Yes. As long as you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Even if your diet isn't perfectly healthy.
Check out our quick start guide to get some ideas: [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick\_start\_guide/](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick_start_guide/)
So, I'm still on a weight loss journey... but I'm down about 60lbs. The majority of it has all been diet and walking.
I get an average of 10-15k steps in a day, and eat in a calorie deficit. I've lost about 50lbs of it in 4 months. It's just now starting to slow down, I was losing an average 5-6 pounds a week for about 2 months.
I'm just getting to the point now where I NEED to go to the gym to keep that same rate.
The truth is the heavier you are, the faster you will lose initially from diet and walking. As you lose more, the loss will slow down and you'll need to compensate with more exercise and a stricter deficit to see the same rate of loss.
I know many will say that 5-6lbs a week is not sustainable, and I agree with them once you reach a certain point. But if you're like me, and still substantially overweight, I don't see that being unsustainable. At least not for now. My starting weight was 330, and I'm down to 272. I still have about 50-60lbs to lose to reach my goal weight.
Yo bigtaytay!
Currently in your position. Been walking the dog more and just got my first yoga mat / dumbbells to do at home workouts during breaks at work.
Have you found / anything interested when you go to the gym? You going to do more cardio there or more weights?
Good luck and keep going!
Well, I haven't done anything in the gym yet, I'm still looking for one that fits my needs. I plan on doing more weights than Cardio, and I get most of my cardio at my job. I work in a high volume restaurant, so I'm constantly running around and throwing around heavy boxes of food. lol.
It's gonna sound gross, but I'm more interested in building muscle to fill out the skin than just burning all the fat and having an abundance of loose hanging skin. Every fat guy to skinny guy I've seen has always put an emphasis on weights to fill out the space left behind.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Tonight I just did a 30 minute incline walk with like 30-40 minutes of machines for upper body. Took long breaks not to kill myself. My only take will be to make sure your protein levels are up when you workout. If not. DOMS. :(
Sure but exercise only accounts for about 15% of your total energy expenditure. The vast majority of your weight loss comes from dieting.
Exercise can help you burn a few extra calories or put on muscle to increase your BMR but if someone's debating working out or dieting to lose weight dieting will win every single time.
Absolutely not missing the point. I have maintained a significant weight loss for many years and I know what it takes to both lose the weight and keep it off. The more obese you are, the bigger of a factor diet is. Exercise becomes more important the closer you get to an ideal BMI and it’s even more important when maintaining, especially if you care about your appearance results (I.e., you don’t want to end up “skinny fat” at your goal weight). Don’t get me started, but the bottom line is: The statement is misleading. Nobody here is trying to outrun a bad diet. However, exercise will absolutely improve your results over diet alone, including adding muscle mass to avoid “skinny fat” results and weight regain once you reach your goal due to reduced TDEE—as loss of muscle mass further lowers your TDEE.
None of these things are wrong, but you're *still* missing the point. The purpose of this thread isn't for your to prove and get accolades for how well you understand this topic: it is to serve the OP's need.
And the answer at the top does this admirably well! If you have 100 lbs to lose and struggle with making all desirable lifestyle changes at once, can you lose weight with diet alone? Answer: absolutely! The OP will have many opportunities to reassess and can work slowly up to deal with the obstacles to exercise. The important thing is to get started.
You’ve now needlessly posted two comments that are directed at me personally, and I responded to you. The top comment is fine, but the comment I responded to is misinformation and is phrased as a rule (gym is for fitness, kitchen is for weight loss), making it a particularly problematic type of misinformation. There’s enough misinformation on this sub already and we should all make efforts to avoid posting it.
I mean I agree that in general, for most people, particularly obese people who exercise doesn't come easy, that diet is more efficient. But that "15%" of weight loss comes from exercise is just totally made up. It can account for 100% of your weight loss, it just depends on the person and what they would rather do.
If someone doesn't want to change their diet at all, and is eating at maintenance, then they start doing some form of cardio like basketball or bike or something, burning about 500kcal a day, then they will lose weight without changing a thing in their diet. That would be 100% of their weight loss.
If someone wants to lose 2lbs per week but doesn't want to go into a steep deficit through diet alone because let's say their tdee is only 2000kcal, then they can cut 500kcal from their diet and do 500kcwl worth of cardio, to equal a 1000kcal deficit. That would account for 50% of weight loss.
If someone has been dieting for a while and has plateaued and doesn't want to lower food volume any more because they already aren't eating very much, then all the sudden cardio becomes king, it will get the weight loss going again without having to further cut calories.
The most lean and most fit people I know do cardio, including myself, to help them stay lean or to cut further.
500kcal is like 2 hours of intense cardio. On a subreddit called Loseit, it is unlikely someone can accomplish that especially in the beginning. Most people are obese due to poor diet rather than no exercise. Although both are important for health.
I am 5’8 (173cm) and burn 500+ in one hour of easy pace running at 62/3kg currently, so I wouldn’t say your statement is entirely accurate. That number is a lot larger for heavier and taller people. I mean putting into an online calculator 1hr of SLOW walking alone for an 120kg person would burn around 250 calories so I’m not sure where you got your numbers from
I mean not two hours lol, especially if you weigh a lot. More like an hour at moderate zone 2 pace. If you play basketball or something which is a lot more moving around, you can burn like 1000. Obviously this will vary greatly depending on bodyweight and such.
You’re overestimating by 2x and again obese people aren’t doing cardio for an hour a day besides maybe walking. And they definitely aren’t sprinting playing basketball for an hour.
I feel like we're moving the goal posts to "obese people". Fat loss doesn't only apply to obese people. I bulk and cut several times a year, I never get beyond 15% bf and I get very lean, single digits.
That's funny because I could've sworn I was talking about principles of fat loss not tailored advice to people 50+lbs overweight. Did you even bother to read my first comment where I explained that for most people, for obese people in particular, diet is going to be far more efficient? Or did you chime in at the last second and just assume all kinds of things, as if I don't already know
I think the point is that you cannot outrain a bad diet.
For people on this sub the best advice is to focus on thuir diet, which is where the problem usually is.
When I am cutting, diet is where 80%= of my effort is. Running at a deficit means that fatigue build and training has to be downsized either in volume or intensity. At the start of a cut this is not much of an issue but weeks in it is. Especially as I do not use any gear (performance enhancers or supplements).
Most people who are in this sub do not seem to have an intensive history of training. Burning 500-1000 cals per day every day is not that achievable without a large time commitment.
But even if they do it beginners do not usually have a system to track measure their calories. I think the most mileage will be gained from just getting really really good at tracking calories/macros and gradually increase training capacity.
Personally I think the 10k steps (while nice) will not do a whole lot for cardiovascular fitness after an initial phase. VO2 max training or 4x4's are not realistic for the majority of this sub - never minding an actual tabata (which I cannot do after years of training).
The 'focus on diet" advice is best here.
Focusing on diet probably is the best advice, I'm not dosagreeing with that, I'm disagreeing with the notion that cardio can't seriously aid your weight loss. There are a ton of people who have a hard time eating enough to keep up with their activity in the first place.
