Is exercise the key?
 

I know there's all this "scientific data" that says calories in, calories out, blah blah blah. I don't believe in statistics and I'm not a lab rat, I'm a human being, and science is black and white, real life isn't. Every BODY is different.

Anyway, I've been watching my calories for almost three months now with minimal to no exercise and I have only lost 9 pounds since I last weighed in. It keeps going up and down DRAMATICALLY. Within a week I had gained it all back and then a few days later I was down all of it again? I know water, time of day, whatever else can cause this, but realistically it's very damaging to my confidence and motivation.

Every single weight loss success story I have read consisted of extreme exercise (I'm talking burning 1,400 calories per day through exercise, some said they exercised for 2+ hours every single day, personal trainers, fancy gym memberships, etc). The others that didn't really exercise were on a very strict diet that measured carbs, fat, calories, etc to the t. I'm no math wiz here and I don't want to be. I need something that I can actually do for the rest of my life.

So from your experience or anyone else that you know, is exercise really the key here to consistently losing weight and not gaining any of it back overnight? Even my doctors are telling me that I should have lost 30+ pounds by now. This is so depressing. I guess if exercise really is the key here, I will figure out how to burn the 1,400 calories a day or do the 2+ hours. It's not that I don't have the time for it, I just NEVER have the energy. I don't drink coffee or caffein, but I have caffein tablets, will that help at least in the beginning? I'm desperate here. For the last week I have slept for 15 or so hours a day every single day and still have no energy at all.

Health issues aside, this just isn't helping with my weight loss efforts. I feel like I have to do something drastic.. I don't want to give up yet.. My doctors are only telling me how much weight I "should have lost". They aren't telling me what to do, how to do it, giving me referrals to people who can help, nothing. So here I am hoping you guys can help. Thanks.

I think what you eat matters more.

I was sick for two weeks, no exercise and I put on several pounds so I think exercise does help - though I usually do minimal exercise but its consistent. I have no thyroid so that probably makes a difference so in my case I think I need to eat whole foods (no counting or restricting) and do regular exercise. Its the only way I've found it possible to maintain a healthy weight.

For me, yes, exercise is key but also exercise and eating well go hand in hand. I've read some things that certain things can actually increase your appetite (like long distance running, swimming) and it may be better to work on weight training, walking and HIIT. I know when I tried to swim for exercise, I became ravenously hungry, same thing with running. But I have been walking a lot(daily with the dogs, longer walks on the weekend), weight training (3x week) and I do a couple 'bootcamp' classes at the gym per week. My weight is steadily coming off and my clothes are much looser. (and no it isn't 2+ hours every day, but I would focus on 30-60 mins/day, starting with walking, incorporating weight training, you can use resistance bands which are cheap and very portable)

And when I lost 160 lbs, I was working out regularly. And when I maintained that weight for 5 years, I was exercising regularly. When I regained some of that back, I wasn't exercising consistently and even worse, my NEAT (non-exercise activity) dropped as well. Now I'm in relose mode again, and not only do I feel better, my mood is better, but I also tend to eat better when I'm caring about myself through exercise.

I like to exercise (walking) along with eating right. I could never get into the 2+ hr routines. It's just my opinion that that's a lot of exercising each day and if it's something you have to force yourself to do and it becomes something you dread or dislike you're not apt to stick to it.
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I'm sorry you're doctors keep telling you you "should have lost such and such" by now. How frustrating :( I think they should be applauding you for the weight you did lose. 9lbs is fantastic and yes it did take 3 months but that's OK! It's better to lose slowly and keep it off.

I wish I could give you better advice, losing weight is such a personal thing. I know you want to speed things up (LOL we all do) but take some time and read through the threads here. There are so many inspiring stories. You may even learn something new to work into your diet to help you along. I wish your doctors were more encouraging :( But you'll definitely find a lot of encouragement and ideas here!!

For me exercise only makes a little difference in weight loss. The first time I tried to lose weight years ago was through exercise without changing my eating habits. I only lost 10 lbs in a few months. The next year I continued to work out but decided to go low carb. In the same amount of time I lost 40 lbs, so how I was eating made most of the difference.

