I see differing opinions on exercise while in Phase I. My coach says I can certainly walk regularly (which I guess at one point was even discouraged?) but as for more strenuous aerobic exercise, to hold off. I'm wondering for all of you who have been on Phase I for awhile and have been successful, and for those who have "come out the other side" and have reached goal -- Did you exercise throughout Phase I? What kind of exercise? What would make you decide to have an extra IP packet or not? Would you have it before or after? Any other comments you wish to share. Thanks

I am doing my exercise bike all through Phase 1 so far.

30 minutes in the AM

But I turned down the resistance so it's more like a gentle ride rather than an uphill grunt.

I get VERY LITTLE exercise the rest of the day

I do 20 mins of gentle yoga every morning, basic moves to wake up and stretch. 3 x a week I do 3 mile ride on my stationary bike with no resistance. I was doing this before and my coach advised it was okay to continue. I have ITB (illio tibial band) friction syndrome and this is to keep my knee and hip from "locking" up

I started the gym after 5 weeks. I am doing weight/strength training, just light weights. I am hungrier on those days and do have an extra protein shake.

This! I started yoga and am planning on doing weight training, no real cardio though..and I just walk half an hour a night with the dog.. not fast walking.

I think this is one of the things I struggle most with. I WANT to workout and I feel like I am not doing what I need to to lose the weight and tone up. My morning workout is like my antidepressant, so it is tough.

You can exercise. Just keep it very light weeks 1-2 (slow walk, for example) and after week 2 you can ramp up to moderate.
I do 60 or more minutes of PT exercises daily. I'm rehabbing my back.

Early-on in Ketosis isn't a time to add anything new but for people who were already working out, you can keep moving. Just reign it in.

My doctor, who used to be an IP coach, encouraged me to continue on the elliptical while on the program. I do 30-60 min per day several times a week. I add an extra quest bar (1/2 before exercise, the other 1/2 after) on exercise days. Doesn't seem to have slowed losses, but you can't ever really know that.

This week I started some circuit exercise with a trainer at my gym. I'll find out on Wednesday if this change stalled my losses, but for me it's not just about the number on the scale...I have lots of flab I want to tone too, so if the scale doesn't move but I drop inches, ill be a happy girl!

This is very encouraging!!

I restarted after about 5 weeks and did Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, which is 30 min of strength training 6x/week. I left out aerobics as you should not go over 65% of your max heart rate when in ketosis to make sure you are not degrading muscle. I added 300 cal/day more, mostly protein and some fat.

Hey - I'm back to the program after a summer break I gained back a few pounds after losing 30. I would like to incorporate some exercise this time around, should I wait until a few weeks on the program before exercising or does it matter? I have a free two weeks at a new gym but I would rather not pass out because I'm eating so few calories.

So I weighed in tonight after incorporating a lot more exercise this week...and I was down 4+ lbs. yay! Gained an inch, but I feel like I'm losing inches, so who knows. Just glad I can listen to my body and it seems to be working.

Good to hear all the comments. I am about to enter week 5. I gave up training for a marathon to go on IP, well should say pooled until I get my weight down. now I want to start some gentle weight traing and yoga to see how it goes.

I was on Phase 1 for a year, and did not do any exercise at all (some occasional swimming maybe, but nothing deliberate) until the last month I was on it. At that point I had hit a plateau (or maybe my body was just saying ENOUGH, who knows?) so I started doing the 'Walk It Out' program on the Wii daily for at least 30 minutes and also have been doing the Wii Fit body test every day that includes a balance and judgement test. I also got my Aqua Fitness Professional certification this month and that involved a weekend where I spent 5 hours in the pool doing fairly intense water aerobics, but that was kind of a one-off type thing.

I have heard people saying that they "need" an extra packet and so forth after exercise on Phase 1. Everyone is different, but I was OK after that 5 hour in the pool weekend without anything extra. This was AFTER a year on Phase 1 where I basically burned off all my fat and have only about 21% body fat left. I would not recommend jumping into a 5 hour exercise marathon and I did have extra things with me in case I needed it, but I think some of the concern should really be more aptly described as "caution" - be prepared if you need something, but don't expect that you automatically will need something.

As always, I think no one anywhere recommends any exercise during the first three weeks of Phase 1, when your body is adjusting. And of course, remember to STAY HYDRATED, especially when you are exercising! Good luck!

I waited for a month then started doing light exercise a few times a week. About month two I started water aerobics twice a week for an hour each. This was really helpful to slim down. For the last month and a half I have continued water aerobics but have been working out at the gym pretty regularly. My coach said just to add extra protein before and after work outs.