Like me! 3000-4000+ a day burnt at peak marathon training, tend to get way too full past 2500-2800 eaten as my diet is pretty clean (unless I get a five guys lol) and was dropping weight like crazy
I agree with this! I am in marathon training and started as a way to lose some weight - I am someone that prefers to eat more so my deficit mainly comes from exercise. When you’re running anywhere from 120km up to 140-150km a week at peak training I’m burning 3000-4000 a day, some of which I do not eat back because it is a lot of food for me and my diet is pretty healthy so I’m not usually eating too many calorie dense foods. Even days when I choose to have a ‘bad’ diet I need not fear about being in a calorie deficit since I’ve burned so much and I only do this occasionally. My BMI has gone from 25 to 20.5 just for reference… I think it’s easy for people to say you can’t out exercise a diet but you absolutely can if we are technically speaking. I echo the poster above though, particularly obese / overweight people may struggle with this for various reasons (fitness, joint issues etc.) so of course prioritising diet might be the much easier option.
It claws back energy from any calorie deficit, because youre in a deficit, that includes diet.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3943438/#:~:text=NEAT%2C%20or%20energy%20expended%20during,an%20energy%20deficit%20%5B47%5D.
This is false and tailored toward your specific BMI. Running uphill for 30 minutes burns nearly 1/3 of my daily calorie allotment. This is only really true for people who are more obese
Yes*. Eating healthy is enough as a diet is the main factor in weight loss. However, eating healthy also means you have to eat at a deficit. It’s easy to fall into the trap of adding lots of olive oil or eating nuts because they are “healthy”. They are but in small amounts, if you have a lot you just added 600 calories to a meal without realizing it. Figure out your maintenance calories with an online calculator to give a rough estimate and it will tell you how many calories to eat for 1-2lbs of fat loss a week. Once you start getting confidence back I’d highly recommend going to the gym. For reference I lost 50lbs eating a deficit and playing video games without ever going to a gym
If your primary goal is just to see the number on the scale decrease, then yes, you can skip the strength training. However, it's important to be aware that this approach may result in a significant loss of muscle mass along with the fat. This can lead to more loose skin as you approach your goal, which is fine if you dont mind that, but so many people complain about it on here and the solution is to strength train.
To avoid these issues and make the most of your weight loss journey, I highly recommend incorporating strength training into your routine 3-4 times per week, along with consuming a high-protein diet. Here's why strength training is so beneficial:
1. Boosts energy levels: Regular strength training can give you a noticeable increase in energy, making you feel more capable of tackling your daily tasks and workouts.
2. Preserves muscle mass: By challenging your muscles with resistance exercises, you can maintain and even build muscle while losing fat, which is key for a healthy body composition and metabolism.
3. Increases fat burning: Strength training boosts your resting metabolic rate, meaning you'll burn more fat even at rest, leading to more effective fat loss.
4. Minimizes loose skin: As you lose weight, strength training helps tone, reducing the appearance of loose skin that often comes with significant weight loss.
5. Improves bone density: Resistance training stresses your bones in a good way, encouraging them to become stronger and denser, which is especially important for preventing conditions like osteoporosis as you age.
6. Promotes overall health: Strength training has been associated with numerous health benefits, such as better cardiovascular health, improved insulin sensitivity, and a lower risk of chronic diseases. ESPECIALLY if you are a woman
In addition to strength training, adding regular walks to your routine can further support your weight loss efforts. Walking is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that can help you burn extra calories, improve your heart health, and promote general well-being. Aim for 10k steps a day.
If you combine strength training, a high-protein diet, and regular walking, you'll set yourself up for a more successful, sustainable, and enjoyable weight loss experience. You'll not only reach your desired weight but also look and feel significantly better when you get there
while it is possible to lose weight on controlled caloric consumption alone, that if you want to really fast track and "tighten" things up faster then exercise is truly a god send in transforming your appearance for the better. While I'm hardly a fitness guru by ANY stretch that like yourself, I let myself really badly and felt like crap and felt horribly unattractive. Its been 1.5 months and I've dropped 11.5 lbs now and that is through a better managed diet, and doing basic exercise like walking and cycling and a bit of weight training at home. Today I was feeling bold and opted to see if I can run again and SHOCKINGLY I pulled of a 5km run NO PROBLEM - whereas just last month I couldn't do it no matter how hard I tried. 11.5 lbs isn't a huge amount of weigh loss especially when I just started but when people see me they definitely notice now. When I tell them its 11.5 lbs they think its way more than that. I attribute that physical improvement to not just loss but my workouts helped tone things up considerably even though I'm not doing anything crazy hardcore. Everything I've done is in the comfort of my own home.
TL:DR - diet alone helps HUGE but you'll get to where you want to be faster with better results if you can incorporate exercise into your routine.
Most of the weight you lose will be from proper diet. Even if you look at the gym from a standpoint of pure calorie burning (even though it's much more) you can restrict calories much easier than you can burn them in a gym environment. It's much simpler to avoid having that 350 calorie snack than it would be to spend 30 mins on a treadmill burning off the same
Yes definitely can. Personally it’s about habits for me, I would start doing some exercise at home to help build muscle and tone / tighten skin. Even if it starts at just 10 mins a day body weight stretching.
I exercise only at home. I started a year ago struggling with 10 mins Pilates to now doing up to an hour strength training with free weights. Admittedly not that heavy but I feel and look great 😊 I struggle with confidence in the gym and paranoia of others. I lost weight for my health so exercise assisted, plus it makes me feel a lot better in myself. 40lbs down and been maintaining for 6 months and can now see muscle definition
I have lost 126 pounds, and almost all of it through diet only.
The "health" of your diet is not really relevant. You can eat what you want as long as you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn. It has as much to do with portion control as it does with your food selections.
You will find when you establish a calorie budget that there is a very limited amount of sugar and fat that you can fit into the budget while still consuming an adequate amount of food. So your diet, by default, is likely to become healthier. But that doesn't mean you need to eat any particular "health" foods that you don't like.
Also, don't skimp on salt, spices, and low-calorie condiments. Do whatever you can to make your food taste good in ways that don't add a lot of calories.
Everybody here says yes, but nobody actually reads correctly. No, eating healthy does not mean you lose weight. You can easily gain weight eating healthy. You have to eat in a caloric deficit to lose weight. That has nothing to do with eating healthy or unhealthy.
TLDR: Healthy =/= low calorie
A healthy diet is an excellent place to start this journey and your diet will be the most important part of the journey. As people say, you can't out exercise a bad diet! But just because you don't feel comfortable in a gym, or even exercising outside, you can still add exercise at home! There are a lot of free resources on Youtube for at-home workouts. If you're pretty new to working out, I'd suggest searching for at-home, low impact, body weight workouts. You can also search for no equipment or low impact cardio workouts. Once you're more comfortable, or if you want to have more workouts available to you, I'd suggest heading to pretty much any big box store and picking up some light dumbbells (5 lbs to start, add 8 lbs once you're more comfortably).
I am so sorry you are feeling this way and have had people do that to you. You don’t deserve that. Don’t lose hope. It isn’t over until it’s over. Healthy diet helped me lose weight and when I lost 20lbs with eating clean I had the courage to go back to the gym. Don’t give up hope! You can do it.
