doctor said no exercize till I'm ok, that I think will take about a week (pharyngitis - apologize my poor spelling). Will it affect my exercize too badly? Now I exercize 5 days per week on strenght and metabolic training and 1 or 2 days per week on cardio. One whole week doing nothing will be sooo bad? I've just put off 20 lbs and it took 8 months, don't want to take them all back again.

I've taken a week off before for illness, and yeah, I could feel it a bit when I started again. Not too much. In the grand scheme of things, it was nothing.

just make sure you stick to your diet and don't overindulge. If your doctor says to rest, rest.

Nothing wrong with taking a rest, your body will heal itself better with lots of rest, sleep and liquids... Do what your doctor says...

Actually I'm wondering how long it does take to reverse your progress. I had been riding my bike to work but its been so rainy the past 2 weeks I haven't had a chance. Then a few days ago I pulled my bike out and had trouble biking around the block. I haven't determined if it's that much me being out of shape now or if I just need to oil it because it's been outside (under the patio but still in the damp). :P

Speaking personally, I can tell a difference if I've laid off for a few days or a week. The first session or two is definitely harder. But if the layoff was short, then I find the fitness level bounces back quickly, within a few days. If I've been training really hard, sometimes the rest period is actually beneficial and I end up coming back stronger than before. If you have to lay off for weeks, then that's a different story.

If you are sick, it's important to get over that first! Once you start feeling better, easy back in slowly. Then ramp the intensity up. You'll be right back in the groove before you know it.