How important is exercise to your weight loss success?
 

How important is exercise to your weight loss success?

Gotta have it. I need both -- diet and exercise. The diet has to be clean, because you can't "out-exercise" a poor diet. But exercise gives me positive energy, helps my stress level, and keeps my head screwed on straight. Regular exercise makes it easier to stay on track with my diet (psychological effect) as well as burns calories so I can either lose faster or eat more while on maintenance (physical effect). Plus exercise is fun and I enjoy it for its own sake now.

It's as important as eating, but not for the obvious reason of burning off calories.

When I was heavy, I used to live from the neck upwards. Working my body physically forces me to be in touch with all the parts below the neck. When I think of myself as an athlete, I treat my body with more respect & I make better choices.

Also, one of the reasons that I ate too much & ate certain foods was to soothe & calm myself. Exercise is my substitute for eating, in some ways. It's a better way to work off nervous agitation & excess adrenalin left lingering in my system after a workday.

For me, if I don't exercise the whole thing is shot. I tend to lose my will power as the day goes on and slip up. When I exercise it is a lot easier for me to stay on track, I feel better psychologicaly and physicaly.

I voted but I'm going to clarify a little. I could lose weight without exercising ... maybe some weight. But I wouldn't obtain the slender fit body I was looking for.

When I began losing weight back in Jan 2008 I was barely doing any exercise and was losing weight fast, but then again I started at 534 pounds so any movement was exercise for me and I was counting calories so weight seemingly melted off in the beginning with minimal exercise. As I got smaller I found that I needed to exercise or the weight would slow WAYYY down, yes it was still coming off when I did not exercise but at a much slower pace but again, I was/am very heavy. The closer I get to a "normal" weight the more exercise is needed to keep the weight coming off, so I think there are more layers to it than just exercise is important, but yes I think it is very important, not only in aiding weight loss but being healthy and strong while doing that, that's just one mans opinion though, so with a grain of salt I offer it.

As Ever
Me

I wish I was one of those folks who could lose weight without exercise! But I'm not... I have to exercise, otherwise the scale won't move.

For me, when I exercise, I tend to eat heathier, not wanting to undo the workout at the gym. Also, I have to eat heathly and exercise or both just go down the tubes.

I lost weight without exercise last summer--20 pounds in three months to be exact. I just feel so much better WITH exercise now. I need it for stress relief, as part of my anti-depressant cocktail (exercise, fish oil, sunshine) and for strengthening of course. Sure, weightloss IS possible without exercise. I am just not sure who would CHOOSE it.

What MBN said.
Exercise has made me a much better person and I actually like who I am. Can't live without it.

I already lose weight pretty slowly. Without exercise, it would be excruciatingly slow. Plus, it makes me feel so much better that I don't know that I'd want to give it up!

I have lost weight in the past without exercise but it was never permanent. This time around it is critical.

I lose more weight when i work out as well but havent been able to do much for the last 2 weeks due to a chronic fatigue and a headache/nausea i cant shake! Its rather frustrating. Though i managed to lose 4lb in a week despite not getting as much of a work out. Which made me feel good coz ive been bummed by being ill.

What you look like is 80% diet, 20% exercise. You can lose weight without exercising, which is one of the options given in the poll. And this is an important message for those starting their journey -- we all hear we "have" to do all sorts of stuff in order to succeed, and exercise is right at the top of the list. But all these changes at once can be overwhelming for the beginner. I know it was for me! So I started with sorting out my diet. And I mean just focussing on in it and getting into a dietary groove. I went from 244lbs to 198 lbs without exercising. And once I was certain of the eating lifestyle and secure in it, I added the exercise. I don't lose any more nor faster, but I am healthier. And the new exercise habit will be invaluable for maintenance and for my overall health. So I recommended it HIGHLY. But if I had a choice to make as a beginner, I'd go with sorting out my eating plan.

Kira

Absolutely Essential

Food is more important than exercise in terms of calories in calories out for me, but exercise creates the mood, energy, drive, mindset, healthy lifestyle that allows diet to even be possible. If I dont exercise I'll be on the couch with a can of reddiwhip. (OK I sometimes end up on the couch with reddiwhip anyway, but not as OFTEN)

I voted for the first option, although I suppose that isn't strictly true. The thing is, I "diet" for health, and how can I do that without exercise? More importantly, if I'm not exercising, I don't sustain the healthier eating. It's like an enabler for me.

It's as important to me as the food I choose to eat ;) Exercise makes me feel awesome and I do it almost daily but if I were only exercising and eating like I used to I'd get no where.

Kira, that's funny. Not funny because I think you're weird, but funny that we're all so different. Because when I started, I started with the exercise because I've always found it easier to exercise than eat right. Over the course of 3 months, I slowly started to change the way I ate and continued to add new and different exercises to the mix. For me, exercise is essential, not only to my weight release, but to my emotional health as well. If I didn't exercise, I would be an anxious crazy lady!