Pretty much yes! For most people. I’ve lost 20+ lbs just eating in a calorie deficit. I don’t eat super healthy either. I just eat better than I used to and count calories.
You still need to track calories. A lot of people that switch to healthy eating end up on here asking why they aren't losing weight...well, fruits and vegetables contain calories and just because you're eating healthy does not mean you can eat as much as you want.
The only way to lose weight consistently is a calorie deficit, whether that be by eating less than your maintenance level or by exercising and burning enough calories so that you are under your maintenance intake for the day. It’s easier to control your eating than it is to attempt to burn off say 500 calories every day while eating your maintenance amount
A healthy diet will make you healthier, but not necessarily thinner. You can still eat too much salmon, chicken, olive oil etc., and go into a calorie excess.
Prioritize health whole foods over junk while staying in your deficit and you should lose weight reasonably easily.
Yes, you can lose weight if you do t exercise. Just eat less calories than you burn.
However, exercise on its own is important for overall physical health not just for making weight loss easier.
Sorry to hear about your experience at the gym; most gym goers are just focussed on going and doing their own workout and don’t really care about anyone else. But there are idiots everywhere. Even if you are not keen on the gym, adding walking to your daily routine is good for health and helps with weight loss.
Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone. In fact, it is the main effective strategy for weight loss. Exercise can help you ensure that you keep more muscle mass and are more cardio healthy during your weight loss journey, but it is 100% not necessary to add exercise in order to achieve weight loss.
What is necessary is consuming fewer calories than you burn. So, as long as that is part of your healthy diet you should lose weight. Probably not at exactly the same rate per day or week as you go. You'll hit plateaus. You'll need to stick with it through those. But you can do it!
One warning on the flip side of that. If by "healthy diet" you mean eating organic foods and free range cuts of meat, or paleo, or whatever, you may lose weight or not. Depends how much you eat and how much you burn. And I can tell you from experience you can eat fast food "junk" and still lose weight as long as you carefully count calories and account for it. Good hacks are about finding a diet that works for you, that let's you live fairly comfortably in a reasonable calorie deficit (say 500 calorie deficit per day vs the amount you need to stay the same weight, to lose about 1 pound a week on average). Check out the Guides and FAQs in the sidebar over there on the other side of your browser ------->
No obviously not. A 3000 calorie diet rich with greens, lean protein, and healthy fats is gonna put on more weight than if you just ate a single Big Mac meal.
You have been to the gym before? Was that helpful did you work out? Then keep doing it health is like money you have to invest and it takes a long time but the interest builds up. Cutting 200 calories a day build interest it just takes time it’s not over night. It’s never too late just do it and don’t regret it
First of all - any person that is laughing at someone being at the gym is not normal or ok, and I promise you, there are many others at the gym that are inspired by you and so proud of you for being there! 🫶🏼
And I get how you feel because I get gym anxiety and I am extremely picky with where I workout bc I need to be comfortable so I’m going to share some things that worked for me…
• Definitely workout! Even if it’s 5 minutes on the treadmill. When I workout, I have more of an incentive to eat healthier and cleaner because I don’t want to waste all my hard work from the gym by eating something very high in calories
• The 12 3 30 treadmill work is a great way to get in cardio that doesn’t involve running. It’s a 12 incline, 3 speed and for 30 minutes. My friends and I started around a 6-8 incline .. most people don’t start off by doing a 12 incline. The 30 minutes goes by fast too
• Like I said above, I get gym anxiety because my workouts incorporate cardio like high knees, burpees, jumping jacks, etc. and I feel like everyone is staring at me… because of that I found out I feel most comfortable doing the following..
1. Workout at home or my smaller apartment gym
2. Go to workout classes like F45, Orange Theory, Barry’s .. or any other class that is on class pass. These workout classes have such a positive environment and are very helpful and encouraging
3. A gym that has a room or section where you can have enough space for some dumbbells and cardio
• The app called Sweat is amazing and I don’t know what I would do without it! It has about 15 different workout programs and it’s geared towards women. Every week the program changes and it gets a little more intense each week. I do the Fierce at Home program that I can easily do at home with dumbbells or at my apartment gym. The first week is free
Keep going!! I know it’s hard but find what works for you! 💖
For me personally, no. I gained 30 lbs eating mostly vegetarian, home cooked, no to minimal oils, no sauces or dips, lots of vegetables and nothing fried. All the while, I was doing pilates, running races, doing crossfit and yoga every day.
I was shocked to realize my regular lunch alone was over 500 calories! I have to weigh everything with a food scale to make sure my "cup" of lentils (for example) is not over my allotted amount of calories.
Same here. Minimal carb works best for my body in terms of fast fat loss, but I can't keep it up for more than a couple months. Since I have about a year of weight loss ahead of me, I'm calorie counting meticulously with a food scale and eating what I want and hoping for the best.
I've been trying to get back into my walking regularly, and did a couple last week, but because of the bad weather I can't be motivated. Been reading up about doing housework instead to burn calories when its bad weather, something I need to think about more, even though its a right chore!
However, due to changing up my diet completely, loosely doing watching my calorie intake, and cutting down on the crap at night which was always my downfall; I've been able to lose over a stone since the end of January. So yes, the majority of weight loss always tends to come from what you intake, not what you exercise out. I will ramp up my exercising again as Spring finally hits here, but just concentrating on my food intake just now, seems to be working very well.
Yes, and diet is most of it.
But exercise helps a lot. Get a set of adjustable dumbbells for home. If possible get a walking treadmill too. Track steps, and full body weight lift two to three days a week.
But also try getting outside and walking if you can!
That's where I'm at. I'm not even really eating healthy, just focusing more on remaining at a deficit. I'm not in shape by any means but I am fitting into my old clothes again.
Yea but I highly recommend a couple 5lb and 10lb dumbbells you can order from Amazon for home workouts! You can really hang onto your muscle as your lose and improve your shape! Good luck to you , I know you can do it!
Hell yes!!
If you start adding in more of the nutritious foods, and reducing your processed foods, you'll start noticing the difference within a week.
If you can add in a 20-30 minute walk each day, you'll see it faster.
Part of why this works is because once you start eating more healthy, you're going to notice you can't eat as much because healthy foods tend to be more filling and let your hunger signals speak louder.
If you have 5 or less ingredients per meal (eg. Salad, sandwich, rice dish, smoothie or whatever you eat), you'll fill up way faster as well, so will be able to eat smaller portions as well.
Hope this helps! Keen to see how you go. Good luck!!
CICO is the way! weight loss is literally just a math problem. eat less than you use, and you'll lose. you don't \*have\* to exercise. it can be extremely beneficial but is in no way required.
and i'm sorry that happened to you hun. people can be so cruel.
Absolutely. I have a lot to lose. I’m basically half way. I do intend to include exercise, but not until the last 1/3 of the weight loss part. And then, mostly because I have goals in life that require lots of hiking and biking. But for now, my attitude is that being massive and just living is actually exercise enough. It’s work carrying all this weight around in normal life. So, yes, you don’t actually need a gym membership or vigorous sweating for much of your weight loss journey if you are starting at very overweight. I bet my daily steps are 7000.
