Success means different things to different people. I do not measure my success by inches or pounds lost, but I do measure it by numbers. I went for a follow-up appointment yesterday, with my doctor, following a physical/bloodwork 3 weeks previous. My cholesterol levels are excellent and much, much better than they were at the time of my last physical (about 18 months ago) - although they were never high. This success has come, in our opinion, from my committment to exercising each day (or at least 6 days a week). I do not go to extremes, 30-45 mins of walking daily. Exercise doesn't count for much weight loss (according to studies, only 4-7 lbs if there are no changes in eating habits) but it does cause one to maintain their weight while working your heart and lungs and makes significant changes in your health overall. Like anything else though, those changes don't happen overnight. You just have to accept that, and keep on walking!!

Duffy that is fantastic !!!

You inspire me :)

HUGS
Cocoon

Duffy,
Does that mean you do exercise or do not? I know I have read your posts saying you no longer are dieting. I applaude you. I do feel we all need to live a healthy life style. Congrats on the nice health report continued success to you.Dina

I do exercise, Dina, 30-45 min (sometimes 60) a day. I walk outside for the most part or on my treadmill in bad weather (all winter here). I think I was trying to say that I don't go overboard, no 3 hours of walking or jogging, no extremes. I am working out for my heart and lungs, and not focusing on weight.

Duffy, I am a little confused about your post. It may just be a difference in opinion which in that case may be fine also. I understand that you are not focusing on weight loss but more health issues which I think is great because it is making you be the best person you can be! The part I am confused about is the study that you have quoted. I am a big fan of exercise and have made great progress in my quest to be healthy and fit. I firmly believe that exercise has been the key factor in my progress. I don't workout 3 hours a day either but I make sure I am active each day. I do cardiovascular activity everyday for my heart and lungs and to burn fat. I also weight train to build and shape my muscles which will also help me to burn fat in the long run. All of the research that I have done has contradicted the statement from your study. I am finding it hard to swallow that they would stand behind the fact that exercise only counts for a 4-7 pound weight loss. Could you please post the study and where to find it so we can all take a look at it as well? Thanks so much and keep up the great work! http://www.diettalk.com/uub//redface.gif)

Jessie:

Here is the quote from the book "Losing It" by Laura Fraser, and then I'll list the studies she sited at the end of the chapter.

"When weight loss is the motivation for exercise, it's doomed from the start. For one thing, studies show that people don't lose that much weigh exercising--an average of 4 to 7 pounds. If people have been quite inactive, exercise can make more of a difference in their weight; it can help other people stabilize their weight, and keep them from gaining more."

1. Leann L. Birch "Obesity and Eating disorders: A Developmental Perspective," Bulletin of the Phyconomic Society, vol. 29 (1991), 265-72.
2. Leann L. Birch, Susan Johnson, et al., "The Variability of Young Children's Intake," New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 324 (1991), 232-35.
3. Judith Rodin, "Body Mania," Psychology Today (January-February 1992), p. 56.
4. Kevin Thompson, "Larger Than Life," Psychology Today (April 1986), p. 39.
5. Sandra Birtchnell, Bridget Dolan, and J. Hubert Lacey, "Body Image Distortion in Non-Eating Disordered Women," International Journal of Eating Disorders, vol.6 (1987), 385-91.
6. Thomas F. Cash, "The Psychology of Physical Appearance: Aesthetics, Attributes and Images," in Thomas F. Cash and Thomas Pryzinsky, eds., Body Images: Development, Deviance and Change (New York: The Guilford Press, 1990), pp. 65-67.
7. Paul Rozin and April Fallon, "Body Image, Attitudes to Weight, and Misperceptions of Figure Preference of the Opposite Sex, A Comparison of Men and Women in Two Generations," Journal of Abnormal Psychology, vol. 97 (1988), 342-45.

I don't know if any of these studies are where she obtained her information, it may have been gleaned from the various other studies she used for the book "Losing It: America's Obsession With Weight and The Industry That Feeds On It"