Weight loss without exercise

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shelia1219
shelia1219 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone had success with calorie counting only? It is so hard for me to force myself to exercise. Would I be successful working on my diet and then incorporating exercise after I see some weight loss results?
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Replies

  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
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    Yes you could do it without exercise but I don't recommend it. Exercise is good for your heart, your body and your soul! You're far more likely to keep the weight off if you have an active lifestyle.

    Also what's going to make you want to workout after losing 5 lbs? It's a mind game and you gotta push through it.
  • angelajo01
    angelajo01 Posts: 69
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    bump for later...
  • PANZERIA
    PANZERIA Posts: 471 Member
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    Force yourself to exercise and you'll live longer. Simple.

    Also, by putting off exercise, you'll also be putting off weight loss. Start by working out for 20 mins a day (there's 24 hours in a day, surely a 20 minute walk isn't too much?) and working your way up from there. Go to some fitness classes. You aren't going to get results unless you push yourself out of your comfort zone.
  • weeblex
    weeblex Posts: 411 Member
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    You could, but it would take forever. Exercise doesn't have to be about going to the gym though.

    Park at the opposite end of the parking lot to the store
    Walk to whoever you need to see in the office instead of picking up the phone
    Take the stairs not the elevator

    Its all baby steps
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
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    I didn't do a single bit of exercise until I'd lost my first 30 or 40 pounds. Once that weight as off I actually felt like getting up and moving. Now I exercise for an hour every day.
  • mrsheu
    mrsheu Posts: 30
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    Yes it is possible. I don't think there is anything wrong with focusing on calories for weight loss. But this should be a first step only. Once you are losing weight, and getting closer to your goal weight, you will feel better, and exercising will come easier. It's okay to wait, but don't put it off. You can lose weight, but your body will be "skinny fat".
  • PANZERIA
    PANZERIA Posts: 471 Member
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    I didn't do a single bit of exercise until I'd lost my first 30 or 40 pounds. Once that weight as off I actually felt like getting up and moving. Now I exercise for an hour every day.

    She only has 30lbs to lose. To lose that kind of weight, she'll need to exercise. It's not really a dietary issue because she'll only lose MAYBE 10-15 lbs on diet alone (after 6 months) because she's not severely overweight. It's a different kind of weight loss and diet alone won't do it for her.

    No one likes exercising at first. Eventually, once you start seeing the results and once you're surpassing your fitness goals, you'll start to enjoy it.
  • Flyer615
    Flyer615 Posts: 173 Member
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    Yep, it can be done. I lost the first 65 or 70 pounds without any exercise. Then, when my knees started feeling a little better (and I could reach my walking shoes to get them tied :laugh: ), I started walking. I never thought that was something I would do - unless my truck quit working.

    The answer to your question is "yes." My question would be: Why would you want to? A lack of activity is a large part of what put me in this situation in the first place.

    Endeavor to persevere.
  • cbevan1229
    cbevan1229 Posts: 326 Member
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    You can do it, with careful calorie counting. But I suspect that even if you lost every lb you wanted, your body would not look the way you are hoping without exercise.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
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    I have but Im starting to workout now. Its easy to drop pounds at first if you are really overweight but those will less to lose will drop slower and might actually need exercise.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Don't call it "exercise," call it "playing." Find something you like to do that is active and just do that for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. If that means purposely walking around the mall or swimming or dancing around the living room, all of that counts. The goal is to move around and work up a bit of a sweat.

    Personally, I hate exercise machines. Treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines all of them are so boring to me. I do like to ride my bicycle, I like yoga and I like dancing, therefore I'm able to get exercise and not feel like I'm doing a chore. I have kettlebells for resistance training, and my apartment complex has a weight room where I can spend 20 minutes 2x a week just to put on a little more muscle.

    Lastly, sedentary people are putting their health at risk. You'd (almost) be better off smoking a pack of cigarettes a day while following a walking routine of 30-40 minutes a day. People who don't move much die young.
  • cartrat
    cartrat Posts: 120 Member
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    right there with ya'. haven't done a lick of exercise and am losing weight. but i know it won't be long until the diet takes me so far. i plan to exercise... one day... :)
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
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    She only has 30lbs to lose. To lose that kind of weight, she'll need to exercise. It's not really a dietary issue because she'll only lose MAYBE 10-15 lbs on diet alone (after 6 months) because she's not severely overweight. It's a different kind of weight loss and diet alone won't do it for her.

    I disagree. It's entirely an issue of calories in vs. calories out. Exercise ups your calories out, and does all sort of good things for you, but it's not necessary for weight loss.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Has anyone had success with calorie counting only? It is so hard for me to force myself to exercise. Would I be successful working on my diet and then incorporating exercise after I see some weight loss results?