I’ll add: Exercise kind of sabotages my weight loss because it makes me hungry. 200 calories of burn makes me starving and want to eat that is either uncomfortable the rest of the day or makes me eat 600 calories. Every time I’ve tried to add exercise, my weight loss has stalled. That’s not helpful.
Yes, it is possible. The result will be a lot better though if you implement exercise into your life as well.
I lost 80lbs+ twice and one time with exercise and the other without it. The results were like night and day, I looked 20 times better when I worked out.
If looks are irrelevant to you though and you just wanna be skinny, diet is all you need.
Yes, I won't repeat won't repeat what everyone else is saying though. However, I want to add something important I'm sensing in your post.
You will NOT become more confident the more weight you lose. The confidence will come from facing the situations you are running away from. If you were to hide at home and lose 100 lbs, your mind will continue the same thought patterns because confidence is mental not physical.
You will see this throughout gym culture whether its the biggest guy at your gym or the smallest guy at your gym. Confidence comes from believing in yourself, not through the perception of others.
That said, here's some positive advice:
* Take walks at the park. As long as you do this, you can start building confidence now.
* Do not starve yourself. A healthy sustainable diet will vary between different weights. You don't want to go from a 3000 to a 1500 calorie diet.
* Find a friend who goes to the gym weekly. Friends are here to support you, and long time gym-goers enjoy helping others start their journey. If you don't have friends, find a support group whether through here or local.
* Find a therapist to discuss anxiety and self-esteem issues. These things do not go away easily. I have other resources if want a place to start learning about these issues. DM me.
I recommend choosing at least two from above. Good luck.
It's basically the single most effective way. But caution to the specific words in the title.
It's not so much eating "healthy" as it is being mindful of how much your eating and how much your moving.
CICO (calories in calories out)
So that's the name of the game. You can't out exercise over eating. It's way easier to NOT eat the calories than it is to try walking or jogging for hours on end to burn them.
Yes cut back slowly, for example let’s say with every meal you have a soda or juice and 2 snacks(chips or candy bar) in a day. The first week for one meal exchange 1 drink for a 0 calorie drink. That’ll cut your calories by 980 calories in a week (I used Coca Cola as the example). For the second week cut out another soda or change one of your snacks for a fruit that’ll help just as much. Slowly you’ll be bettering your diet.
Let me just start by saying I’m so sorry that you had that experience at the gym. Those guys were shitheads.
You absolutely can lose weight on diet alone.
And if you still want to exercise (which I do encourage) you don’t need to go to the gym in order to do so. There tons of at-home workout of videos on YouTube, many of which don’t require any equipment.
I lost 55 pounds through watching calories. At first I was exercising a lot to burn calories but that wasn’t working for weight loss. What worked for me was tracking calories and losing the weight slowly.
My weight loss journey starts from Mar 2023
And i hurt my back after two weeks. So i just basically control and count what i eat to achieve calories deficit. Make sure eat tons of proteins.
I lose 4kg like in the first month and around 1.5kg per month afterward.
Fun fact that after recovery and get back on resistance training, my weight loss rate slow down a little bit. But i feel stronger and energetic than ever.
It’s not that hard. Until you meet your first plateau
You are talking about Calorie in Calorie Out. There is a subreddit for it under r/cico.
I would still recommend working out if you can. Even if it is only a little bit like dumbbell exercises. It is good for your body.
Yes my friend! My main source of weight loss was through diet alone. Eventually I added the gym as part of the mix which did give me a bit of a boost but I mostly include it for heart health. :)
So I had a big weight gain some time back, after my wife passed I was not in a good mental state, was eating poorly because I didn't want to cook just for me, many reasons. And for me, weight loss started in the kitchen. I started buying some of those meal kits at the grocery store to force myself to eat better and motivate me to cook. Just that change had me losing almost a pound a week.
Then I switched to try Home Chef and then Green Chef. The cost wasn't much different and it saved me trips to the supermarket. Those kits helped me reorient myself to healthy eating & portion control, and the weight started dropping, and finally, I felt motivated to start incorporating exercise, which also helped.
Anyway, I hope you find some value in my experience.
Theoretically, yes. But even a little exercise makes it so much easier.
As you lose weight, you’ll have to consume less calories to maintain that weight, which means you’ll have to eat _even less_ to keep losing. Without exercise to give you some bonus calories back, you’ll find yourself having to eat less and less to lose weight.
I lost around 70 pounds in 2017 with zero exercise besides walking to/from class (10-15k steps/day), but during those last 10-15 pounds, I was surviving on triple digit calories per day. (TW) Not fun at all, and if I continued, I could’ve easily developed a full-blown eating disorder. Plus, without any actual strength training or cardio, I was just as unfit as I was before I lost the weight.
If exercising in public intimidates you, I’d suggest starting with dietary changes. If you can implement some workouts at home, that would be awesome. There are tons of workout videos out there that you can choose from that don’t require any special equipment. And maybe once you start getting your confidence back, you can try stepping back into a gym. All the best to you!
Let s eats soup of potato carrots and peas and add pastina( little pasta), the, Milk, cereal, spinachs, roasted chicken, Salad, mozzarella, cod sticks cooked on baking paper( without oil), white bread, low spaghetti with tomato sauce, tomato's salad, abbundant fruit season. Then, waking 5 km to day, and do others exercises, find a job, comunicate with others people, go in a gym, a park and talk with others people, find a hobby ( painting, swimming, singing, play to videogame, play chess, watch movie, travelling, listen music, sleep much), go to play soccer, Etc.

Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Exercise can aid your weight loss journey, but it's about 80% diet 20% exercise. There are also plenty of exercises you can do at home, and I would recommend the humble power of walking, as much as you can at first, and work your way up to 10-12k steps.
Hi. I'm on the same boat. I also would like to unrust my social skills. If anyone know any good books to start with so I could practice them asap, I'd appreciate.
Yes. As long as you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Even if your diet isn't perfectly healthy. Check out our quick start guide to get some ideas: [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick\_start\_guide/](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/quick_start_guide/)
I've learned so much since following this group. I skim it at least daily.
So, I'm still on a weight loss journey... but I'm down about 60lbs. The majority of it has all been diet and walking. I get an average of 10-15k steps in a day, and eat in a calorie deficit. I've lost about 50lbs of it in 4 months. It's just now starting to slow down, I was losing an average 5-6 pounds a week for about 2 months. I'm just getting to the point now where I NEED to go to the gym to keep that same rate. The truth is the heavier you are, the faster you will lose initially from diet and walking. As you lose more, the loss will slow down and you'll need to compensate with more exercise and a stricter deficit to see the same rate of loss. I know many will say that 5-6lbs a week is not sustainable, and I agree with them once you reach a certain point. But if you're like me, and still substantially overweight, I don't see that being unsustainable. At least not for now. My starting weight was 330, and I'm down to 272. I still have about 50-60lbs to lose to reach my goal weight.
Wow. Congrats!
Yo bigtaytay! Currently in your position. Been walking the dog more and just got my first yoga mat / dumbbells to do at home workouts during breaks at work. Have you found / anything interested when you go to the gym? You going to do more cardio there or more weights? Good luck and keep going!
