How important is exercise to weight loss?

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Forum -> Health & Wellness -> Healthy Lifestyle/ Weight Loss/ Exercise

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amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 4:18 am

I have majorly changed my eating habits.
But I have not been able to do exercise all that much (I walk our dog twice a day, but thats just a stroll, nothing more).
I see that the scale is literally not moving. It is so upsetting.
I work full full time. I have no time for exercising.
What do you all suggest?

BadTichelDay

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 6:23 am

Well, the usual concept is that you have to exercise combined with changing your eating habits to lose weight.
But, I hate, hate, hate exercise and have no time for it either. So I do it without.

For the last 5 weeks or so I have been on a diet with no exercise and it works for me, I've lost 4 kg (about 8 pounds). I've had similar successes in the past but ruined them by dropping back into my old bad eating habits.
My diet is very simple - restricting calories and increasing protein.
For the daily caloric intake I've used in the past an online calculator (the website has closed down since). I set it to calories needed to lose 1/2 kg (1 pound) per week, adapted to my age and activity. Came out with 1800 calories a day for me. I stick to it, add up everything I eat per day, and it works, I even lose more per week than anticipated.
For extra protein I use soy protein powder in the morning. It does reduce appetite for me.

So, in my experience, it is possible.
But it might not work for everyone.

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 7:19 am

I think everyone's bodies are different. Fir me to lose weight- I don't change my eating habits at all because I hate fruits and veggies and whole wheat, and I ONLY exercise.

OOTforlife

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 8:18 am

In terms of direct calorie burn, exercise doesn't do much for the average person who does not exercise at high durations and levels of intensity. So in one sense, exercise is not important.

But I think that working toward fitness goals, as well as weight goals, can be very important to a person's mental state in ways that make it more likely they will achieve weight loss.

Geulanow

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 10:11 am

Have you cut down on salt? Do you sleep enough at night , at least 7 hours? Vitamin D might also help, if you don't already take.

champagne

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 11:00 am

Exercise is mostly for toning your body, making it look physically better, but won’t burn that many calories ultimately—unless you’re seriously going to work out for hours, which is probably not realistic.
It can also suppress your appetite, which is very helpful when you’re trying to eat less.
It will also get you into a mindset of health—and it’s wonderful for mental health.
And obviously, it has a huge impact on your overall heath in the long run. That’s the main reason we should be exercising, honestly.

I also work a lot and don’t really have time to exercise. A suggestion: attach the exercise to your schedule. For example, make it a thing: before your shower, 15 minutes of plugging into music and doing planks, jogging, whatever. Or, as soon as I get home, before I do anything else, I take out the exercise mat.
It’s easier said than done because I really hate exercise! I need an exercise buddy to encourage me

amother

Black

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 11:01 am

Restricting calories, cutting out flour based foods (bread, pasta) and sugar - the most weight loss

Aerobic exercise - burns some calories, but more importantly, revs up your metabolism to burn calories naturally (and strengthens your heart)

Toning/weight training - increases muscle mass, which eliminates fat distribution (helping you lose "inches"), firms and defines figure, and revs up your metabolism

So dieting without exercise can work, but with out the metabolism boost from exercise, it will be harder. Hatzlacha, you can do it!!

amother

Peach

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 12:59 pm

Exercise is extremely important to your general health, and without it, dieting can cause you to lose muscle.

amother

Cyan

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:10 pm

It shouldn't be so hard to carve out the time to exercise. You can easily incorporate it into your lifestyle:
walk to the store instead of driving
do squats while holding the baby
run up and down the stairs a few extra times
find 10 minutes to jog around your living room
put on the music and dance while you make dinner
etc.

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 3:45 pm

amother [ Cyan ] wrote:

I am the op and just had to laugh at your examples because those dpecific examples dont work in my life.
I live accross the street from a supermarket.
Not everyone has a baby. And iive on ground floor with no stairs. Just funny your examples.

My4Jewels

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 3:54 pm

OP what are you eating in a day. It might be time to see a nutritionist. They can be so helpful with what your activity level is and the right foods for you.

crust

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 6:30 pm

I'm not sure it goes me lose weight but skipping my daily walk because of schedule changes has definitly made me gain weight.

amother

Aubergine

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 6:43 pm

This is such a controversial topic bec with exercise I hear/heard so many things about whats better or worse....

While everyone is different such that with regard to dieting, different restrictions work for different ppl. But, majority of ppl say someones diet is around 80% of weight loss compared to exercise. So, whether someone does keto diet or intermittent fasting or low carb and low sugar and high protein or....but its important to have a good diet for weight loss.

Regarding exercise, im out of my house around 10-12 hrs a day but always did HIIT cardio exercise (with my kids so it pushes me) for 15 min(not a lot). For things like walking or...I always do that and rarely have access to a car, but I wasnt losing weight.

So, I just heard some interesting news online from youtube about cardio vs weights such that ppl said cardio is good for your heart but once you are done, you are not burning fat.
So, they said everyone shoukd be doing weights to build muscle and with proper diet, when muscle forms, one is burning more calories just by sitting. Lifting weights affects metabolism especially since with cardio your body gets used to it...but with weights, you can keep lifting heavier and heavier. A person needs to know how to lift properly to avoid injury , and of course, the body needs some rest times/days.

I learned so much from youtube about this, but im struggling bec my diet is not great bec I dont have time and money to devote to eating properly and eat late at night...and I want to spend more time lifting weights which I started doing more toning exercises...but limite...

So, yes, diet is more important....what you eat
..how much of each macro...and when you eat....however if someone is very very overweight, they probably need to do exercise also to lose weight...so really everyone is different..

Chana Miriam S

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 7:48 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I have lost about 90 pounds without exercise. I’d say that what you eat is more important if you are talking purely about scale weight.

That said, there are immense advantages to exercise. No, I don’t do it. Yes, I probably My should. Maybe I will someday. But I’ll do it because of the benefits of exercise, not to lose weight.

I eat very low carb, to satiety. I’ve worked out what works for me and what doesn’t food wise, over the past two years. I never cheat. Even when I had a year long plateau. Also, not gaining or maintaining is a massive win for me. Because that’s what works for me. YMMV.

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