I can (and am) losing weight without exercise, but I'm focusing on my food right now and developing better habits. I will work on the exercise once the food area is totally under control. Also, I get very tired and hungry when I work out, so I need to figure out something to combat that.

I don't find it essential - I managed to lose 60lbs by my lifestyle change alone however I do exercise now because it just makes me feel better about myself :)

I voted "Not nearly as important as what and how much I eat". By a looooooong stretch. I can lose weight without any exercise at all. But having an athletic identity helps me think about myself differently. Nevertheless, I've been a fat, very active athlete in the past. For me it is really all about the food.

I voted that it's very important and one day I'll be of the mindset that it's essential. I could also lose without the exercise and have done in the past, but I feel AMAZING when I have been moving in some way or another. Like others, I have more energy, am more in control and it does wonders for my self-esteem. Eventually *I* will be like several of the chicks here who inspire me on a daily basis :)

Originally Posted by kiramira:
What you look like is 80% diet, 20% exercise. You can lose weight without exercising, which is one of the options given in the poll. And this is an important message for those starting their journey -- we all hear we "have" to do all sorts of stuff in order to succeed, and exercise is right at the top of the list. But all these changes at once can be overwhelming for the beginner. I know it was for me! So I started with sorting out my diet. And I mean just focussing on in it and getting into a dietary groove. I went from 244lbs to 198 lbs without exercising. And once I was certain of the eating lifestyle and secure in it, I added the exercise. I don't lose any more nor faster, but I am healthier. And the new exercise habit will be invaluable for maintenance and for my overall health. So I recommended it HIGHLY. But if I had a choice to make as a beginner, I'd go with sorting out my eating plan.

Kira

Kira,

And I disagree with you. For me it was starting with exercise and only after a few months of exercise I realized that some dietary changes will be necessary as well. But at that point, I was already quite heavily into exercise. So if I had to begin again, I would start with exercise. But I am not saying one approach is wrong and the other is right. Everybody needs to find a method that works for him/her. I, for one, am not willing to count calories till the end of my life. So I chose clean and healthy eating without caring how many calories I consume. But the emphasis is on clean and healthy eating, not on 'not caring how many calories I consume'. I don't calories but of course I know what are good, on plan choices and which are not.

I guess it just goes to show how different everyone's path can be. I know at 244lbs, I didn't feel comfortable at all : I couldn't afford a proper sports bra, we didn't have the money for a gym membership : I felt like I waddled when I walked and the chafing was unbelievable. That was just me. I know this self-consciousness was a personal problem but it was a reality I had to deal with. So I started with focusing on my diet. And when I felt comfortable with exercising, I started.

I have a Dear SIL -God Love Her who goes to the gym every day. She wants to lose weight (60 lbs or so to get to the top end of a healthy weight), but she hasn't addressed her diet. She just believes that nothing works for her because exercising isn't resulting in weight loss. I've tried to suggest that it might be the daily piece of apple pie with ice cream, double breakfasts (one at her home, one at ours), tortilla chips and sour cream dip as appetizers, double daquiries at 2pm, the full lunch and dinner with DQ ice cream afterwards that might need to be addressed.

SO, if she was to ASK me, I would say that exercise is great, but she needs to sort out her eating habits if she wants to see results because 45 minutes on an elliptical won't do much to mitigate the imapct that her two Eggs Benedict, toast, bacon and jam for her first breakfast has on her body. That's all.

And my post was primarily for those just beginning -- there is so much to do "perfectly" in so many peoples' minds that they just give up. If they can focus on diet as diet accounts for 80% of what you look like, they will see results. And like I said, exercise is VITAL for maintenance, not that I'm there yet hahahahah but it is VITAL. But you CAN lose weight without exercise! And you can exercise like mad and not lose weight!

:)

Kira

I love exercise, and choose to do it regularly because I love it. But losing weight is 100% about food for me. My exercise patterns have been exactly the same at my highest & lowest weights.

Originally Posted by SusanB:
I voted but I'm going to clarify a little. I could lose weight without exercising ... maybe some weight. But I wouldn't obtain the slender fit body I was looking for.

I've lost the last 30# without exercising on South Beach. But I'm an age where I need to exercise to maintain my muscle mass and increase bone density. I really don't like to exercise, but have to make myself do it for good health. I'm able to maintain my weight loss without it, but I know I'm flabbier than I was when younger and weighed the same.

I really think it all depends on where you start out. For a super morbidly obese chick like myself, I could barely walk to the mailbox...I had to get a handle on my eating FIRST and foremost. If I would have started out a few inches taller and 100 pounds lighter, I might have taken the exercise til I drop approach. I also quit smoking and drinking alcohol all within a week of each other, (I was a heavy drinker and a pack a day smoker) so exercise was the last thing on my mind at the time. I knew I could only handle so much. But I am happy to say, I enjoy exercise now, and I although I'll never join a gym, I live on a farm and there is ALWAYS some heavy duty work to be done...AND I DO IT! Feels good to work my body and get something accomplished at the same time.

I voted that they are equal. For me atleast. And I do understand and some-what agree with everyone's post.