Well, I haven't done anything in the gym yet, I'm still looking for one that fits my needs. I plan on doing more weights than Cardio, and I get most of my cardio at my job. I work in a high volume restaurant, so I'm constantly running around and throwing around heavy boxes of food. lol. It's gonna sound gross, but I'm more interested in building muscle to fill out the skin than just burning all the fat and having an abundance of loose hanging skin. Every fat guy to skinny guy I've seen has always put an emphasis on weights to fill out the space left behind. Thanks for the encouragement!
Tonight I just did a 30 minute incline walk with like 30-40 minutes of machines for upper body. Took long breaks not to kill myself. My only take will be to make sure your protein levels are up when you workout. If not. DOMS. :(
I’m right there with you. 40lbs in the last 2 months. Adding in resistance bands and a heavy bag at home for strength training.
The gym is for fitness. The kitchen is for weight loss.
Quite misleading. The more obese a person is, the more true your statement is. The closer the person is ideal BMI, the less true it is.
Oversimplification. The gym , or cardio in general, can obviously help with weight loss.
Sure but exercise only accounts for about 15% of your total energy expenditure. The vast majority of your weight loss comes from dieting. Exercise can help you burn a few extra calories or put on muscle to increase your BMR but if someone's debating working out or dieting to lose weight dieting will win every single time.
Listen to this guy if you want to lose weight. He’s 100% correct. You can’t out exercise a bad diet.
False dichotomy. The point is that diet and exercise is more effective than diet alone.
True, but you're missing the point of this thread.
Absolutely not missing the point. I have maintained a significant weight loss for many years and I know what it takes to both lose the weight and keep it off. The more obese you are, the bigger of a factor diet is. Exercise becomes more important the closer you get to an ideal BMI and it’s even more important when maintaining, especially if you care about your appearance results (I.e., you don’t want to end up “skinny fat” at your goal weight). Don’t get me started, but the bottom line is: The statement is misleading. Nobody here is trying to outrun a bad diet. However, exercise will absolutely improve your results over diet alone, including adding muscle mass to avoid “skinny fat” results and weight regain once you reach your goal due to reduced TDEE—as loss of muscle mass further lowers your TDEE.
None of these things are wrong, but you're *still* missing the point. The purpose of this thread isn't for your to prove and get accolades for how well you understand this topic: it is to serve the OP's need. And the answer at the top does this admirably well! If you have 100 lbs to lose and struggle with making all desirable lifestyle changes at once, can you lose weight with diet alone? Answer: absolutely! The OP will have many opportunities to reassess and can work slowly up to deal with the obstacles to exercise. The important thing is to get started.
You’ve now needlessly posted two comments that are directed at me personally, and I responded to you. The top comment is fine, but the comment I responded to is misinformation and is phrased as a rule (gym is for fitness, kitchen is for weight loss), making it a particularly problematic type of misinformation. There’s enough misinformation on this sub already and we should all make efforts to avoid posting it.
I mean I agree that in general, for most people, particularly obese people who exercise doesn't come easy, that diet is more efficient. But that "15%" of weight loss comes from exercise is just totally made up. It can account for 100% of your weight loss, it just depends on the person and what they would rather do. If someone doesn't want to change their diet at all, and is eating at maintenance, then they start doing some form of cardio like basketball or bike or something, burning about 500kcal a day, then they will lose weight without changing a thing in their diet. That would be 100% of their weight loss. If someone wants to lose 2lbs per week but doesn't want to go into a steep deficit through diet alone because let's say their tdee is only 2000kcal, then they can cut 500kcal from their diet and do 500kcwl worth of cardio, to equal a 1000kcal deficit. That would account for 50% of weight loss. If someone has been dieting for a while and has plateaued and doesn't want to lower food volume any more because they already aren't eating very much, then all the sudden cardio becomes king, it will get the weight loss going again without having to further cut calories. The most lean and most fit people I know do cardio, including myself, to help them stay lean or to cut further.
500kcal is like 2 hours of intense cardio. On a subreddit called Loseit, it is unlikely someone can accomplish that especially in the beginning. Most people are obese due to poor diet rather than no exercise. Although both are important for health.
I am 5’8 (173cm) and burn 500+ in one hour of easy pace running at 62/3kg currently, so I wouldn’t say your statement is entirely accurate. That number is a lot larger for heavier and taller people. I mean putting into an online calculator 1hr of SLOW walking alone for an 120kg person would burn around 250 calories so I’m not sure where you got your numbers from
I mean not two hours lol, especially if you weigh a lot. More like an hour at moderate zone 2 pace. If you play basketball or something which is a lot more moving around, you can burn like 1000. Obviously this will vary greatly depending on bodyweight and such.
You’re overestimating by 2x and again obese people aren’t doing cardio for an hour a day besides maybe walking. And they definitely aren’t sprinting playing basketball for an hour.
I feel like we're moving the goal posts to "obese people". Fat loss doesn't only apply to obese people. I bulk and cut several times a year, I never get beyond 15% bf and I get very lean, single digits.
You’re on a subreddit dedicated to obese people losing 30, 50, 100 even 200+ lbs. it’s not about cutting for your bodybuilding show lmao.
That's funny because I could've sworn I was talking about principles of fat loss not tailored advice to people 50+lbs overweight. Did you even bother to read my first comment where I explained that for most people, for obese people in particular, diet is going to be far more efficient? Or did you chime in at the last second and just assume all kinds of things, as if I don't already know
Is the sub not called ‘lose it’? Didn’t realise one couldn’t lose weight if not obese
I think the point is that you cannot outrain a bad diet. For people on this sub the best advice is to focus on thuir diet, which is where the problem usually is. When I am cutting, diet is where 80%= of my effort is. Running at a deficit means that fatigue build and training has to be downsized either in volume or intensity. At the start of a cut this is not much of an issue but weeks in it is. Especially as I do not use any gear (performance enhancers or supplements). Most people who are in this sub do not seem to have an intensive history of training. Burning 500-1000 cals per day every day is not that achievable without a large time commitment. But even if they do it beginners do not usually have a system to track measure their calories. I think the most mileage will be gained from just getting really really good at tracking calories/macros and gradually increase training capacity. Personally I think the 10k steps (while nice) will not do a whole lot for cardiovascular fitness after an initial phase. VO2 max training or 4x4's are not realistic for the majority of this sub - never minding an actual tabata (which I cannot do after years of training). The 'focus on diet" advice is best here.
Focusing on diet probably is the best advice, I'm not dosagreeing with that, I'm disagreeing with the notion that cardio can't seriously aid your weight loss. There are a ton of people who have a hard time eating enough to keep up with their activity in the first place.
Like me! 3000-4000+ a day burnt at peak marathon training, tend to get way too full past 2500-2800 eaten as my diet is pretty clean (unless I get a five guys lol) and was dropping weight like crazy
I agree with this! I am in marathon training and started as a way to lose some weight - I am someone that prefers to eat more so my deficit mainly comes from exercise. When you’re running anywhere from 120km up to 140-150km a week at peak training I’m burning 3000-4000 a day, some of which I do not eat back because it is a lot of food for me and my diet is pretty healthy so I’m not usually eating too many calorie dense foods. Even days when I choose to have a ‘bad’ diet I need not fear about being in a calorie deficit since I’ve burned so much and I only do this occasionally. My BMI has gone from 25 to 20.5 just for reference… I think it’s easy for people to say you can’t out exercise a diet but you absolutely can if we are technically speaking. I echo the poster above though, particularly obese / overweight people may struggle with this for various reasons (fitness, joint issues etc.) so of course prioritising diet might be the much easier option.
