Three days ago I started working out after not having worked out in 9 or 10 years. I am 26, 5'3, and 295 lbs. I am currently on level one of the Biggest Loser Bootcamp DVD. The workout is 25 minutes long. Today I started wondering if 25 minutes a day is enough for me to lose anything.

Is there a recommended time that someone like me should dedicate to working out?
How long do you personally work out?
What's your workout consist of?
How many days a week?

As a beginner 25 minutes/day is good, especially if you are feeling comfortable and you like this DVD and don't find it too strenuous, since you've just started it's important not to overdo it, get injured and get discouraged...Everyone is different... As you get in better shape you'll want to change up your workouts and do different activities as to not get bored and to reach plateaus... You should change your workout at least every 4-6 weeks...

I personally go to the gym 2-3x/week I do a Group Power class which consists of weight training... I walk daily... In the summer I bike and kayak, in the winter I snowshoe.... This is all relative to having exercised regularly for 30 years...

As you lose weight, get in better shape you'll feel more confident in incorporating different exercises in your daily routine...

I am also a dvd/tv content/home exerciser. I use alot of www.fitnessblender.com, they have routines as short as a few minutes, or up to 80 minutes!

I personally aim for some time of execise 5X a week. And for me, I aim for at least 30 minutes per session.

Nice site!! Thanks for the link!

I always feel like something is better than nothing. I think 25 minutes is a good place to start and I feel like with workout DVDs, they tend to give you what the trainer in question thinks is a complete workout for that levle of intensity and fitness. So that in my opinion, takes some of the guess work out of it for you. I have workout DVDs with high intensity routines that are only 10 minutes long but at the end of that 10 minutes I feel like I've gone an hour of a moderate intensity workout (ZuzkaLight- look her up on YouTube is infamous for this).

I used to go to the gym to run on the treadmill a lot but I've become mostly a DVD exerciser for work reasons although I'm planning on getting back into running. My workouts can be anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on what I'm doing and the intensity I'm doing it at.

I think even if all you could do was work out 20 minutes and put your maximum effort into it, it's fine and you will lose weight if you're eating right. Unless you're feeling like this workout DVD is not enough of a challenge in which case, you could look for something a bit more intense.

If all you've changed is adding workouts, and you haven't changed your diet, then you need to workout more. But really, if you've reduced your calories, then the amount you're working out is just fine.

My workouts change depending on my goals. I was training for a backpacking trip over the summer, so I was doing strength 2x/week and cardio 2-3x/week. Now that I'm not training for anything, I do a mix of strength and cardio only about twice a week. I'm focusing instead on losing weight through diet, and just get to the gym when I can. That will change in January when I start training for a 5K.

Right now (2.5 months in) I pick a 30 day challenge (squat, plank, lunge, whatever) and do that as soon as I wake up in the morning. Then in the evening, I just walk. somewhere between 2.5 and 4 miles is the average- Right now I'm partial to 3 miles a night. Takes me about an hour. I walk, my kiddo plays at the skate park and then walks the last mile with me. That's what has been working for me pretty well.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone

I work out twice a day for a total of about 2 hours.

But everyone should work within their limits.

I did no extra exercise until I was 60lbs down.

At 220lbs I started going to the gym. And then I started running after that. And then I started doing both on the same day.

But I could not do what I do now at 281lbs. So use your diet. And pace your exercise to work within your own limits.

Exercise gets a lot easier at lower weights.

I've been wondering the same thing. I'm 20, 5'2, and 313 lbs. I recently started working out again. I workout for about 45 minutes 3-4 days a week (strength training, yoga, elliptical, and/or dvds/youtube videos .. though, not all at once). and I don't feel its enough to see any real progress. I've been thinking of doing more days a week, but I don't want to do too much too soon.

At the higher weights (indeed at all weights) you have to watch your diet.

Trust me. I used to walk 2 miles a day and think that would burn off my 2x Big Mac and fries washed down with a large shake. It did not.

I only saw progress when I got my diet under control. (It took me two decades of obesity to get this!).

Exercise does wonderful things. But the primary method of weightloss should be diet.

Once you get that right, you can supercharge your loss with exercise.

And then there will come a point where you can "tone" your body with diet and exercise which requires a delicate balance in the what you exercise and the what you eat. But that comes later on.

At heavier weights, you have to first focus on losing the weight.

Through diet.

right now i am doing 45 minutes on the adaptive motion trainer at the gym...similar to an elliptical but i like it better...i do a workout of "mountain peaks" where the resistance gets harder and harder....it keeps my heart rate between 165-175 for the duration and i know i'm getting a good workout because i can feel it

i tend to try and put the max effort into a workout rather than try and stretch out the time i spend doing it....because i don't HAVE alot of time to put into it...the max i've ever worked out is an hour total per day

i also stay on my feet and busy with my work with students, at home with my kids and with various other things that i have going on

i completely agree, i think current research suggests this is a preferred way to exercise is to do it hard and fast rather than tedious and slow. Even if you have to interval train (slow/fast, repeat) i think it might be better than slow and steady and long unless you really enjoy that kind of thing

Agree on this, too. It will always first and foremost come down to what goes in your mouth, unfortunately!

I had ALOT of success when I was doing HIIT intervals on the treadmill unfortunately, my knees and ankles couldn't sustain that long term so I moved to other workouts

I completely agree, i think there was some study that came out that said even 6 minutes of all out effort is better than some long term slow steady--much better (that is if you can do it)

I hear you about knees, mine SUCK and i do try to do "interval" training on the treadmill..i say interval because with me it's not true HIIT unless you're going all out just about puking, LOL. But since i cannot run at all, the best i can do is walk as fast as i can on the treadmill and pump my arms (i have it elevated so it simulates mild uphill) until i can't do it any longer and then a rest period, then try again but yes it is effective! I think even doing it that way if you cannot do a true HIIT is more effective for fitness and fat loss than an hour of a slow walk.