It is possible to lose some serious weight with no plan; just "eat less and exercise"
So today my DH broke our attic stairs. I don't know what they are weighed at but he's somewhere around 340ish...They just snapped.
To make matters worse we are selling the house in 3 weeks! So now we have to fix them, plus some of our stuff is still up there.
Anyway, he said today that he knows he needs to lose and its really time. YEAH!!
But he has no plan, no goals, he said he will just "eat less and exercise". Over the years of our conversations its become apparent he has basically no knowledge of what his caloric intake should be or what normal portions are or how many calories are really in various foods. He greatly under estimates
calorie content and over estimates what he should be eating.
But that's not even all of it. He doesn't want to have to think about it. He wants to put in no effort.
Is it really possible to put in no effort and get results? To have no goals?
Its foreign to me, because I'm a counter and goal setter....
I would imagine that at first he'll see a loss but at some point the loss will slow...I don't know..
Anyone ever reach a healthy weight/ BMI without any calorie counting, measuring or anything other than cutting back?
In his defense, attic stairs are kind of flimsy! I had an AC repairman use mine a few weeks ago and I was afraid he was going to come tumbling right back down them. And he was so thin.
I have seen a few men that have lost well just by cutting back on their food and moving more. It's a foreign concept to me as well since I had to be really strict to get my weight off.
I hope it does work for him and I hope the sale of your home goes smoothly. I know it can be a very stressful time!
He's a guy, they drop 5p just from a morning bowel movement. I'm sure he will lose weight very easily by simply eating less and lots of exercise. My next life I'm coming back a man for sure.
I think it can work as long as he weighs regularly. If what he's doing doesn't work, he'll know in a hurry. Some studies have shown that people are more successful with weight loss when they 'do their own thing' instead of following a popular pre-planned diet program.
To eat less and exercise, he will still have to put some thought and effort into it. He'll have to pay attention and know when to put the fork down. He'll have to make the conscious choice to exercise. He can definitely lose weight without counting, but he has to think about it. He can't get out of it that easily. Still, novangel is right - men seem to lose weight pretty quickly and without as much effort as women.
I do wish him the best of luck. Please let us know how he does!
I think motivation is more likely to make him successful than a plan. If he wants to succeed, he'd be more likely to change it up if what he's doing isn't working.
He has to do it for himself. You wanting it for him isn't going to help.
I know that it's difficult. Let him know you'd love to do stuff together or to answer questions, but it has to be on his terms, whatever he needs
My husband also has very unhealthy habits and is very overweight. So far he's healthy, but he probably has less than a few years before his health starts declining. It scares me so much he's starting to exercise/eat less and I can only hope with everything I have that this time it sticks!
Yes, I did. He will have to transition to a more sustainable lifestyle though by the time most of the weight is gone if he wants to maintain and/or look good. But he has plenty of time to come to terms with that, so I wouldn't bother him with it.
I really think about my diet and exercise now.
But to lose I mostly just cut the junk, ate less (I just stopped eating dinner, which I still skip) and what I did eat mostly comprised salad and chicken. For exercise, I just walked more and did more household stuff until I had lost about 60lbs. And then I started running and going to the gym but nothing like I do now.
He will need some motivation though. For me it was the scale (and later clothes).
I don't see how he could do it flying completely blind.
I lost my first twenty pounds just by cutting out sugary foods and diet coke. That had the effect of making me less hungry but I wasn't specifically dieting. In the beginning when I was hungry, I snacked on potato chips. But losing the initial weight was motivating and so then I cut way back on the chips too. After the first twenty pounds the loss was slower. It was also at that point I began allowing myself a treat or two each week. The weight has still been coming off, albeit so slowly that I began to commit to 10k steps a minimum of five days a week. The more success I've had the more I'm willing to commit.
I sometimes add up my calories but I didn't really do that until I fell into an eating plan that was working for me. Most days now I'm between 1500 and 1700 calories. I'm sure at the beginning I was much higher.
I think your husband will likely be fine so long as he really wants to lose weight.
But no matter what you do, there has to be a "WHY" and "HOW"!
Why are you going to do it and how!?
Eat less, move more is to vague.
More veg, less fast food, more walks, less lunches out, more gym time, less chips, pack lunch, join a fitness thing, walking, lifting, yoga, boxing, what ever.
Thing is we have PLAN! Somewhere along the line, you have to track, plan, schedule, workouts, shopping for proper food, learn to cook healthier, manage work/food issues, get a massage, hair cut, what ever. But you HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN!
Why isn't "eat less and exercise" a plan? "Eat less" to me means not eating less food but fewer calories, and "exercise" to me means doing more than you are currently doing.
I've heard some experts say "eat less an exercise" is a good plan for sustained weight loss. "Eat less and exercise" to me means you aren't limiting your food choices, just eating less of them. I think this key at helping you stick to the plan in the long term.
My brother is like this - he's 6'4 and was a 3-sport athlete through our school years. He was always slender, but as he has gotten older, he's put on a few pounds here and there. He's never been very overweight, however - I'd say 30 lbs over, max. Anytime he has wanted to drop some weight, his strategy was always, "eat less, be more active" and it always worked for him. Drives me crazy!
So, I think it can work for certain individuals, but that person really has to be relatively self-aware and not a "binger" - my brother would just pass up desserts, not have second helpings, have water instead of soda, etc. He doesn't have secondary issues like binge eating (like I do). I am more comfortable having a plan, he thinks that's crazy!
My hubby lost 80 lbs doing it. He didn't measure his food or keep any kind of food log, he ate whatever he wanted, even the junkiest of junk foods, and almost never stepped on a scale.
It is possible to lose some serious weight with no plan; just "eat less and exercise"
he's starting to exercise/eat less and I can only hope with everything I have that this time it sticks!
