What if I don't exercise?
 

Hi everyone!

Ok so I've been on this weight loss journey since June 1st and so far I've lost 23lbs (went from 226lbs to 203lbs). I am 5'4". I eat about 1300 calories daily. I only worked out for about one week consistently back at the end of June, but that's it. I did walking/jogging intervals during that week.

Well, I've stopped working out since I'm losing a good amount of weight solely on my decrease in calories. I struggle to find time to work-out anyway because of my job so my question is this: Is it absolutely necessary that I work out? Obviously it's not required to lose weight because I'm doing just fine with my calorie counting, but is there some other reason that I should be implementing exercise into my daily routine? (I'm scared to death of having loose skin, would exercise give me a fighting chance of NOT having loose skin once I reach my goal weight?)

Hopefully this doesn't make me sound lazy, because I'm not! And if you all tell me it's probably best to start exercising, I most certainly will. :)

Thanks for your help!

Exercising would help you with loose skin and giving you a nice toned body once you reach your goal weight.

Like you said, exercising is not a requirement for losing weight. But, some exercising is a good idea. Even 10-20mins a day. I'm finding that circuit training is a good, quick and hard workout. An easy beginner series is the 30 day shred. I'm currently doing that. There are 3 levels. They're 20mins each. You could start out just doing it 2 times a week and work yourself up.

I'm sure there will be some other chickie's to help you out as well. I'm all new to this!

:bravo: on your awesome progress thusfar!! Keep it movin'! :carrot:

Exercising is not important for losing weight, but it's SO important for so many other dimensions of health! Getting your heart rate up, increasing flexibility, and doing weight-bearing exercises helps your heart, bones, and muscle.

Perhaps incorporating 2-3 light-to-medium exercise sessions a week would still not interfere with your hunger/calorie intake (which seems to be in a good balance right now) but allow you to reap the benefits of exercise. Going on brisk walks, doing Pilates or yoga, and/or doing some weights may be useful to incorportae into your routine.

Congrats on the loss so far!!

Thanks so much for the feedback. I've actually been feeling guilty for not exercising, kind of like I'm "cheating" or something. I think I'll start walking for 30 minutes a few times a week, and bump it up to light jogging when I get down to like 180ish.

Blue: Incorporating weights? Really? Do you think I should start that now at barely over 200lbs or wait until I get to a lighter weight?

Eventually you begin to slow with the weight loss and working out will help to lose more as you start losing less. You also are not only losing fat, but muscle! If you choose not to work out, you will not replace the muscle that you are currently losing and without that muscle, calories are harder to burn. Besides that, there was a time when I was small and fat. Hardly any muscle and a lot a flab. I looked better a little bigger with more muscle. IT IS IMPORTANT!!! I hope you reconsider:) Good Luck Dear!!!

So I also started June 1st, I was 227 lbs, 205 lbs as of Friday... just thought it was funny that were almost exactly the same lol I don't exercise much exept walking about 20 minutes a day... I'm going to hopefully add more walking once I move to a better neighborhood but haven't exercised much yet. You can totally lose weight without exercise.
But when it comes to skin I do think exercise helps because it defines muscle which makes your body look better and can fill in loose skin a little better. If your parents still have tight skin then you have better chances. :)

Shmoops, excellent point! Thanks for reminding me of that. I will definitely start exercising again, even if I have to start off slow.

Jill, wow, our numbers are very close. Congratulations on your weight loss! It's such an amazing feeling of accomplishment, isn't it?!

Do you count calories? if so, what is your daily calorie intake?

I started a diet and exercise plan June 1st as well! While I haven't lost as much as you both (mostly because I eat a little more, lol) I really do think exercise is necessary to have a "tighter" body.

When you lose body mass, what you're losing is a combination of both muscle and fat. The idea with incorporating exercise is to limit your muscle loss (because we want those!) and increase your fat loss. Either with weight training or cardio (ideally a combination of both!) you'll build more lean muscle tissue, which burns calories even when you're just sitting around. So, if you're wanting a smaller number on the scale AND better health all around, diet WITH exercise is the way to go!