I am pleased, however, with how respectful we all are of each other's opinions! This could be a really heated debate ya know ;) Just like everything else in life: we are all sooo different that the percentage of diet to exercise needs to be tweaked to meet individual needs.

I need exercise. It helps keep my insulin in check, which greatly helps me make better food choices.
I have lost weight in the past without exercise, but actually ended up in poorer health. I need weight lifting to make me feel good. And if I feel good,I will eat well.

gotta exercise or I'll go crazy
 

I loved reading everyone's opinions on this. I would say two things on it: First, when I don't exercise, I don't have as much of an appetite, so I can lose weight because I'm not hungry. But then I'm tired and dragging. When I do exercise, I'm hungrier, but I am also more energized. And I have to burn off energy, otherwise I fidget like mad. I've shifted my workouts to focus on weight lifting in addition to my cardio. The cardio makes me feel better, but the weights are helping me add muscle. I want to be less jiggly. I just recently started an online fitness tracker called Training Peaks that gives me a variety of workout options and enables me to write down what I've done. Anything to stay motivated. Especially about lifting weights, lol!

I can lose without exercising, but I am not as motivated to eat right so I will easily start eating bad again. Since I know I'm exercising it motivates me to eat well and vise versa.

Originally Posted by kiramira:
What you look like is 80% diet, 20% exercise. You can lose weight without exercising, which is one of the options given in the poll. And this is an important message for those starting their journey -- we all hear we "have" to do all sorts of stuff in order to succeed, and exercise is right at the top of the list. But all these changes at once can be overwhelming for the beginner. I know it was for me! So I started with sorting out my diet. And I mean just focussing on in it and getting into a dietary groove. I went from 244lbs to 198 lbs without exercising. And once I was certain of the eating lifestyle and secure in it, I added the exercise. I don't lose any more nor faster, but I am healthier. And the new exercise habit will be invaluable for maintenance and for my overall health. So I recommended it HIGHLY. But if I had a choice to make as a beginner, I'd go with sorting out my eating plan.

Kira

Thank you for posting this! I am only into almost one week, and I am still sorting out my calorie intake! Some think that adding a little exercise is not a big deal, but focusing on the calories has GOT to be my main concern right now. I want to add a little exercise, but I'm not sure the calories/day I've been doing is correct; especially because TOM started the day before I started my new way of eating.

Originally Posted by Lori Bell:
But I am happy to say, I enjoy exercise now, and I although I'll never join a gym, I live on a farm and there is ALWAYS some heavy duty work to be done...AND I DO IT! Feels good to work my body and get something accomplished at the same time.

You go, girl!! I think that's very inspirational! I grew up in the country and there was always something to do. WTG! (course, I don't live in the country anymore and with the help of quitting smoking and taking paxil, I am about 70# heaviier).... *deep sigh*.... I have to lose weight for my health, that's all there is to it.

Originally Posted by :
When I was heavy, I used to live from the neck upwards. Working my body physically forces me to be in touch with all the parts below the neck. When I think of myself as an athlete, I treat my body with more respect & I make better choices.

This is possibly the best phrasing I've come across on this forum. Thank you for saying this so succinctly!

I feel controlling my eating is more important for me. But the whole exercise/diet thing is kind of a cycle also. If I exercise I don't want to 'undo' all my hard work by eating a lot of junk, however the exercise makes my hungry more often so I feel I eat more even if its healthy food. Also, if I do workout I feel a little more 'free' to indulge myself because I have exercised. I have been on two 3-month exercise systems {p90x and STS} and didn't lose any weight during either which I attribute to not watching my eating.

Several years ago I lost 70lbs by beginning to exercise and watching what I was eating. Since then I have regained some weight, lost some again without exercise, but not lost while exercising frequently and intensely. So I have to think its not only different for everyone but also different for where we are in our lives and habits. What worked serveral years ago isn't working now, so I feel I need to experiment as well as be consistant.

LOL, I hope that made sense its way past my bedtime!

Originally Posted by MBN:
Gotta have it. I need both -- diet and exercise. The diet has to be clean, because you can't "out-exercise" a poor diet. But exercise gives me positive energy, helps my stress level, and keeps my head screwed on straight. Regular exercise makes it easier to stay on track with my diet (psychological effect) as well as burns calories so I can either lose faster or eat more while on maintenance (physical effect). Plus exercise is fun and I enjoy it for its own sake now.

i agree with you !

I voted equally important becuase I need the combination of diet and exercise to successfully lose weight. W/o one or the other I will lose for a little while and then be put at a standstill.

Originally Posted by losermom:
Kira, that's funny. Not funny because I think you're weird, but funny that we're all so different. Because when I started, I started with the exercise because I've always found it easier to exercise than eat right. Over the course of 3 months, I slowly started to change the way I ate and continued to add new and different exercises to the mix. For me, exercise is essential, not only to my weight release, but to my emotional health as well. If I didn't exercise, I would be an anxious crazy lady!

I am so with you on that. For me it is EASIER to run 5 miles than watch I eat and pass up thing I really enjoy.