a question for those who use only nutrition to lose weight

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deer37
deer37 Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
hi all,

i am at the beginning of my journey and i am currently unable to do any cardio exercise, so i am just wondering, those of you who are losing weight with little or no exercise, are you restricting calories more than you would otherwise?

i am on 1230 calories per day according to the calculations on MFP, and my BMR was 1760.... so i am just wondering, should i be eating even less than 1230 if i am not exercising at all right now?

Replies

  • PrinnyBomb
    PrinnyBomb Posts: 196 Member
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    If you have set your activity levels to sedentary then no. It's your choice of course, but I wouldn't. That's the calculation it's figured is correct for you without exercise. No doubt you'll get lots of conflicting info but as long as you're happy with whatever method you choose then that's all that matters :)
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I've never been one for "exercise" at all, I walk and ride my bike. I don't believe it does a whole lot for weight loss as the calories per hour over what I would use anyway are not very exciting and if the effect of vigorous exercise is to fall asleep on the couch the benefit may be cancelled out anyway !

    My weight loss journey (56 lbs) had phases with a lot of walking and phases with none, with little noticeable difference.

    I tend to play it by ear, if the weight loss rate is adequate then the calorie intake is ok, if the weight loss rate falls the calories need to come down. I use a phone app (Libra) to track weight and estimate my actual calorie deficit from trended weight loss.
  • soulynyc
    soulynyc Posts: 302 Member
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    i don't think you should go below 1200. with that being said.. try to really horn in on your nutrition.. leave bad carbs for good carbs, bad fats for good fats increase protein. maybe even get a protein shake . if you can walk i suggest walking. I am unable to for medical reason but im working on reducing weight so that i one day soon i'm able to.
  • psiren28
    psiren28 Posts: 530 Member
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    I lost my first 2st (28 lbs) with no exercise at all apart from everyday moving about (very little as I had a sedentary job). I'd say you should still lose weight on 1230. Of course everyone is different but from personal experience anything up to 1500 with or without exercise will still result in weight loss if you have quite a bit to lose.

    Good luck :)
  • samandlucysmum
    samandlucysmum Posts: 320
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    I don't do much exercise other than housework at the moment, I have set my profile to sedentary which gives lower calories.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Set your activity level to sedentary and follow what it recommends; do not routinely go below 1200 calories.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    When I first started I was unable to do much due to a back problem. I had my cals set for 1200, soon upped it to 1400 though as I was very hungry all the time. It took me a while but I lost around 20 pounds without excercising until my back was better. So yes you can lose weight by nutrition alone.

    Good luck:drinker:
  • vger11
    vger11 Posts: 248
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    i don't think you should go below 1200. with that being said.. try to really horn in on your nutrition.. leave bad carbs for good carbs, bad fats for good fats increase protein. maybe even get a protein shake . if you can walk i suggest walking. I am unable to for medical reason but im working on reducing weight so that i one day soon i'm able to.
    i second that....

    esp until you are able to get in some kind of workout, even 20 minutes a day can change you energy and appetite :flowerforyou:
  • soulynyc
    soulynyc Posts: 302 Member
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    if you are interested you can also have intermittent fasting days. there are post on mfp about it and there is load of info if you google. but i say still get in your weekly caloric needs.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    hi all,

    i am at the beginning of my journey and i am currently unable to do any cardio exercise, so i am just wondering, those of you who are losing weight with little or no exercise, are you restricting calories more than you would otherwise?

    Unless a doctor or injury is preventing your from exercising, I would strongly recommend walking. It burns a surprising amount of calories, but perhaps more importantly, it just helps form good habits now that you can build on later. So that 45 min evening walk can later turn into a 30 min evening jog, or a trip to the gym, or whatever.

    In any case, everyone has to find what works for them long term. Good luck to you!

    --P
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i was 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight 2 years ago. i got there with a low carb diet - no exercise.

    if you can't workout because of knees, try seated punches. they can get your heartrate going nicely.
  • AussieNikki
    AussieNikki Posts: 168 Member
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    Hey D!

    I didn't do any exercise to lose my weight. I just stuck with my points (Weight Watchers). I did MFP along with it sometimes and usually stayed under about 1350 calories.

    They say weight loss is 80% diet, so your calorie intake is the most important. Exercise is great for your health but not a necessity for weight loss.
  • bionicrooster
    bionicrooster Posts: 353 Member
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    I think diet is 90% of weight loss, excercise is 10%. I do it cause I enjoy it (and every little bit helps) but it certainly isn't needed.
  • deer37
    deer37 Posts: 15 Member
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    thank you so much for all the wonderful responses. you guys are really helpful. i have only just joined this site and i was overwhelmed by the great responses. it really helps me to push on and do this!!! i'm excited!
  • deer37
    deer37 Posts: 15 Member
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    hi all,

    i am at the beginning of my journey and i am currently unable to do any cardio exercise, so i am just wondering, those of you who are losing weight with little or no exercise, are you restricting calories more than you would otherwise?

    Unless a doctor or injury is preventing your from exercising, I would strongly recommend walking. It burns a surprising amount of calories, but perhaps more importantly, it just helps form good habits now that you can build on later. So that 45 min evening walk can later turn into a 30 min evening jog, or a trip to the gym, or whatever.

    In any case, everyone has to find what works for them long term. Good luck to you!

    --P

    thanks for this comment, i have a talipes (club foot) which is playing up right now, i guess mainly due to my weight, so i am going to attempt some swimming at this point. i should have said non impact instead of cardio... because i can do cardio, but i can't really do impact exercise right now. i can cycle when my ankle is feeling okay, but when it's not, swimming is about the only thing i can do :)

    thanks for the tips!!!
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    Of course you can lose weight without exercise! Just eat less accordingly. I started MFP on 1200 cals and no exercise and lost consistently. Not that i would go back to that as I now realise I can lose on 1400 (at my current weight) without exercise also!

    In fact now with my current size I burn hardly anything anyway...I need to run nearly 15K to burn 800 cals : ( So exercise still doesn't factor high in my 'diet' and I control everything through my food choices. x

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