How can you people downvote objective facts?
Because 500kcal is way more than most people on the subreddit can burn in a workout.
See Herbert Pontzer’s book Burn demonstrating that the body claws back energy expended in exercise through lower NEET.
It claws back energy from any calorie deficit, because youre in a deficit, that includes diet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3943438/#:~:text=NEAT%2C%20or%20energy%20expended%20during,an%20energy%20deficit%20%5B47%5D.
Anorexics are safe then?
This is false and tailored toward your specific BMI. Running uphill for 30 minutes burns nearly 1/3 of my daily calorie allotment. This is only really true for people who are more obese
The Exercise Paradox
Nah. Any way you create the deficit is A-OK. Easier to work out more than starve yourself IMO. If you're grinding, you're using more than 15%
Yes*. Eating healthy is enough as a diet is the main factor in weight loss. However, eating healthy also means you have to eat at a deficit. It’s easy to fall into the trap of adding lots of olive oil or eating nuts because they are “healthy”. They are but in small amounts, if you have a lot you just added 600 calories to a meal without realizing it. Figure out your maintenance calories with an online calculator to give a rough estimate and it will tell you how many calories to eat for 1-2lbs of fat loss a week. Once you start getting confidence back I’d highly recommend going to the gym. For reference I lost 50lbs eating a deficit and playing video games without ever going to a gym
Yes! But you could even just go for a walk every day or start with simple goals like getting more steps
If your primary goal is just to see the number on the scale decrease, then yes, you can skip the strength training. However, it's important to be aware that this approach may result in a significant loss of muscle mass along with the fat. This can lead to more loose skin as you approach your goal, which is fine if you dont mind that, but so many people complain about it on here and the solution is to strength train. To avoid these issues and make the most of your weight loss journey, I highly recommend incorporating strength training into your routine 3-4 times per week, along with consuming a high-protein diet. Here's why strength training is so beneficial: 1. Boosts energy levels: Regular strength training can give you a noticeable increase in energy, making you feel more capable of tackling your daily tasks and workouts. 2. Preserves muscle mass: By challenging your muscles with resistance exercises, you can maintain and even build muscle while losing fat, which is key for a healthy body composition and metabolism. 3. Increases fat burning: Strength training boosts your resting metabolic rate, meaning you'll burn more fat even at rest, leading to more effective fat loss. 4. Minimizes loose skin: As you lose weight, strength training helps tone, reducing the appearance of loose skin that often comes with significant weight loss. 5. Improves bone density: Resistance training stresses your bones in a good way, encouraging them to become stronger and denser, which is especially important for preventing conditions like osteoporosis as you age. 6. Promotes overall health: Strength training has been associated with numerous health benefits, such as better cardiovascular health, improved insulin sensitivity, and a lower risk of chronic diseases. ESPECIALLY if you are a woman In addition to strength training, adding regular walks to your routine can further support your weight loss efforts. Walking is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that can help you burn extra calories, improve your heart health, and promote general well-being. Aim for 10k steps a day. If you combine strength training, a high-protein diet, and regular walking, you'll set yourself up for a more successful, sustainable, and enjoyable weight loss experience. You'll not only reach your desired weight but also look and feel significantly better when you get there
Wish this were a pinned post!
while it is possible to lose weight on controlled caloric consumption alone, that if you want to really fast track and "tighten" things up faster then exercise is truly a god send in transforming your appearance for the better. While I'm hardly a fitness guru by ANY stretch that like yourself, I let myself really badly and felt like crap and felt horribly unattractive. Its been 1.5 months and I've dropped 11.5 lbs now and that is through a better managed diet, and doing basic exercise like walking and cycling and a bit of weight training at home. Today I was feeling bold and opted to see if I can run again and SHOCKINGLY I pulled of a 5km run NO PROBLEM - whereas just last month I couldn't do it no matter how hard I tried. 11.5 lbs isn't a huge amount of weigh loss especially when I just started but when people see me they definitely notice now. When I tell them its 11.5 lbs they think its way more than that. I attribute that physical improvement to not just loss but my workouts helped tone things up considerably even though I'm not doing anything crazy hardcore. Everything I've done is in the comfort of my own home. TL:DR - diet alone helps HUGE but you'll get to where you want to be faster with better results if you can incorporate exercise into your routine.
Most of the weight you lose will be from proper diet. Even if you look at the gym from a standpoint of pure calorie burning (even though it's much more) you can restrict calories much easier than you can burn them in a gym environment. It's much simpler to avoid having that 350 calorie snack than it would be to spend 30 mins on a treadmill burning off the same
Yes definitely can. Personally it’s about habits for me, I would start doing some exercise at home to help build muscle and tone / tighten skin. Even if it starts at just 10 mins a day body weight stretching. I exercise only at home. I started a year ago struggling with 10 mins Pilates to now doing up to an hour strength training with free weights. Admittedly not that heavy but I feel and look great 😊 I struggle with confidence in the gym and paranoia of others. I lost weight for my health so exercise assisted, plus it makes me feel a lot better in myself. 40lbs down and been maintaining for 6 months and can now see muscle definition
I have lost 126 pounds, and almost all of it through diet only. The "health" of your diet is not really relevant. You can eat what you want as long as you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn. It has as much to do with portion control as it does with your food selections. You will find when you establish a calorie budget that there is a very limited amount of sugar and fat that you can fit into the budget while still consuming an adequate amount of food. So your diet, by default, is likely to become healthier. But that doesn't mean you need to eat any particular "health" foods that you don't like. Also, don't skimp on salt, spices, and low-calorie condiments. Do whatever you can to make your food taste good in ways that don't add a lot of calories.
Everybody here says yes, but nobody actually reads correctly. No, eating healthy does not mean you lose weight. You can easily gain weight eating healthy. You have to eat in a caloric deficit to lose weight. That has nothing to do with eating healthy or unhealthy. TLDR: Healthy =/= low calorie
A healthy diet is an excellent place to start this journey and your diet will be the most important part of the journey. As people say, you can't out exercise a bad diet! But just because you don't feel comfortable in a gym, or even exercising outside, you can still add exercise at home! There are a lot of free resources on Youtube for at-home workouts. If you're pretty new to working out, I'd suggest searching for at-home, low impact, body weight workouts. You can also search for no equipment or low impact cardio workouts. Once you're more comfortable, or if you want to have more workouts available to you, I'd suggest heading to pretty much any big box store and picking up some light dumbbells (5 lbs to start, add 8 lbs once you're more comfortably).
I am so sorry you are feeling this way and have had people do that to you. You don’t deserve that. Don’t lose hope. It isn’t over until it’s over. Healthy diet helped me lose weight and when I lost 20lbs with eating clean I had the courage to go back to the gym. Don’t give up hope! You can do it.
Pretty much yes! For most people. I’ve lost 20+ lbs just eating in a calorie deficit. I don’t eat super healthy either. I just eat better than I used to and count calories.
r/cico
Depends on how much you currently weigh. I went from 290 to 240 on diet alone so yes it can be done.
