bamorford Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    it IS possible to make progress; i lost my first 10 pounds just changing what i ate, BUT you will eventually plateau. and if you're going to make such a big positive change in your life, you might as well incorporate fitness so you can reach your goals faster! to take the greatest advantage of the effort you're putting into better eating habits you should try to find something/anything that will get you moving. even if it's for 15 minutes a day! it's amazing the changes you'll start to see. eating healthy and clean foods will slim you, but it won't tone you. or make your heart stronger. or give you more stamina. you'll be doing yourself an injustice if you rely on diet alone. well good luck and feel free to ask any other questions! :)
  • VirtuallyAmy
    VirtuallyAmy Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    There are all kinds of ways to get exercise. Some more fun than others. Look into joining something you think would be fun and fool yourself into the execise. Plus it gets you into a group that can motivate or the commitment, like paying for several months up front, may keep you going. I took up karate for instance. But look into an interest you have and see what there is for you. Heck, Youu can even find hoola hooping groups so there is all kinds of things. As with any new physical activity, give it a few weeks to let yourself get over that first difficult hump before you get some endurance. And do not worry about being the over weight one. If you go in and have fun with it, people do not seem to care about how you look.

    I agree with others here. The exercise is really good for so much. Without it, you do not feel as good and get saggy and spongy and no tone.

Categories