Does exercise really make any useful mpact on weight loss?

I think it definitely does.

I have never been on a diet and eat all sorts of crap but am a size 8 because I do quite a lot of running (an hour a day), plus a 5 mile round trip walk to work.

Fad diets, quick fixes , starvation... Nothing has more impact and longevity than healthy eating and exercise. Organisation and commitment . Getting fit and healthy doesn't mean endless hours training and starvation but to really lose weight and stay fit you have to eat right and exercise

I'm not an expert but IME exercise can make a difference to body size/shape if it's either really intense HIIT for brief periods several times a week hard enough to blast your metabolism or loads and loads of lower intensity walking/general activity built into every available waking hour of your day. Or something mad like marathon training of course which goes without saying. But a couple of hours of phoning it in at the gym (spot the Jillian Michaels fan ) isn't going to cut it.

Before I had DD I was going spinning 3-5 times a week and I did find I was losing weight without having to worry overly about my diet. But I think the exercise made me have a more healthy outlook and subconsciously make better food choices, if that makes sense? The only way I've ever successfully lost lots of weight was weightwatchers.

Yes, but that's because I eat when I'm stressed, and exercise stops me from emotional eating so much, and makes me happier and feel like taking better care of myself. And it suppresses my appetite.

I started with 30 day shred (after having read about it here!) which is a good place to start, I think i've done it twice though I prefer her Ripped one which is the same format.
6 week 6 pack is also pretty efficiant but quite hard..
I havent tried the killer buns n thighs yet as i'm going through different levels of Ripped whilst i'm doing alot of running, don't want to overdo it!

I'd never tried any exercice DVDs before so have no comparison, but i do enjoy her workouts! Have a look on Youtube if you fancy giving them a try?

Would you recommend Jillian Michaels DVDs then Sheusedtobesomeoneelse? I've got a Davina 7 minute fit one, which is fine, but I'd like some variety.

My diet is pretty good though with the exception of the booze. If I had a bad diet then eating more healthily would no doubt make a big difference.

Yes it has worked for me. But I did hardly any exercise before and I needed to move more because I like eating and I like wine.

I run about 5km a week and lost a dress size over 6 months. I'm also massively healthier.

IME it's both. Some people do well and enjoy running, weights etc. others lose weight just walking more and stretching. I reckon it's doing what you enjoy, because it means you actually DO it .

I found just dancing around the kitchen for 10 - 15 mins (or doing strenuous gardening) before , a healthy breakfast following the Paul Mackenna way of eating and the Blood Type by Peter D'Adamo, works especially well for weight loss.

For me, it only helps indirectly.

I find that if i'm doing some exercise, I have a bit more energy, which means i'm not reaching for sugary snacks to boost my energy as much.

There's also the element that if i'm out walking, i'm not on the sofa eating cheesecake!

Exercise contributes to better fitness which makes me feel bouncier and more likely to be active which in turn burns more every day calories, so in that respect, yes.

It (mostly sport, not running around a park) makes me happier. I genuinely feel energised after a game of netball and glad I did it.

But generally, losing weight is 90% food, 10% activity.

I took up running a year ago and have lost 1 stone. I run approx 15-20k per week. I have a lot to loose though. It's totally slowed down now, I need to tackle my eating next as I'm fustrated that I'm not getting faster at running and its because I'm too heavy.

Like LaContessa i started off being alot more careful with my diet (still have puddings/wine on a weekend etc) but it wasnt until i started Jillian Michaels DVDs 4-5 times a week & running 3 times a week that my weight loss was actually amazing. I was 76 kg in febuary, now i've been at 64kg for a month or so. Bit scared of it coming back though so i still don't snack between meals unless i really feel the need and when i do i eat slowly, slowly, slowly!
I've recently upped my running to 5 times a week (training for a semi marathon in october, i only started running 2 years ago to see if i could!), JM really helped me get toned and feeling like i could actually move my bum and do it myself! I still do her DVDs 2-3 a week.

Diet aint everything..

I lost weight at a steady rate with calorie counting until I hit about 73kg, then I plateaued. As soon as I started actually moving a bit more, the weight started to come off again. Admittedly I'm not really dieting atm (currently 68kg) but am doing a lot of exercise as I'm scared it'll come back if I stop!

This is a subject I'm really interested in and thinking about it more, I suspect that whilst there is little direct link between exercise and weight loss (need to run c. 5miles to burn off one Mars bars) a lifestyle that revolves around exercise probably woyld see weight loss because of changes in brings in our attitudes to food and our bodies. E.g I'm a fairly serious runner. I eat well, not to lose weight but in the hope I'll run faster

I tend to be one of those people that diet certainly out weighs exercise. I gain muscle easily, but I also gain fat quite easily.

However, because of the exercise my GP says I'm in great shape with the heart/lungs/stamina etc of a teenager (I'm 35). He doesn't even care that I'm a stone overweight because it doesn't matter in comparison to how much muscle I have and how healthy my organs and things are.

So exercise is important in so many ways.

No I was thinner smoking and doing nothing but not healthier obvious so I see that as the benefit of exercise

I think there's starting to be some evidence that indicates that those that keep weight off tend to have done it through lifestyle changes involving exercise rather than dietary changes.

Agree about the right type of exercise and the huge health benefits too.

Exercise will make a difference - IF - you don't eat too much.

In other words, unless you run at least 10KM a day, you have to restrict what you eat quite significantly, to actually lose weight.

I bet you have subconsciously changed your diet Matilda. Exercising makes you feel better about yourself and when you feel better you don't turn to sugary "Treats" as much. Also, while you're out running you're not snacking

It's surprised me how much exercise has helped - over the last 6 months, I've been doing one very modest (2 mile) run a week, and one swimming session a week (I can maybe do 500, 600m in half an hour, so pretty pathetic compared to most swimmers), and cycling to work (which isn't any change from my regular habits for the last 12 years, and is only 2 miles each way so doesn't really count as exercise), and yet I've dropped a clothes size without any changes to my diet at all.

It really surprised me because I'd read all the "exercise doesn't make a difference, only diet does" articles - and when you look at the numbers, my weedy amount of exercise shouldn't change things - running a mile shifts about 100 calories (and that's before you've subtracted off your base metabolic rate - you'd still burn some calories just sitting on the couch). Yet for some reason, it has made a noticeable difference.

They say 70%diet and 30% exercise

I don't think exercising will continuing with a poor diet would see you like weight but if you're exercising regularly, I fo think you start wanting to ear better.

Also for every hour of your spare time youre out running etc, that's one less hour you're sat on the sofa with a packet of crisps or opening the fridge out of boredom.

Absolutely it does, I've come down 3 dress sizes in the past year with exercise alone. I started gently with Pilates and have added in gym work amd body pump (both of which I swore I'd never do). I've not changed my diet at all.
I still have a long way to go but I'm in for the long haul-for the first time in my life!