I've heard that exercise is for fitness, and proper diet is for weight loss. I've also heard that it's more about hormones than it is about calories. Your body has to be in the right state to properly use and burn the fuel put in it, whether it's a strict little amount or not. If low calorie is not working, you might need to change your strategy. The type of food you eat is important too, not just keeping the numbers low. For example, if your calories are coming from frozen dinners and granola bars you might want to swap them for natural whole foods with no ingredient lists.

I know how you feel about not wanting to measure calories or fat and carb grams because I'm trying to lose via lifestyle change instead of dieting. You should try to do some exercise for better health if you are able (and the more you do it, the more you will feel like doing it), but you shouldn't have to join a gym or exercise for many hours every day in order to lose weight. There might be some underlying health issues that are preventing you from losing weight.

I exercise 2 times a week, 2 hours each time. I do a water aerobics class. 2 hours may seem like a long time but we spend the whole time chatting about food, holidays, someone's family struggle, our pets etc... and the time goes by so very fast. Its very fun and its a great work out.

I want to find more exercise time like this. Walking on my own or doing a DVD seems like torture to me.

I have lost weight with little or no exercise. I have reflex sympathetic dystrophy and cannot put a lot of stress on my joints. I sprained my ankle making my bed and froze my shoulder/hand just opening a jar of peanut butter. But, I still am able to lose weight. If you vary your caloric intake daily, your body will not become used to it. Say, if you are taking in 1500 cals a day, eat 1200 one day and 1700 the next, then a few days back to 1500. I am using South Beach diet plan and although I don't count calories I know my intake varies pretty much every day because I don't eat the same thing daily. I lost 40+ lbs before, got off plan and now I am back on and have lost 9 lbs so far with no exercise.

I think people can lose without exercise, but it helps a lot! You just have to be careful to not start pigging out after you do it.

Try starting slowly. Walk a quarter or half-mile every other day, then build on that.

You don't have to do really hard cardio workouts if you don't want to. Just walk. Increase as energy allows.

As you do more exercise, you'll notice that you're a little more tired for a week or two, but then you'll notice that you have more energy all the time. More energy is a huge benefit of exercise. :)

Nutrition has always been key to me. I've gone through many period in which I lost much (the recommended 1 lb per week) on nutrition alone since I couldn't go to the gym.

The doctors are right, you should be losing. I'd say you're either logging your calories REALLY badly through pure estimation or you could have an insulin problem.

My dad's doctor told him that, because of his insulin problem, he could lock himself up in a room for a month and he'd only lose a couple of pounds. He isn't diabetic, but he doesn't process insulin well, so he has to take metformin. Maybe look into that?

Because you asked, I will say for me personally, food is slightly more important then exercise. They are both important... But forr body I could (and have) just focused on eating right for so that and skipped exercising and still lost the " normal " amount for me. What exercise does fore currently is keep my muscles and strength up.

But it does sound like something else is going on with your body and I don't think just exercise or food can fix it without some answers. Definitely listen to what some of the others have suggested. Your docotor sounds like a jerk, "you should have lost 30" isn't helping. They should be seeing if their is some other problem.

Moderate Exercise Helpful
 

Hi There, I count calories and keep moving during the day (every day), and include outdoor cycling or indoor exercise machine several times a week, for what probably amounts to moderate exercise, with good results. Ironically I find that I lose less weight the weeks I exercise the hardest at the gym; I don't know if my body just saves more calories under stress or my fat is turning to muscle, but 1200-1300 cal/day and steady moderate exercise seems to work better for me. I've lost all my weight twice before and this seems to be key- now I need to figure out how to keep it off forever :bike2:

Have you told your doctors you're sleeping 15hrs a day? That's twice as much sleep as your body needs. This could be the root cause of not having energy. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as too much sleep.

Exercise is one of those things that will give you energy. Not the first few days but quickly you will soon start to see results. A body in motion stays in motion... the opposite is also true unfortunately. No, you do not have to do bootcamp or see a personal trainer or exercise for 2+ hours a day. But you do have to make every effort you can to move more during the day. If you spend a lot of time sitting down then you are used to it, you have to get up and move. Believe it or not, walking is enough!

I'm one of those who does approx. 2 hours of exercise a day, but that's because I found a way to incorporate it into my daily life. I work on the computer from home quite a bit, and I have a homemade tread desk. That takes care of 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day (4 1/2 - 6 miles). About 4 days a week, I also take a CrossFit class that I really love. I, too, used to dread exercise and would never have thought I would do that much every day, but I've been doing this for about 4 years now, and I have zero dread factor.

