I'd like to hear from those who have lost or are losing weight by exercising and not really dieting.

I am currently not really dieting because I can't afford fancy diet foods. I am watching HOW MUCH I eat and instead of two slices of pizza I have one, instead of one and a half hot dogs I have one and instead of a bag of chips I have a handful. Stuff like that. But I am pouring myself into working out and results are extremely slow. It can be hard to stay motivated but I am determined and I CAN feel my body changing.

Please talk to me about how this has worked for you. I have a feeling it's going to be a slow process.

I would like to hear from the people it has worked for please.

While I have not had success losing weight by exercising alone, I thought you might be interested in reading an article that I read yesterday about losing weight on a budget. The article is on moneysavingmom.com
Here is the link:

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_...-a-budget.html

You dont need expensive diet foods, and you really are kind of dieting. You are lowering your normal calorie intakes.

sorry to say, but you are only going to get so far with juts the exercise thing.
I worked out religiously for almost 3 years (EVERYDAY. sometimes 2X a day) tryig to loose weight..i got into fantastic shape, maybe lost a little weight, felt better, but no real weight loss...I finally weighed myself after all that time and i found out i was only 5-8 pounds lighter, after 3 YEARS. And for the most part, i ate really, really well....havent had fast food in over 3 years as well...So, it wasnt until i got my DIET in check, actually REDUCED the amount of exercising (a little bit-- i still exercise everyday), that i began seeing DRAMATIC results....like 7 pounds of body fat in juts a couple weeks!! You are going to have to do MORE than just only eat less chips, and less pizza (sorry if thats not what you want to hear, but its true). An OCCASSIONAL piece of pizza is one thing, however, eating junk food everyday (even if in smaller quantities) isnt going to cut it. Im not trying to tell ou not to exercuse..you NEED to!! youll FEEEL so much better, and exercise has such positive results... Studies have shown that when compared to one another, people who ONLY diet loose more weight than people who ONLY exercise. I think you might see some results, at first though...good luck and please seriously consider completely overhauling your diet!!

So you don't want to hear from people who it hasn't worked for? I can tell you I've gained weight from exercising more but not watching my diet. I've also heard similar stories from others who have either maintained (which is good) or gained weight.

I have read this more than once, from several different sources: weight loss is 75-80% diet, 20-25% exercise.
The reasoning is: one pop tart (or doughnut, or cookie) is 200 calories. You can eat that in what, less than a minute. It would take you 30 minutes of aerobic activity to burn that off.
It's much better to NOT eat the food, than to try to burn it off.
You need to exercise for the health benefits, not necessarily for the weight loss benefits (though it does help some).
Sorry, not what you wanted to hear

I'm a little put off that you've posted on a discussion weight loss forum, but said you only want to hear from people who back up your theory.

Sounds harsh, but I think you're just looking for someone to go ahead and tell you to eat hot dogs and pizza, but if you eat less of them and exercise a lot, you'll be fine. I don't think that will work.

But I'm not really sure you didn't expect that response in the first place.

By assuming that healthy foods are more expensive, you are really doing more harm than good. You CAN eat healthy on a budget. Healthy food CAN taste really good. And eating healthy WILL make you feel better and help your weight loss.

Don't cheat yourself here. I understand baby steps. But don't allow yourself to use excuses like that. Your brain is just trying to trick you into taking the path of least resistance. And to lose weight and get healthy, it will take work.

You are on the right start though, by minimizing the amount of healthy food, now just start incorportaing the healthy stuff in!

Hi there.

Just as an idea, this is what it would take to burn off your food examples, from CalorieKing:

Large Hot Dog with bun, ketchup, no mayo: 365 Calories
101 mins of walking 42 mins of jogging 30 mins of swimming 56 mins of cycling

1 slice of 14" Cheese Pizza: 272 Calories
75 mins of walking 31 mins of jogging 23 mins of swimming 41 mins of cycling

1 oz of regular Potato Chips: 150 Calories
42 mins of walking 17 mins of jogging 12 mins of swimming 23 mins of cycling

It takes ALOT of effort to burn calories, and if this is your weight loss plan it is GOING to be SLOW and HARD TO DO. It might be easier to watch what you eat (no fancy diet foods required, just good old fashioned fruits, veg, lean protein, and whole grains...) and you would definitely be better off eating properly than restricting a junk food diet.
JMHO
Best of luck...

Kira

I think you'll find that once you get into a daily exercise routine, you'll have more of a desire to eat healthier foods. A piece of pizza is just not the fuel your body needs to get in a great workout. Or after a workout, eating hot dogs and pizza will feel a little counterintuitive. Like why the hard work if you're just gonna put bad stuff into your body? Anyway, that's just how I feel. Hope you change your mind about eating healthy.

What everyone else said cant be more true.

I ate **** food, exercised my *** off and was still fat. I came third in a sprint triathlon and was 20 kgs overweight. I was fit...and fat!

Its just not possible

No good news from me unfortunately, without the calorie reduction part of the equation, I was just a fat person who liked running, biking, and swimming.

I had to manage the food to reach success. For me, calorie reduction is 95% of the whole equation.

Sorry, I'm another one that needs the diet component too. Last winter, when I was marathon training, I actually gained a few pounds. You can't out-exercise a poor diet. However, exercise helps my stress level and makes me feel more in control, so it's easier to stick to my eating plan. But I still have to stick to a calorie budget, or I gain.

I tried exercising and eating healthy for a few months... No results (unless GAINING weight counts!). Since I started keeping a food diary and counting my calories, the weight has been coming off!

Sorry, but I can't tell you it's worked for me, or anyone I know.

When my husband and I were first married (each of us closer to 400 lbs than 300), and we were trying to lose weight together, he was a strong believer in exercise without dieting. We'd go to the gym together, and I would take reading material along, because I couldn't keep up with his exercise routine. I'd lift weights, walk and the treadmill and then swim (we usually coordinated so we could swim together), then shower and change. In total, I would exercise for an hour to 90 minutes. Hubby would exercise for three hours or more, so when I was done, I'd be left with a couple hours on my hands.

I guess if a 400 lb man with a physically strenuous job can exercise intensely for three hours and not lose more than a smidgen of weight, I don't see a lot of hope for anyone else.

You are cutting back on calories, so if you lose any weight now, it's probably more the calories than the exercise. That isn't to say the exercise isn't important, but it tends to increase hunger in the short run, so it's very, very easy to think it's ok to satisfy that hunger by eating a little more rationalizing that it's ok "because I'm exercising so hard."

My husband and I are on a very tight budget, and we're eating healthier than ever before. There are tons and tons of resources on saving money (search google and amazon for things like frugal eating, dieting on a budget, eathing healthy on a budget, saving money eating well.....). A lot of the techniques won't apply to your situation, but you'll still find alot of useful information.