    You certainly can. Weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit. Whether you do that from reducing what/how much you eat, from exercise, or from a combination of the two is up to you.
    But - you probably won't get a body like the model in your profile picture without exercise. Looking like that happens with a lot of hard work in the gym.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Yes, I think you can lose weight without exercise.

    I walk to work and after dinner. I also stand at my desk instead of sit. I garden and do many chores.

    I list myself as 'sedentary', but when I count my steps (I wore a pedometer for almost a year), I average 5-7000 steps per day without adding a long walk to hit the 10,000 I wanted.

    But I wouldn't count any of that as exercise.

    Recent research says your weight loss is enhanced if you get up and move around for at least two minutes every hour. If you can't exercise, I'd at least do that and definitely add activity into your daily life - walk up stairs, walk short distances instead of driving, walk to a colleagues desk instead of emailing or calling. Little things add up.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    Yes, the weight loss boils not down to how much exercise you do, but the diet part. I exercise because I like it. I exercise because when I exercise I can eat more food and still lose weight and I love to eat food. I exercise because I like having a tight body and being confident when naked and you don't get a tight body through diet alone. I don't exercise to lose weight, I eat at a deficit to lose weight.
  • LAS_1980
    LAS_1980 Posts: 156
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    I have lost almost 63 lbs from not exercising....strictly calorie counting. Now granted, I had a baby 6 months ago and nursing took the 1st 30 lbs off easy. However, I am planning to get an elliptical next month for my birthday and planning to use it as much as possible. I do know from personal friends that if you lose weight without exercising or toning, you're left with loose skin. I don't want that! I wanna be toned. BUT to answer your question, it is possible and several of my MFP friends DON'T exercise due to health and/or medical reasons.
  • lruff1987
    lruff1987 Posts: 263 Member
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    Exercise is soooo good for you!!! It's really, really, really hard to do it sometimes, but it's better for you to push yourself to do it. Find something you like to do. For example, I found that I love to jog, play frisbee with friends, and do some serious wave surfing at the ocean. So those are my go to exercises.

    Do it and you'll love yourself for it!! :)
  • PANZERIA
    PANZERIA Posts: 471 Member
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    She only has 30lbs to lose. To lose that kind of weight, she'll need to exercise. It's not really a dietary issue because she'll only lose MAYBE 10-15 lbs on diet alone (after 6 months) because she's not severely overweight. It's a different kind of weight loss and diet alone won't do it for her.

    I disagree. It's entirely an issue of calories in vs. calories out. Exercise ups your calories out, and does all sort of good things for you, but it's not necessary for weight loss.

    It's not necessary for weight loss, and I will absolutely agree with you on that. I had my jaw wired shut after a major surgery when I was 18 and lost 50lbs in three months without exercise, and I couldn't exercise for 6 months after that until I got my energy and weight back to a healthy place because all of my muscle was eaten away by my body and I was left as a walking skeleton.

    However, if you actually want to get HEALTHY, then you have to exercise. There is no excuse not to, and to argue otherwise is just plain ignorance in terms of health and wellness.

    Exercise does more than help you lose weight. It keeps you healthy. Just losing weight will make you 'skinny fat,' and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but to me, that's just as uncomfortable as being overweight.
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
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    What you described is EXACTLY what I did. And it's how I lost my 12 pounds so far. If I were to lose zero more pounds, I'd be cool with it so I started working on fitness to get more in shape and no longer focus on losing weight (though I do still track my weight). This also allowed me to see that my changes were due to diet and not to have to wonder which component was causing my weight loss. Now I can work on understanding the role of exercise (for me, so far, it's been gaining a couple pounds, losing a couple inches and getting a whole lot more muscle tone).

    I worked on changing my eating habits slowly so that it was a life change, not just a diet. I did that consistently, counting my calories, for about 4 months until I was usually hitting my calorie goals and felt like I had developed the ability to make healthy eating choices. Once I felt like that was under control...which was only about 10 days ago :) ... I started working out. I'm starting small with the 30 Day Shred DVD which is about 20-25min each day between the warm up, 3 circuits and stretching. I'm planning to move up to 30 Day Shred 7x a week + cardio for 45-60min on Saturday and Sunday.

    Do what you think will result in the highest probability of being a lifelong change. For me, taking on diet and exercise all at once was going to be overhwelming. And remember...no matter what you do, it's better than nothing. Just keep moving in the right direction and you'll get there. Feel free to add me if you need support or motivation :)

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