[Mthunder86]

When I lost 40 lbs 6 years ago. I did not do exercise. Now I need to lose that weight again but I am thinking about starting an exercise plan. What are your thoughts on that. Does it speed up the process more or does it delay it?
Any exercise plans that you would like to share with me would be great. I have read that cardio will help you burn fat but that you also need to lift weight as well.

Looking forward in reading your comments.

Have a great evening.

[mom2mollie]

Yes, exercise helps a lot. Cardio will burn calories. Lifting weights and building muscle will increase your overall metabolism and help you keep the weight off longer (both by being more muscular and by getting you into a healthy habit of exercise). Walking and lifting some light weights is a good way to start. Many times if you join a gym they will give you a deal on a few sessions with a trainer, which is well worth the time and effort. You can learn a lot in a short time and build great lifetime habits.

[seagirl]

I keep it simple: 1 walk 30-50 minutes per day, usually a longer one on the weekends. And a few times a week I lift the hand weights that I have at home, and go to a yoga class.

The benefits to me are the muscle building, stress reduction, much better sleep, fewer aches and pains, and the magic of walking at night and seeing all the Christmas lights in people's windows.

[Koshka]

Exercise makes a huge difference. Gaining muscle is very important for a lot of reasons. It helps your metabolism. One of the reasons that people lose tend to gain weight over the years is that as you age you naturally lose muscle. I lost about 50 pounds 20 years ago and got to goal and it was great. I took measurements all the way down as I was losing (and I did exercise then).

Life intervened and I gained weight. A few years ago I was trying to lose again (and hadn't been doing much exercise) and started measuring myself. I still had my old measurements from years before. I noticed that when I weighed 155 at that time I couldn't wear what I could wear at 155 when I first lost weight. I checked the measurements. Well, my measurements were much larger at the same weight. This is because I had lost muscle.

Sometimes people are reluctant to exercise because they hear that muscle weighs more than fat so they are concerned that if they lose fat and gain muscle the scale won't show a loss. That can be for a short period of time. But it doesn't matter. Gaining the muscle and losing fat is better for you for your long term health and your long term weight loss.

It is very, very, very difficult to maintain weight loss without continuing exercise. You can certainly do cardio but strength training is very important for your long term health and for weight loss maintenance.

I second the idea of seeing a personal trainer if only for a few times to help you develop a program.

[KimberlyP]

Cardio makes a HUGE difference!! Since I started Weight Watchers I've done Zumba 3 days a week and now added a 90 minute Spin into the mix on Mondays. I've been on plan for almost a year and haven't lifted weights BUT last week I realized I really needed to start toning up because things are heading south. I hired a personal trainer who charges me $15 a day and I see him 2 days a week. He has me lifting and surprisingly I really like it, plus muscle burns more calories so that's a plus!

[river]

Mthunder, I've worked in the fitness industry in the past, and exercise definitely won't slow your weight loss. The benefits of exercise are many, including improved quality of life for the rest of your life. Everyone here has given you great advice.

Start by walking, and then try other things to see what you truly enjoy. It may be walking, or yoga, or a fitness class like spin, zumba or step. The trick to sticking with it is to do something that you like.