Does anyone lose weight from just decreasing their calories or just by exercising? I know you can definitely lose by doing both but just curious if anyone has lost from just calories alone.
I've lost 45 lbs by just controling my eating, but it's really slowed down the past month or so. I know that if I want to keep losing, I'll have to start exercising.
From Sept 08 to March 09, I worked out 5 days a week. One day I had cardio kickboxing, another day I had a spin class, one day latin dancing and the other two days I walked 6 miles (each day). I didn't control my eating at all. Not only did I NOT lose weight, I even gained and went up to my highest (172). I don't know how much of that was muscle compounded by fat, but it was definitely eye-opening that all that exercise does nothing if it isn't supplemented by diet.
Diet accounts for 80% of weight loss. My personal experience convinced me of this. Le sigh.
It's possible to lose weight by just reducing calories. BUT... without exercising muscle mass is also lost therefore decreasing your metabolism. And I think it will only get you to a certain point before the weight loss slows down or stops. I don't think it's really possible to lost weight by just exercising because if you exercise and burn a few hundred calories then eat a greasy burger and fries and add on some dessert, that is probably close to 2,000 calories so the exercise didn't really do much.
I workout a lot and also eat pretty healthy, and it really makes me feel great. A year ago I NEVER thought I'd be here right now, but I made a commitment to creating a healthier lifestyle and stuck with it. I treat it like it's my JOB!!
Oh I agree, exercising and eating healthy is what losing weight consists of. I exercise 5 times a week and eat healthy. I look forward to seeing my progress.