Because of the amount of exercise I do, though, I got spoiled in terms of my eating habits. When I initially went on maintenance, it seemed as if I could eat almost anything I wanted and not gain. I think over the years, though, my body got used to all that walking, and I don't think I burn as many calories. Because my eating habits were somewhat haphazard, I started regaining. I've probably regained 7-10 lbs.

The moral to this story? Exercise does help to a certain point, but ultimately, it will not make up for bad eating habits. Even so, I think if I did not exercise or did very little, I would probably have regained most of my weight by now.

Incidentally, I agree with Palestrina about the excessive sleep. Have you asked your doctors about that?

Nutrition and lifting weights.
What are you eating? Real food or cardboard low fat crap? It's not just calories in/calories out. It's quality. If your not giving your body what it needs it will lower your metabolism.

I am eating real, whole foods. Staying away from what I am allergic to as best I can-which is extremely difficult because there's a lot: Caesin, Milk, Shrimp, Lobster, Crab, Chicken, Pork, Beef, Oats, Rye.. and I feel like I am missing some but it's very hard to remember all of it.

I haven't drank cow's milk in over a year, probably longer. I do eat some cheese, but mostly for the protein as I put it in my salads when I feel like it. I do eat greek yogurt as I feel it doesn't bother me, along with the cheese. Chicken is impossible to go without, because I can't have any other meat except for turkey and that is more expensive than chicken. And I don't find that chicken irrirates my body really either, so I eat it in moderate amounts, skinless, no added sauces or crap, usually boiled or grilled. I eat so many vegetables I could turn into one. I had a salad every single day for lunch with added veggies, sometimes a few strawberries when I want something sweet. The dressing I use is 35 calories per 2tbsp and I measure it out. I weight and measure everything, so I am logging correctly. I keep track of macros as well as calories. I have designed MFP to an atkins sort of macro diet. (less cabs, more protein). Breakfast is my biggest meal of the day, usually eggs or special k protein cereal with almond milk if my carb intake allows it for the day.

Trust me, my food budget has went up 30% so I know that I'm doing it right. Fresh, whole foods are much more expensive and harder to come by than the junk on the shelves that are $1. Also, I haven't had any soft drinks in 3 months. Nothing at all but water and zero calorie green tea. I have made a tremendous effort not to drink my calories. I use to drink a 1/2 liter of Sprite every day (I only drank soda with meals) and water the rest of the day. But now it's just water and has been since I started this journey, March 1st.

Aside from exercising, I AM doing everything right (as far as I know that it's right). I don't get the low fat, low whatever stuff unless it's something I can't live without, like salad dressing. But 35 calories and no fat or extra sodium works for me. Come on people, we can't give up everything. I don't even eat bread anymore, haven't for the last two months. I've tried with the tuna but man, I HATE TUNA. It's freaking awful which really sucks because it's low calorie and tons of protein. Oh well, I have to do what I have to do too. If I keep eating things I absolutely hate, I'll just splurge on something bad eventually or give up altogether. And I don't eat fast food, I literally can't, it makes me very sick. So... if there is anything I'm doing wrong that you can see, let me know, but I really don't see what the problem is. Month 1 I was eating lean pockets, but I've stopped that because they bother my stomach and I've switched to stir-fry for dinner. Frozen vegetables, I can't afford all of the fresh stuff. But I don't add any butter or crap like that. I've never used butter, I absolutely hate the taste. I just bought some soy sauce to try, low sodium, like 5 calories a tbsp I think, so we'll see how that goes. I was just boiling my veggies before this because I've never liked the added sauces and stuff, my stomach just can't handle it.

I do have hypothyroidism and thyroiditis. I'm taking synthroid, just got up to the full pill 100mcg. Maybe that will start helping soon. The only thing I can think to do is add some vigorous exercise in and see what happens. Thanks for all the tips and advice!

Oh and about the sleeping, I keep my doctors up to date with everything. My primary thinks it's my body getting use to the synthroid or recovering from the bulging disc I had injured. Who knows, time will tell. But the back feels better so that is a positive out of all of this!