To lose weight you must be burning off more calories than what you consume so you would think that you do need to exercise to achieve weight loss. But that isn't always the case.
Exercise is actually not always necessary for weight loss. It is possible to lose weight without doing any exercise at all. However, it will take much longer to lose weight and it really isn't the healthiest option either.
For someone who has a very sedentary lifestyle they aren't burning off many calories and so will put on weight easy. To lose weight they need to be burning off the calories that they eat. With no exercise they would need to eat a very small amount each day to be able to lose any weight.
If you have zero appetite then I'm sure this won't be a problem but more people do have an appetite and particularly those who are overweight to begin with. Eating very small amounts of food is very difficult and you will most likely find that you are constantly hungry. You would only cope with this eating habit for so long and will soon give in and start eating larger meals again. When you introduce exercise into your daily routine then because you are burning off calories you can enjoy food more.
Of course there is the other extreme where you exercise like crazy and eat very little so you are burning off lots more calories than you are eating, but you aren't doing yourself any favors with this approach either. Everyone needs to have a minimum number of calorie intake a day which is around 1100 calories when dieting. If you are eating any less than this then you will be starving yourself which is not healthy at all.
If you are not getting any exercise at all then you might not be able to eat the recommended minimum calorie amount and still lose weight. By exercising regularly you can take in more calories, burn off the excess and lose weight. This is the best and most effective way to lose weight.
Because you are exercising doesn't mean that you can relax completely with your diet and eat anything at all. You shouldn't go out for take away every night, you shouldn't eat heaps of ice-cream and cakes and you shouldn't drink lots of soft drink. Exercising doesn't mean that you can get away with eating anything; it is simply a tool to help you get healthy and lose weight. If you keep eating junk and fattening foods then you won't lose weight, even with the exercise.
The best way to lose weight is to have a healthy lifestyle and one that you can continue to live long term with. If you crash diet or use fad diets then you usually stick with them for a while and before you know it you are back to eating how you were before and putting the weight back on.
If you introduce a healthy lifestyle with a good, nutritious diet and regular exercise then this is easier to maintain long term and is the most effective weight loss option.
So while it is possible to lose weight without exercising it isn't recommended. If you are in an extreme situation where exercise isn't at all possible then there may not be a choice, but even then there is usually some form of exercise even if it is something minor. People who confined to a wheelchair can still exercise their upper body and arms. They can do strength training and keep their upper body in shape. There are very few situations where no exercise at all is the only option.
Exercise has many health benefits so don't think that you don't need it to lose weight, if you want to be healthy and maintain your weight loss then you should introduce exercise into your routine to help you lose weight.
