View Poll Results: How much do you exercise as part of your successful weight loss program?
I am hardly exercising but experiencing great weight loss just by diet alone 10 19.61%
I'm exercising moderately (but am not a gym rat) and am losing weight steadily 23 45.10%
I have to devote a significant time in the gym/exercise program as part of weight loss 14 27.45%
none of the above apply 4 7.84%
Voters: 51. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-15-2012, 11:39 AM   #1  
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Default how many of you are exercising intensely as part of your weight loss plan?

I know that ultimately its mostly about the calories. But I was wondering if any of you have experienced significant weight loss without religiously exercising.
Is it possible?

I don't have a lot of time in my day to be able to hit the gym right now on a regular basis. I'm hoping to start on lifestyle changes alone and then incorporate working out later in the game? Is that an OK plan to have? Or is my weight loss going to be significantly effected (slower progress) if I am not exercising from the get go?
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Old 09-15-2012, 01:12 PM   #2  
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I exercise for fitness and general health, not weight loss. And while it helps my shape it does next to nothing for the scale, for me. Especially because I work on my strength, I tend to gain water and then lean mass, which slows the scale a bit. But my body shrinks and firms up nicely, which matters far more.

Many of us on here worked on our eating first, then incorporated exercise as our desire to move increased (when we felt better and were lighter). Too many changes at once can make the whole thing harder to stick to, so I actually recommend getting settled in your routine with food before choosing activities. Being a hard core gym rat is entirely unnecessary unless YOU want to do so for your own enjoyment. It is no prerequisite of weight loss or even necessarily weight management (though it definitely helps!).
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Old 09-15-2012, 02:02 PM   #3  
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I average .4 lbs lost per day without exercise and .8 lbs lost per day while exercising about an hour a day. I like the second better, but I don't need to exercise to lose weight. I exercise to level up on Fitocracy.
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Old 09-15-2012, 04:27 PM   #4  
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I first decided to change my lifestyle to get more fit. Then I acknowledged my weight. So I changed my eating habits too. I want to be able to walk and not get winded. Part of that is to loose this extra weight. They go hand and hand and for me. I walk because I can't run. Walking makes me feel better and it helps burn calories. You don't have to do zumba every day or spin classes just walk.

Many people lose weight without committing to extra exercise. Try changing your eating and later you may try some exercise.
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Old 09-15-2012, 04:32 PM   #5  
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I come from an extreme athletic background and just let myself go hard. Im working and dealing with targeted quick twitch and explosive muscle exercise as well as a light cardio routine. I resolved to change my life only a few days ago but am focused and on track. If anyone needs any work out help or ideas feel free to message me!
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Old 09-15-2012, 04:55 PM   #6  
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All the way through, I exercised moderately until I got to about 180. To get from 180 to my desired 155-160, I need to up my exercise. I simply cannot eat less than 1550 calories a day on a regular basis without feeling extremely hungry. Even eating 1550 makes me hungry, but that also seems to be what my maintenance caloric intake is (for my age and slowed down metabolism due to losing weight).

So, for me, it's easier to work out every day or nearly every day for an hour than it is to cut back my food intake 300-400 calories. Working out doesn't make me hungrier - if anything it suppresses my appetite, so it's exercise that is getting me down the last 20 pounds, not so much diet.

Later, when I've lost the weight I want, I will keep up my fitness, but not work out as hard or as often.

However, doing more than an hour a day of dedicated, hard core exercise is too much for me. i can't do 2-3 hours at a gym and I would rather eat less than do that.

Last edited by berryblondeboys; 09-15-2012 at 04:56 PM.
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Old 09-15-2012, 05:13 PM   #7  
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I answered that I exercise moderately however, that's really not the whole picture. I try to do at least half-an-hour of exercise a day. I swim or ride my recumbent bike or walk. However, there have been more than a few weeks when I haven't exercised at all due to illness or arthritis pain. My exercise history is spotty at best.
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Old 09-15-2012, 09:52 PM   #8  
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Although I agree that diet is more important than exercise for weight loss, I'm with berry: I need to burn a few hundred extra calories a day to be able to eat enough so that I'm not hungry all the time. I enjoy exercise, though, so it's not a chore for me and it's fairly easy to fit it into my schedule.