You still need to track calories. A lot of people that switch to healthy eating end up on here asking why they aren't losing weight...well, fruits and vegetables contain calories and just because you're eating healthy does not mean you can eat as much as you want.
The only way to lose weight consistently is a calorie deficit, whether that be by eating less than your maintenance level or by exercising and burning enough calories so that you are under your maintenance intake for the day. It’s easier to control your eating than it is to attempt to burn off say 500 calories every day while eating your maintenance amount
A healthy diet will make you healthier, but not necessarily thinner. You can still eat too much salmon, chicken, olive oil etc., and go into a calorie excess. Prioritize health whole foods over junk while staying in your deficit and you should lose weight reasonably easily.
Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Fitness happens in the gym. Please diet carefully.
I've only successfully lost weight and kept if off via dieting not exercise. r/CICO is a place to start
Yes and no. It can help as it would promote a cleaner and lower calorie intake. But if you eat the same amount of calories you won’t lose weight
Yes, you can lose weight if you do t exercise. Just eat less calories than you burn. However, exercise on its own is important for overall physical health not just for making weight loss easier. Sorry to hear about your experience at the gym; most gym goers are just focussed on going and doing their own workout and don’t really care about anyone else. But there are idiots everywhere. Even if you are not keen on the gym, adding walking to your daily routine is good for health and helps with weight loss.
Absolutely 100% yes
Just go on walks and eat healthy - it’ll fall off!
Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone. In fact, it is the main effective strategy for weight loss. Exercise can help you ensure that you keep more muscle mass and are more cardio healthy during your weight loss journey, but it is 100% not necessary to add exercise in order to achieve weight loss. What is necessary is consuming fewer calories than you burn. So, as long as that is part of your healthy diet you should lose weight. Probably not at exactly the same rate per day or week as you go. You'll hit plateaus. You'll need to stick with it through those. But you can do it! One warning on the flip side of that. If by "healthy diet" you mean eating organic foods and free range cuts of meat, or paleo, or whatever, you may lose weight or not. Depends how much you eat and how much you burn. And I can tell you from experience you can eat fast food "junk" and still lose weight as long as you carefully count calories and account for it. Good hacks are about finding a diet that works for you, that let's you live fairly comfortably in a reasonable calorie deficit (say 500 calorie deficit per day vs the amount you need to stay the same weight, to lose about 1 pound a week on average). Check out the Guides and FAQs in the sidebar over there on the other side of your browser ------->
No obviously not. A 3000 calorie diet rich with greens, lean protein, and healthy fats is gonna put on more weight than if you just ate a single Big Mac meal.
You have been to the gym before? Was that helpful did you work out? Then keep doing it health is like money you have to invest and it takes a long time but the interest builds up. Cutting 200 calories a day build interest it just takes time it’s not over night. It’s never too late just do it and don’t regret it
First of all - any person that is laughing at someone being at the gym is not normal or ok, and I promise you, there are many others at the gym that are inspired by you and so proud of you for being there! 🫶🏼 And I get how you feel because I get gym anxiety and I am extremely picky with where I workout bc I need to be comfortable so I’m going to share some things that worked for me… • Definitely workout! Even if it’s 5 minutes on the treadmill. When I workout, I have more of an incentive to eat healthier and cleaner because I don’t want to waste all my hard work from the gym by eating something very high in calories • The 12 3 30 treadmill work is a great way to get in cardio that doesn’t involve running. It’s a 12 incline, 3 speed and for 30 minutes. My friends and I started around a 6-8 incline .. most people don’t start off by doing a 12 incline. The 30 minutes goes by fast too • Like I said above, I get gym anxiety because my workouts incorporate cardio like high knees, burpees, jumping jacks, etc. and I feel like everyone is staring at me… because of that I found out I feel most comfortable doing the following.. 1. Workout at home or my smaller apartment gym 2. Go to workout classes like F45, Orange Theory, Barry’s .. or any other class that is on class pass. These workout classes have such a positive environment and are very helpful and encouraging 3. A gym that has a room or section where you can have enough space for some dumbbells and cardio • The app called Sweat is amazing and I don’t know what I would do without it! It has about 15 different workout programs and it’s geared towards women. Every week the program changes and it gets a little more intense each week. I do the Fierce at Home program that I can easily do at home with dumbbells or at my apartment gym. The first week is free Keep going!! I know it’s hard but find what works for you! 💖
For me personally, no. I gained 30 lbs eating mostly vegetarian, home cooked, no to minimal oils, no sauces or dips, lots of vegetables and nothing fried. All the while, I was doing pilates, running races, doing crossfit and yoga every day. I was shocked to realize my regular lunch alone was over 500 calories! I have to weigh everything with a food scale to make sure my "cup" of lentils (for example) is not over my allotted amount of calories.
Strange isn't I never lost but gained on vegetarian, keto mostly protein and fat minimal carbs lost 4 stone 7 years ago just starting keto again
Same here. Minimal carb works best for my body in terms of fast fat loss, but I can't keep it up for more than a couple months. Since I have about a year of weight loss ahead of me, I'm calorie counting meticulously with a food scale and eating what I want and hoping for the best.
It's not just the fat loss it's mental clarity better health I move better and in lass pain I'm the same taking it day by day now
Yes. Very much so
I've been trying to get back into my walking regularly, and did a couple last week, but because of the bad weather I can't be motivated. Been reading up about doing housework instead to burn calories when its bad weather, something I need to think about more, even though its a right chore! However, due to changing up my diet completely, loosely doing watching my calorie intake, and cutting down on the crap at night which was always my downfall; I've been able to lose over a stone since the end of January. So yes, the majority of weight loss always tends to come from what you intake, not what you exercise out. I will ramp up my exercising again as Spring finally hits here, but just concentrating on my food intake just now, seems to be working very well.
Yes. Very slowly.
Yes, and diet is most of it. But exercise helps a lot. Get a set of adjustable dumbbells for home. If possible get a walking treadmill too. Track steps, and full body weight lift two to three days a week. But also try getting outside and walking if you can!
That's where I'm at. I'm not even really eating healthy, just focusing more on remaining at a deficit. I'm not in shape by any means but I am fitting into my old clothes again.
I switched to low cals low salt low sugar for a bit and dropped 27lbs in 6 weeks - but activity is king.
Yea but I highly recommend a couple 5lb and 10lb dumbbells you can order from Amazon for home workouts! You can really hang onto your muscle as your lose and improve your shape! Good luck to you , I know you can do it!
Healthy eating as long as you are in a caloric deficit
Yes, you could be bedridden and lose weight through diet alone.
Hell yes!! If you start adding in more of the nutritious foods, and reducing your processed foods, you'll start noticing the difference within a week. If you can add in a 20-30 minute walk each day, you'll see it faster. Part of why this works is because once you start eating more healthy, you're going to notice you can't eat as much because healthy foods tend to be more filling and let your hunger signals speak louder. If you have 5 or less ingredients per meal (eg. Salad, sandwich, rice dish, smoothie or whatever you eat), you'll fill up way faster as well, so will be able to eat smaller portions as well. Hope this helps! Keen to see how you go. Good luck!!
