This is something that has been bothering me. If you have had a relatively sedentary lifestyle and start to workout up to 6 times a week, ie: 1hr of vigorous exercise a day after work and go back to regular daily non-activity, ie: sitting at your desk 8hrs a day can you still lose weight??? Or should you be moving more in addition to your daily workouts?

I have a sedentary job and work out moderately 4-5 days a week. It seems to work for me.

That being said, I do try to slip in movement where I can. Park farther from my office, take the stairs whenever possible, pace while on the phone, go to the furthest bathroom, drinking fountain, etc. Just little changes add up

I suspect that once a few months have passed and you are accustomed to your workouts, you will find you tend to adopt a less sedentery lifestyle anyway.

I do between 7 1/2 and 9 hours of dance class a week, along with some light weights and lots of walking (averaging 2 miles a day). I love this level of activity and have no trouble maintaining it.

Before, I began my weight loss journey, I was fairly sedentery. Now, when I am faced with a stairs and escalator combination, I take the stairs, because it's faster for me, and it is so easy now. I rarely take an elevator unless I'm going up several flights, partly because it's often faster to use the stairs, and partly I enjoy the feeling I get from the light activity.

Basically, once you are more fit, you will probably find you move more in your daily life anyway - it just seems so easy to do things that once left you winded or fatigued. It's just getting over the initial hump that's hard!

BP

Some people can't find the time to start moving at the start of their diets and seem to lose quite a bit of weight with calorie restriction. I've always felt exercise was there for me 1)because I enjoy it, 2) it helps me lose a lot faster and tone at the same time, and 3) I think it important to stay with the exercising habit because then I'm more likely to watch what I eat and vice versa.

If I understand your question -- can you work out for an hour vigorously, sit for the rest of the day, and lose weight? Absolutely, if your diet is in line and you are burning more than you're eating overall during the day. It's all in the equation: calories in vs. calories out. You need a net 500 calorie deficit per day to lose 1 pound per week (3500 calories). It doesn't really matter whether you do the exercise in spurts, or spread out in the day, or in one intense session -- it's all calorie burn.

But -- the more you move, the more you burn, the more you lose. Every bit helps. I have a desk job too, and I find if I get up and move around when I can, I feel better. And when I feel better, I'm less likely to reach for a snack or a cup of coffee to pep me up -- a 10 minute brisk walk accomplishes the same thing. I also found that as I became more fit, I tended to move more, just because it was easier.

It worked for me, but only once I changed my diet as well. In fact, for me, diet is far more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss.

Outside of my workouts, my life is just as sedentary as it was before I started workout out. My workouts have gotten longer, more intense, and more frequent, but my job still involves a lot of sitting and so do most of my leisure activities. I don't like gardening or housecleaning any more than I did before I started exercising. I still don't like most sports and about the only non-sedentary leisure activity I engage in is hiking, which I did before I started my exercise program. Granted, now I can hike farther, faster, and higher, but I don't do it any more than I did before.

But, despite my limited exercise, I still have been pretty successful at losing weight and maintaining that loss. I'm not quite where I want to be right now, but that is because of my diet, not because of lack of exercise.

I didn't start exercising until I was 20 pounds down. It is absolutely possible to lose weight without exercising. Exercise though is great for overall health and well being in addition to giving you a boost with weightloss. However, no matter how much you exercise it will not do much for you reduction wise, if your calorie intake is more than it should be.

Most of weightloss happens on the plate. Absolutely true. ONE slice of cake is about 500 calories--that is running five miles!

this idea was so powerful to me once i really absorbed it. when i work out 6 days a week for an hour and a half i earn about 30 Activity Points for the week. if i thoughtlessly consume 2 pieces of pizza (14 pts) 2 cheesesticks (10) and 2 beers (6), an ENTIRE WEEK of exercise is wiped out! AHHHH!

diet is so important. and for me so is PLANNING it.

Hi there!
I think there are a couple of things to think about here. First, if you were exercising and losing weight and stop exercising, you still CAN lose weight provided that you have enough of a difference between your caloric intake and your sedentary output.
BUT, exercise is SO important for MAINTENANCE! This (along with other reasons) is why exercise should be incorporated as soon as possible in your regime, so that you can change your lifestyle.
Generally speaking, what you look like is a result of 80% diet, 20% exercise. So YES, you can still lose weight if you stop exercising. Or if you are basically sedentary except for an hour of intentional exercise a day. But can you maintain the loss without incorporating increased movement as a goal of a new healthy lifestyle?
And, from what I've read, and only in my humble opinion, increasing one's movement is always a good idea -- the more you move in your daily activities, the better off you'll be. The recommendation for some 6000 steps a day as a key to improving health is often quoted. I guess, the key is "every little bit helps"!

Kira

Not so for me. I've been watching what I eat for months now, and lost only a couple of pounds, but put them back on again. But then again, I don't have a thyroid (I had thyroid cancer and had to have it removed) and have to take Synthroid every day, so that could be it. I remember a few years ago before I was diagnosed I could lose a little bit of weight by just eating healthy. If I could lose 20 lbs by just eating healthy, I'd be ecstatic.

Some people are so lucky if they can lose by eating healthy, and then need to exercise to lose more, and it sucks because it makes it just that much more difficult for me to lose.

I know nothing about thyroid issues so I cannot comment. I do not deem myself "lucky" to be losing weight by eating healthily--just a part of the overall vast, vast majority that has success whilst careful calorie counting and ramping my activities. Weight loss comes down to calories in, calories out.

For years I would tell myself that I would "work off" my extra calories at the gym. I would tell myself that the workouts mattered more than the fact that I was eating fast food, cakes, donuts and ice creams. (Ooohhhh...but I was getting my workouts in!) While I do think activity and exercise are part of overall well being and fitness, activity alone typically will not do the trick. Reducing calories is definitely a larger part of the equation.