But you can absolutely lose weight without exercising.
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Old 09-15-2012, 11:33 PM   #9  
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I checked moderately because I don't really go to the gym (my gym is the university gym, and I find it a bit weird working out with my super-fit and young students). But I walk/hike regularly and use kettlebells at home for strength.

I exercise for fitness, not for weight loss. It helps, true, but I find that diet alone is usually enough to lose good numbers, so my motivation has to be health and fitness rather than weight.

Last edited by kelly315; 09-15-2012 at 11:34 PM.
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Old 09-16-2012, 01:27 AM   #10  
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My diet is really good. I work out almost evey day because it helps but mostly because I like it. I am not compulsive. I played sports year round in school and gained weight and now that I work out I crave being in tune with my body and trying to push myself to the next level. Being able to do things (like run short distances without being winded when I used to run cross country) :blush: I could lose weight doing 30 minutes of low impact but I like doing more just because my body can!!

Last edited by RoyalAthena; 09-16-2012 at 01:28 AM.
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Old 09-16-2012, 12:48 PM   #11  
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I answered NOTA - I do spend a significant amount of time working out, but I don't have to and I don't do it at a gym. In fact, it is about as true to say that weight loss is a part of my training plan as the reverse.

In general, I swim, bike, run, and (should, but this often slides) do strength training. On average workouts are 6-9 hours per week. It will be more next spring when I ramp up training for longer races.

This has been a surprising turnabout for me - I started doing triathlon last year as a way to keep exercise from being boring, and I really love it. Don't have an athletic background, either. Now, the training is just as important as the weight for me.

I think I'd be at racing weight now if I hadn't lost a year in my SO's cancer fight. He's still with us, though, so it was worth it.
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Old 09-16-2012, 02:06 PM   #12  
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Most likely, you're going to see some good losses at first without exercise, but then you will hit a stall and have to change something. Some people get all the way to goal with just decreasing their calories again and again -- that's what Weight Watchers is based on, after all, but for me it was easier to put a lot of time into working out.

I was someone who thought I didn't have the time. I remember when a 1000 minutes per month seemed like an impossible goal (a little more than 30 minutes a day). But now I work out about 90 minutes a day on average. I work full time in a crazy job, I have school-aged kids. I just get up really early in the morning and I go to bed around 9:30 every night.
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Old 09-16-2012, 04:53 PM   #13  
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Default re:

I've lost my weight so far with no exercise. It can be done, but there are consequences of doing so, for example I'm pretty darn flabby and it feels as it my metabolism has slowed to a crawl.

I have no doubt that diet along with exercise is the best solution for overall health.
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Old 09-16-2012, 07:03 PM   #14  
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I exercise quite a bit and do it pretty intensely a few days a week. Not every day is high intensity though because you need to give your body some time to rest and repair. I hate weight lifting but I force myself to do it 3 days/week. Sometimes I'm lazy and I only do it twice. Cardio is 4 full workouts plus one that is about half as long on Tuesday when I also do weights.

While it is true you can lose weight without exercise, I wanted to focus on getting healthier, not just weight loss. It simply wasn't healthy that I would be winded and in pain after walking less than half a mile. I needed to focus on improving my resting heart rate, blood pressure and HDL cholesterol, which the doctor told me could be best improved thru exercise.

I am, in some ways, more proud of my health and fitness gains than I am by the weight loss. My blood pressure was often in the 122/90 range. The last two times it was checked, it was 110/58 in March and 100/60 just a week ago. My cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar are also normal -a huge positive on the blood sugar since diabetes runs in my family. I still have work to do on HDL, but it is improving.

I feel very strong and since I have taken up hiking, my endurance is great too. I don't think I could have achieved and continued the weight loss plan if it weren't for the commitment to exercise.
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Old 09-17-2012, 07:38 AM   #15  
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I did exercise a good amount for awhile at the beginning, not really doing much now though weight still coming off steadily. Do plan to get back into it again soonish.
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