Maybe that should be phrased: Do I really have to workout while dieting?

I don't want to be muscly or ripped. I would be quite happy with an average non fat body I have a few stone to lose. Am I in danger of having flabby bits? or do they go over time?

The slower you lose weight, the less likely loose skin is! It also depends on how much you've got to lose!

Exercise wise, really, I don't think it's that important obviously it'd be better to get fit and healthy as well, but I've found that it wasn't majorly important with my weight loss. It's all relative though really, I do have a lot of saggy bits still, but I've had 2 babies so there's not a lot I can do about that! And having the kids means I've got quite an active lifestyle too!

I disagree with exercise not being important, but that's just my opinion. Exercise boosts your metabolism, which dieting tends to wreak havoc on, especially if you are trying to cut 1,000 calories a day or more from your intake. Exercise also has other benefits, like strengthening your heart and lungs and keeping your muscles in good shape. It doesn't have to make you "ripped" though, and odds are it wouldn't even if you did want it to, because those guys usually work out several hours a day and some even take steroids.

I do think exercise is important, but purely in weightloss terms for me, it's not been that important! I probably didn't phrase it very well I'm a lot fitter now than I was before thanks to exercise, but I think not eating takeaways every night and eating full multipacks of crisps in one sitting's helped me lose the weight more!

Damit, so you're saying if I go to the gym I can't still eat takeaways and crisps everyday? Boo

To be honest I'm not really thinking 'health benefits', more lack of flabby bit Guess a few sit-ups before bed should help with toning. I really don't want to be able to run a marathon or bench 300lbs. Is it wrong that I'm ok with just being average

I don't think you'll get ripped if you just do enough to keep fit and trim. Most people do not like that big ripped look anyways. But, I have to say the IFBB is really getting popular with a lot of women and I just don't get it.

Plain situps won't do much, you need to alternate with bicycle crunches and stuff! I wasn't really into the fitness aspect at first, but have managed to get me and wobbles doing a 10k in may!

If you are looking to be slim without much tone, no you do not need to workout. You obviously need to really watch what you eat.

One of the reasons I workout is so I can eat hamburgers and drink beer on the weekend. For me that is an excellent motivation.

You don't have to. I think the saying is that you get fit at the gym and get slim in the kitchen. It starts with diet. But I think exercise is great for toning and can be a real mood-booster too

The older we get the less we move. We get tied up with work or kids, or both and we are not moving as much as we did years before. Think about it this way - when you were a kid did you really stop moving (unless you were sleeping)? How often do you "sit" now?