Can I lose weight from just dieting?

I cut out meat (for sat fats) and found a healthier protein alternative (Quorn), halved my sugar intake, halved my portion sizes, and lost over thirty pounds in two years. It worked for me, and it was very safe. I'm doing it again right now, and feel great. Oh, I missed out a huge part of it: I completely cut out chocolate, desserts, and candy also.

Everyone is different. A dietitian is always the best first step, however.

Diet is the main factor in weight loss. Yes, you absolutely can lose weight doing nothing but dieting. Usually people screw it up the other way, adding exercise to their lifestyles and then assuming that's their golden ticket to eat as many calories as they want. That's a surefire way to gain weight, not lose it.

As for the gym, nobody's looking at you. Nobody cares. I know that means little to nothing in terms of easing your anxiety, but it's the truth. Far too many people are scared away from the place, which really has a very positive & energetic atmosphere, because they fear judgment. If anyone notices you at all, they're more likely to be proud of you for taking a step in the right direction.

I think my answer to this would mainly be that you could definitely but I think the amount of extra energy and general sense of well being regular exercise brings makes it always worth it. So many different little ailments, both mental and physical, are made better and more manageable if you're physically active. You don't have to go crazy or anything but I think you'd really be a lot happier if you did mix in some exercise here and there. The walking is nice and definitely valuable but something that makes you sweat or strain a bit would be good, whatever you find fun it doesn't matter what it is.

@lawgamer: Wow, very well said. I couldn't put it any better.

I lost 60 pounds through a combination of watching what I ate and strict exercise (I did elliptical and walked home from school), and I found watching calories so much more difficult. The little things add up and, at least if you are at all like me, you won't realize just how many calories you were eating with random snacking.

However, what I did back when I lost that weight was not sustainable because it only worked out because I had a lax term at university. As soon as I got busy again the whole thing fell apart and I slowly gained 40 pounds of the weight back. I simply didn't have the energy to dedicate myself on the same level and doing elliptical felt like a chore.

lawgamer is 100% correct. You gotta find something you like doing or else exercise will feel like a chore and you'll quit. I discovered I love running though so I do that whenever it's not winter. I practice run meditation so many of my runs are directed at that. I focus my mind 100% on the run itself and my breathing (I count my steps and pace my breathing to my steps. Count to 6, breathe in, count to 6 again, breathe out). It clears my mind, helps alleviate a lot of the symptoms of my depression (this is 90% of the reason I run), and puts me in a good mood. I can tell when I haven't run for a few days because I get grumpy and depressed.

For winter I find treadmill running dull so I have "games" I play while I run on to keep it fun. I don't just trundle along at a fixed pace, I do intervals or mess with incline or speed. My favorite are my version of what Danielle Riendeau (of Waypoint and Danswers fame) referred to as "murder hills". My version of it is starting at a brisk running pace at no incline, and then ratcheting up the incline half a percent per minute until I max out (right now it's 6% incline for me) and then descend half a percent per minute. By the time I'm done I'm totally exhausted, and feel GREAT.

i really enjoy bike riding but it's gotten cold/rainy as of late and i feel i don't have the time.

i'm also procrastinating and lazy and have meant to start a resistance band regimen as well as doing some situps/pushups daily to help keep active even though im mostly cooped up.

i know i need to go to a doctor but i have a thing where simply walking causes both of my legs and feet to get tingly/feel like theyre falling asleep after like 5 or 10 min. weird thing is it doesnt seem to happen in the mornings.

I've lost 100 pounds in the last 6 months. I started with a keto style high fat, low carb and moderate protein diet, no calorie counting, no exercise, lost 50 pounds in 3 months. The last 3 months I've been doing cardio 45-60 min 5-7 days a week, weight training 3-5 days and counting calories, 1800-2250 calories a day, with a high protein, low carb and moderate fat type diet. Low carb has always been the key to controlling hunger for me.

I'm the thinnest I've been since about 8yo, which is when I started becoming obese after being rail thin. Looking back I think a lot of my weight gain as a child was stress and a anxiety disorder triggered by various environmental factors, then of course the merciless unrelenting bullying compounded all that once I did start to become overweight.

Diet and exercise together make for the most effective approach. Exercise will also help you improve your overall health, not only lose weight

calories in - calories out...

Exercise really helps but if you want to focus on your diet cut back on any carbs, simple/complex. No more sugars, drastically cut down on rice and breads.

It's good to remember the following: you can't outrun/outwork a bad diet; it's easier to not eat 200 calories than try to burn it off later. I'm not saying don't exercise by any means, but if you're eating fast food once every day or so and trying to burn it off through cardio and/or weight training, you're probably not going to win the war. And if you're really serious about losing weight, you have to make it a lifestyle choice. It's one thing to to not eat junk food or cut your diet down to certain foods for a couple of months and have it lead to a healthier lifestyle where you eschew bad food choices the rest of your life. It's another to do it for a few months as a temporary way to cut weight and then go back to eating garbage only to gain back what you lost (and probably more).

As someone who has always been overweight his entire life, the will-power part of the dieting always does me in. It's something I have a hard time sticking to even though I know the science of how to lose weight.

You can (I did), but should you? Calisthenics are always an option.

First of all, before commencing any diet, please talk to your doctor, especially because you're on meds that seem to mess with your metabolism. Giving up sodas is brilliant, but when it comes to avoiding sugars and fats, first find out how much your body and brain actually needs.

I understand the pressure you're under, I used to be a little "fluffy" when I was a kid, and my mom still drives me crazy when ever I put a little extra weight. I had to grow up and become and adult to prove her wrong.

Trust me, F..K IT! It's an artificial construct engineered by society.

Here's the naked truth: loosing or gaining weight is only about how an particular human body works at certain moments in time and has to do with a ton of reversible chemistry and biology inner processes. REVERSIBLE it's the day's word. Maybe it takes longer for some people to gain weight, maybe it takes longer for other to loose weight. Picture yourself on a timeline, since you were born and try to imagine a weight graphic. The numbers changed over time and they will change from now on.

Do what ever makes you comfortable and helps you loose weight, as long you don't do damage to yourself. Whatever you're planning to do, do it one step at the time. Too much exercise (or too difficult) at a time might increase too fast your blood pressure, for instance. Giving up "normal" food like meat, or cheese or veggies or drastically reduce your necessary intake might also harm you.

Good luck with your plan and remember, it's all biology and chemistry who're supposed to work in your favor! ;)