[specialp]

This is very true. Exercise has more of an effect than the calories burned. It improves your health and you feel much better than when you had a sedentary life. As always the answer is that decreasing calorie consumption with moderate exercise is key to maintaining weight loss.

Just as exercising cannot offset massive overconsumption of food, massive underconsumption of food will make one that is dieting feel terrible, and thus not as likely to continue.

In addition the amount of exercise done is never going to really offset a sedentary job. Someone walking on their feet all day vs me being at a desk is going to consume much more energy than me even if I workout after work intensely for an hour. So I am still going to need to consume less than them. But if I did not do the hour of exercise, my body would break down from not being used, and my overall feeling of health would decline.

[yuzi]

From my experience: I didn't have a sedentary life, well at least lets just say I wasn't sitting at a computer all day. I was always out and about. My extra weight was from a mix of overconsumption and poor food choices.

I noticed there were unforseen changes in behaviour due to diet that I still find strange. Things like quitting pop. I used to grab McDonald's food more often, but since quitting pop I avoid the place. Sometimes I still grab a burger from there, like 5 times or so over the last 14 years, but I'll never get a pop and I don't have a desire to go there and still avoid it with ease.

I still think diet changes are the single most important thing, but I just don't think I could have gotten there without exercise.

[mholmes680]

I have also decided this past Jan 1 to stop Soda. And I've phased out sugar in my morning coffee. Not being a big juice drinker in the first place, I think I'm better off as a long term goal to limit the amount of sugar i "drink". I'll stick to just "eating" it, focus on cutting out more processed sugar and being smart about balanced diet in general.

I do crave it still tho, I have not found myself avoiding fast food either. With two kids under 2, it just kind of makes life easier when I make them good meals and can pick up something quick.

[yuzi]

One trick I've learned is to not have pop in the house. My girlfriend hates me for it :). Honestly I couldn't have quit pop if I did have it there. At one point she would buy it for her, but somehow I found myself drinking it so we had to have a discussion; thankfully she accommodated me.

Ideally you and your family can get on the same page in terms of diet, but I imagine with kids that can be extremely challenging. It's worth it if you can do it.

[seanmcdirmid]

This works, but then if you have a job with free soda...discipline is still needed.

[HappyTypist]

I like water more than soda. If you'd like some flavour then try squeezing a few drop of lemon juice

[seanmcdirmid]

Addiction doesn't really work like that. Surely water is better for you, and also "feels" better after a good work out. But put coke in front of people who are semi-addicted to it, they will choose coke.

BTW, almost all water served at restaurants in China is lemon flavored. The best halfway point I've seen is flavored soda water. Fizzy, slightly flavored, gives you some of the feeling of pop without the sugar. Still, put coke in the same fridge, and it requires some willpower to take the flavored soda water.

[yuzi]

Or a new job is needed. :)

[yuzi]

One more tip. Finding substitutes really helps. Soda stream is awesome provided you don't add the syrups. I do 90% soda water with 10% orange juice or grape juice and I love the stuff.

[agumonkey]

Exercising trains your cardio vascular system, even if you don't burn calories, it means your cells are fed and cleaned more effectively.