Congrats on your loss so far, by the way! Keep it up! :D

You should start weight training now. It will do so much more for you in the long run. An intense weight lifting session of about 20 minutes will burn WAY more calories than an hour long walk. Also, it will boost your metabolism for several hours afterward, resulting in more caloric afterburn. Plus you will notice gains in strength so quickly, it's ultra-rewarding. (Like 1-2 weeks and you will NOTICE you're getting stronger.)

There's no reason you can't start lifting weights at your current weight. I did and am glad for it. You'll build muscle and as you lose weight, you'll start really seeing the muscles you've toned underneath the fat. It's a great feeling to look in the mirror and see biceps! Don't imagine that you have to go bench-press a cow or something. If you've access to a gym, talk to a trainer about a good set of moves to begin with, or get some free weights or resistance bands to use at home (there are lots of good guides on the internet that show proper form). If you end up doing the 30 Day Shred, as someone suggested, you'll be using free weights in that. You can do it!

Everything you said was awesome, but that was HILLARIOUS!! LOL :joker:

Well the saying goes and I am not sure where I heard it but I find it true....

"You lose weight to look good in clothes, you exercise to look good naked!"

You can lose weight by cutting calories without exercising but it's not going to do anything but make you a smaller version of yourself. You are gonna want to see some muscle tone as the fat melts off.

Hmm.. I like that saying 4star!! :D

I'm working out because i'm afraid of alot of excess skin since i have alot to lose. my tummy's already a lost cause i think cuz of my babies but i'd like to keep the rest of me toned while i'm losing. :)

You absolutely can lose weight without exercising. But you absolutely won't look as good that way. I know from experience how demotivating it can be to put in the effort to lose a lot of weight and then still look like a sack of potatoes.

Check out this article. It it's too long to read, scroll down to the visual "punchline". You'll know it when you see it.

http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/22/...ddicts-part-2/

4start, I love that saying. Never heard it before, but I'll definitely remember it. I'm sick with a cold and sore throat today, but I definitely plan on exercising once I recover (hopefully within a couple days).

Thanks again everyone!

Yoyoma, I read the article, thanks. The pictures are amazing. I've definitely decided to start exercising again. :)

I didn't read everyone's comments, but why would you want to lose weight only to not work out. Losing weight to
me is not only looking better, but having an overall healthier lifestyle. You think just bcs those skinny girls are really
thin they are in shape and healthy? Not always the case. When I started my journey healthier eating and exercise
just seemed like the natural way to go. To be healthy... not just thinner, or weigh less.

its better to work out while trying to lose weight. ive done the whole edcalorie intake with no exercise and lost 30 lbs...however...i lost muscle and yeah you can get smaller but you wont look as nice unfortunately =/ so best to add some type of work out routine to at least tone your body so you'll look even better as you shed those lbs =]

Just to piggyback on what others have said, exercising helps create that calorie deficit for weight loss, but it has SO MANY other benefits as well. Posters have mentioned how good it is for your heart, muscles, bones, and how it can help the way your body looks as you continue to lose. For me, it is such a mood booster and stress reliever! I might not always feel great during the workout, but there's nothing like the feeling after I'm finished. It's just awesome with all those endorphins rushing around! As someone who used to go years between workouts, I now exercise 5-6 days a week- not because it's a chore I've assigned myself, but because it feels so damn good! I seriously think it's as good for my mental health as it is for my physical health :).

I think one of the things you might notice is that while you are steadily losing weight now [right on!] that is going to start to slow down rapidly once your body becomes more assimilated to your changes in diet - that is why you need exercise - it keeps your metabolism high, helps build muscle rather than lose it, burns add'l calories & overall shocks your system for additional weight loss - therefore definitely definitely find a program that works for you if you want to keep up the good work.