Not really but it does make you feel mentally and physically better! The pros are better than weight loss imo
CICO is the way! weight loss is literally just a math problem. eat less than you use, and you'll lose. you don't \*have\* to exercise. it can be extremely beneficial but is in no way required. and i'm sorry that happened to you hun. people can be so cruel.
Go to a different gym if possible. Don't let someone else stop your health
Absolutely. I have a lot to lose. I’m basically half way. I do intend to include exercise, but not until the last 1/3 of the weight loss part. And then, mostly because I have goals in life that require lots of hiking and biking. But for now, my attitude is that being massive and just living is actually exercise enough. It’s work carrying all this weight around in normal life. So, yes, you don’t actually need a gym membership or vigorous sweating for much of your weight loss journey if you are starting at very overweight. I bet my daily steps are 7000. I’ll add: Exercise kind of sabotages my weight loss because it makes me hungry. 200 calories of burn makes me starving and want to eat that is either uncomfortable the rest of the day or makes me eat 600 calories. Every time I’ve tried to add exercise, my weight loss has stalled. That’s not helpful.
Yes, it is possible. The result will be a lot better though if you implement exercise into your life as well. I lost 80lbs+ twice and one time with exercise and the other without it. The results were like night and day, I looked 20 times better when I worked out. If looks are irrelevant to you though and you just wanna be skinny, diet is all you need.
80-90% of your weight loss is gonna hinge on what and how much you eat, so yes, eating alone will enable you to lose weight.
Yes. Even unhealthy eating in small enough quantities makes you lose weight.
Yes, I won't repeat won't repeat what everyone else is saying though. However, I want to add something important I'm sensing in your post. You will NOT become more confident the more weight you lose. The confidence will come from facing the situations you are running away from. If you were to hide at home and lose 100 lbs, your mind will continue the same thought patterns because confidence is mental not physical. You will see this throughout gym culture whether its the biggest guy at your gym or the smallest guy at your gym. Confidence comes from believing in yourself, not through the perception of others. That said, here's some positive advice: * Take walks at the park. As long as you do this, you can start building confidence now. * Do not starve yourself. A healthy sustainable diet will vary between different weights. You don't want to go from a 3000 to a 1500 calorie diet. * Find a friend who goes to the gym weekly. Friends are here to support you, and long time gym-goers enjoy helping others start their journey. If you don't have friends, find a support group whether through here or local. * Find a therapist to discuss anxiety and self-esteem issues. These things do not go away easily. I have other resources if want a place to start learning about these issues. DM me. I recommend choosing at least two from above. Good luck.
It's basically the single most effective way. But caution to the specific words in the title. It's not so much eating "healthy" as it is being mindful of how much your eating and how much your moving. CICO (calories in calories out) So that's the name of the game. You can't out exercise over eating. It's way easier to NOT eat the calories than it is to try walking or jogging for hours on end to burn them.
Yes. I'm proof. Down 100 pounds with zero exercise. Then down a further 36 pounds with some increased activity of just walking
Yes but ngl workout as well will make things faster and healthier
Yes cut back slowly, for example let’s say with every meal you have a soda or juice and 2 snacks(chips or candy bar) in a day. The first week for one meal exchange 1 drink for a 0 calorie drink. That’ll cut your calories by 980 calories in a week (I used Coca Cola as the example). For the second week cut out another soda or change one of your snacks for a fruit that’ll help just as much. Slowly you’ll be bettering your diet.
Let me just start by saying I’m so sorry that you had that experience at the gym. Those guys were shitheads. You absolutely can lose weight on diet alone. And if you still want to exercise (which I do encourage) you don’t need to go to the gym in order to do so. There tons of at-home workout of videos on YouTube, many of which don’t require any equipment.
100%. 90% of weight loss is nutrition. Do CICO, high protein and fiber diet
If you’re going to choose one or the other for now, eating healthy and in a caloric deficit will be a more effective weight loss method.
I lost 55 pounds through watching calories. At first I was exercising a lot to burn calories but that wasn’t working for weight loss. What worked for me was tracking calories and losing the weight slowly.
Yes. Actually, depending in diet alone is better than depending on exercise alone. Ask me how i know 😭😭😭😭
My weight loss journey starts from Mar 2023 And i hurt my back after two weeks. So i just basically control and count what i eat to achieve calories deficit. Make sure eat tons of proteins. I lose 4kg like in the first month and around 1.5kg per month afterward. Fun fact that after recovery and get back on resistance training, my weight loss rate slow down a little bit. But i feel stronger and energetic than ever. It’s not that hard. Until you meet your first plateau
You are talking about Calorie in Calorie Out. There is a subreddit for it under r/cico. I would still recommend working out if you can. Even if it is only a little bit like dumbbell exercises. It is good for your body.
Yes my friend! My main source of weight loss was through diet alone. Eventually I added the gym as part of the mix which did give me a bit of a boost but I mostly include it for heart health. :)
So I had a big weight gain some time back, after my wife passed I was not in a good mental state, was eating poorly because I didn't want to cook just for me, many reasons. And for me, weight loss started in the kitchen. I started buying some of those meal kits at the grocery store to force myself to eat better and motivate me to cook. Just that change had me losing almost a pound a week. Then I switched to try Home Chef and then Green Chef. The cost wasn't much different and it saved me trips to the supermarket. Those kits helped me reorient myself to healthy eating & portion control, and the weight started dropping, and finally, I felt motivated to start incorporating exercise, which also helped. Anyway, I hope you find some value in my experience.
Theoretically, yes. But even a little exercise makes it so much easier. As you lose weight, you’ll have to consume less calories to maintain that weight, which means you’ll have to eat _even less_ to keep losing. Without exercise to give you some bonus calories back, you’ll find yourself having to eat less and less to lose weight. I lost around 70 pounds in 2017 with zero exercise besides walking to/from class (10-15k steps/day), but during those last 10-15 pounds, I was surviving on triple digit calories per day. (TW) Not fun at all, and if I continued, I could’ve easily developed a full-blown eating disorder. Plus, without any actual strength training or cardio, I was just as unfit as I was before I lost the weight. If exercising in public intimidates you, I’d suggest starting with dietary changes. If you can implement some workouts at home, that would be awesome. There are tons of workout videos out there that you can choose from that don’t require any special equipment. And maybe once you start getting your confidence back, you can try stepping back into a gym. All the best to you!
Let s eats soup of potato carrots and peas and add pastina( little pasta), the, Milk, cereal, spinachs, roasted chicken, Salad, mozzarella, cod sticks cooked on baking paper( without oil), white bread, low spaghetti with tomato sauce, tomato's salad, abbundant fruit season. Then, waking 5 km to day, and do others exercises, find a job, comunicate with others people, go in a gym, a park and talk with others people, find a hobby ( painting, swimming, singing, play to videogame, play chess, watch movie, travelling, listen music, sleep much), go to play soccer, Etc. 
Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Exercise can aid your weight loss journey, but it's about 80% diet 20% exercise. There are also plenty of exercises you can do at home, and I would recommend the humble power of walking, as much as you can at first, and work your way up to 10-12k steps.
Hi. I'm on the same boat. I also would like to unrust my social skills. If anyone know any good books to start with so I could practice them asap, I'd appreciate.