Hi all! This is my 3rd week on Phase 1, and this past Monday, I started walking 30 minutes after work because I have more energy. Of course, I was a little tired afterwards, but it felt good!

I was planning on walking 30 minutes every day (M-F), but is it too soon to be walking this much, or at all? I don't want to hinder my weight loss or lose muscle mass, so I'd like some advice on whether I should wait a few weeks (or a month) to include 30 minutes of walking every day into my routine, or whether it's okay to walk this much so early in the plan. What has everyone else done?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

There have been tons of threads on the subject because everyone equates diet & exercise, although IP is different in this regard. A 30 minute walk is perfectly fine. The exercise that is not recommended is more strenuous

Here are a couple of the most recent threads (or ones with the most recent posts)

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...l-protein.html
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-exercise.html

Thanks for the links... I was looking forward to seeing what exercise is allowed / not allowed..

I do water aerobics 3 times a week. The weeks that I have been faithful in going, I have lost more weight. I have a very sedentary job though so I don't get a lot of movement throughout the day...

It's good to know that you lost more weight when you exercised! I have an office job, so I sit a lot. I think I will keep up the walking 30 minutes a day, just during the week... I will take a break on the weekends

Good luck to you!

I haven't been doing any exercise since starting IP, but I know I need to get back in the habit. I have a gym membership...just not using it. I'd like to get some info on some light weights routines to build some muscle. I got a FitBit recently and have set a low goal of 5000 steps a day for now, but will build on that as I go. Just having that as made me move more during the day. It's 500 steps roundtrip to my mailbox, so if I'm low in steps, I've gone out and done that a few times. Have to admit, I've been a little nervous to exercise since I don't want to stall my weight loss at all, yet I know that moderate exercise will be good...and crucial in maintenance. I used to go on long walks (6+ miles) with a good friend once a week or so, but I think that would be way too much now. I miss it, though.

I have been thinking about getting a pedometer to track my steps. Do you like the FitBit?

I'm not sure what phase of IP you're on, but judging by a lot of the posts on here, you definitely want to stick with light exercise, especially in Phase 1 (the phase I'm on). I think you can increase your exercise level in the later phases. I think everyone is different in what they choose to do about exercise.

I am walking 30 minutes a day, so I'm going to see if that makes a difference in my weight loss. Hopefully I will lose more weight than without it!

I do like the FitBit! I've only had it a week, but it's been great to keep me motivated. I know people strive for 10,000 steps, but for me setting a smaller goal of 5000 has been good. I plan on increasing that each week.

I'm on phase 1...have been since Dec 26th when I started IP. I exercised a lot before, but it's been a year or so. I was going to the gym 5 days a week and working with a trainer 1 day a week for about 6 months...and gained 15 pounds during that time. We were baffled, so then I started a lot of medical tests to figure out why. Never really got to the bottom of it, but I lost all motivation to work out at that point. I need to get back into the habit, but have been waiting to see what I lose first. I won't do a lot in the beginning, but plan on getting more active as I go.

If you don't want to hinder your weight loss you should do as little exercise as possible. Seriously. Just move as little as possible and your weight will drop faster than if you walked 5 days a week.

What I think you mean to say is you don't want to hinder your fat loss.
Weight loss and fat loss are not the same thing.

Walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes won't slow down your fat loss. It will, however, cause you to retain more of the muscles in your legs which will slow down your weight loss a bit.

Walking is good for your health. As time goes on I suggest you try to increase the pace of your walking. Brisk walking is great. Easy on the joints and great for your cardiovascular health. Bonus - it burns calories.

Goodluck

John & Lolo give perfect examples of why the scale is not always the best indicator of our progress and should only be ONE measurement. The measuring tape is another great, low-cost, low-tech measure! There are much more high-tech measures of body fat but some are costly or take specific training to ensure an accurate reading is taken.

Looking back, I wish I'd asked more questions about measurement. I wish my clinic had measured more spots (like neck, & calves, in addition to the upper arm, chest, waist, hips, thigh they measured)