An interesting recent post by Tom Venuto in his Burn the Fat Blog:

Weight Regain Is Related to Decreases in Physical Activity during Weight Loss.Abstract:
Purpose: To examine whether adaptations in physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) during weight loss were associated with future weight regain in overweight/obese, older women.

Research Methods and Procedures: Thirty-four overweight/obese (BMI = 25-40 kg[middle dot]m-2), postmenopausal women underwent a 20-wk weight loss intervention of hypocaloric diet with (low- or high-intensity) or without treadmill walking (weekly caloric deficit was ~11,760 kJ), with a subsequent 12-month follow-up. RMR (via indirect calorimetry), PAEE (by RT3 accelerometer), and body composition (by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) were measured before and after intervention. Body weight and self-reported information on physical activity were collected after intervention and at 6 and 12 months after intervention.

Results: The intervention resulted in decreases in body weight, lean mass, fat mass, percent body fat, RMR, and PAEE (P < 0.001 for all). Weight regain was 2.9 +/- 3.3 kg (-3.1 to +9.2 kg) at 6 months and 5.2 +/- 5.0 kg (-2.3 to +21.7 kg) at 12 months after intervention. The amount of weight regained after 6 and 12 months was inversely associated with decreases in PAEE during the weight loss intervention (r = -0.521, P = 0.002 and r = -0.404, P = 0.018, respectively), such that women with larger declines in PAEE during weight loss experienced greater weight regain during follow-up. Weight regain was not associated with changes in RMR during intervention or with self-reported physical activity during follow-up.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that although both RMR and PAEE decreased during weight loss in postmenopausal women, maintaining high levels of daily physical activity during weight loss may be important to mitigate weight regain after weight loss.

I haven't been able to read the full text of this paper but I see no evidence this research relates to low carbohydrate methods of weight loss. They were using a weekly caloric deficit of ~11,760 kJ with exercise or not

I didn't think about running a calorie deficit at any point in my weight loss program, I enjoy eating far too much.
The plan I used simply cut out those foods that raise insulin.
I certainly didn't at any point while I was trying to lose weight indulge in ANY extra physical activity but that didn't prevent me losing over 2lb a week each week for six months.

In the months since I've stopped trying to lose weight but still eating according to Dr Dalhqvist's plan but with more cheats (wine, the odd glass of beer, or just eating off plan when visiting relatives/friends eating out) I've managed to keep my weight below target. I am much more mobile now and am somewhat less sedentary but I still (and never will) be able to work out energetically but this is the RESULT of weight loss and not the cause.

Therefore in my experience it is nonsense to imply that exercise is NECESSARY part of any weight loss plan, it is also wrong to imply that if you don't exercise while losing weight through calorie restriction you will inevitably put that weight back on. If you change the way you eat by eliminating those foods that raise insulin and disrupt glucose metabolism you can lose weight, if you also have the patience to carb/calorie count you may even lose more quickly than I did. But once you have learn't how to keep your insulin levels low you have the skills to keep it off.

There is no inevitability to weight regain. (he says hopefully )

Thanks for posting Demi!!

I agree with Hutchinson as my experience after 3 yrs maintaining, is the same as his. I am just not a gym rat and probably never will be. I do a lot of walking 5 days a week.....5-6 hours daily and I know that has aided me in my ability to keep it off.
I know when I have to scale back on my total food and I do not count calories or carbs. I cut out calorie dense foods(cheese and nuts) to lower calories and grains to lower carbs.

Sounds to me like a trainer, trying to drum up some business in the current depressed economy. Gym membership would probably be one of the first things people dropped when they have to tighten their budgets. JMO.

Hutchison, would you please post your rebuttal on Venuto's blog to counter his nonsense?

Demi, TFS this. I don't believe that exercise is absolutely imperative to keeping weight off, BUT it sure helps.

I had a smaller amount to lose than most (thus, I'm considering pre-maintenance about two and a half months after changing my WOE), but I feel like exercise was absolutely imperative to how I lost so quickly. I'm not saying that I couldn't have lost 24 pounds without exercising; I just doubt that I, personally, could have lost that much in 2.5 months without the exercise. I think that it would've taken more time.

People who don't exercise for whatever reason tend to be really defensive about that. Before I started, I used to laugh about it. When I read DANDR, the good doc said that it wasn't optional, so I started power walking again. (A knee injury prevents me from jogging.) Then, I discovered Callanetics, and I absolutely love it.

I've made exercise a part of my life, and I think it's going to make it a whole lot easier to maintain once I make my goal. (And I'm tantalizingly close!) Now, whether or not anyone chooses to do the same, that's their business. I'm of the opinion that if another person's personal choice doesn't lead to really bad consequences, then I don't really need to criticize or push my point of view on you. Although, I think I still ought to talk about the consequences of choosing similarly and differently from me.

Whether you were once overweight or always thin, the US gov't guidelines are still half an hour to and hour of exercise a day.

I used to exercise a lot when I was gaining weight. I've cut back a lot on the amount of exercise I have been doing and I've not seen a weight regain.

I made exercise a part of my life too....for 2 years...one hour a day, 6 days a week.

I NEVER LOST A SINGLE POUND.

Then I went low carb with only 1 dance class per week and 42 pounds practically fell off me.

Exercise if you want. I do it because its fun. As for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.

I think there are people who feel hungry after exercise, and those who don't. If you do feel hungry, it's pointless to exercise in order to lose weight. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if psychology has a big effect on people who exercise losing weight. Self talk such as "I just ran for 30 minutes, if I eat this apple it will be as if I only ran for 20 minutes".

If you eat right (read: low carb) and are not completely sedentary I believe you can reach a healthy weight. That said, I love strength training and yoga and would continue to do them even when I have no weight left to lose.

IMO, doing exercise without getting the food right first, as in seriously controlling processed and bad carb intake, will not be meaningful to weight loss.

I see this all the time where I live. Women who live in my building are spending small fortunes on personal training yet they are still overweight/obese. They ask me about my weight loss and when I tell them how I eat, their answer is usually the same "Oh! I could never eat like that!" ....meaning they are not willing to give up their precious white flour(bread, bagels, pasta, pizza).

One of my clients is a young women around 30 with a weight problem. She's a WW person, eats WW foods and goes to the gym all the time....and is constantly gaining weight. The old low fat, high carb diet.

Whole wheat pizza anyone?

You sound like all the muscle heads I know. (I'm not making fun, mind you. Where do you think I met them? That would be while waiting for the weights!) They all say that cardio, while necessary for your health, isn't going to make you lose any weight, but building muscle can, providing you eat the right way.

I've done a bit of research, and from what I can tell, they have a good point. Muscle burns much more fat than any other tissue while in the resting state. But my buddies miss the fact that running does help build muscle, just not nearly as much as lifting. And the fact remains that if you eat 1800 calories but run off 500, your body is going to use fat if it has to to keep things running.

Trust me, back in the day, I ran about 3 miles a day, and never had a weight problem. (My gain was medically related.) You have to be eating right, and doing the right exercise if you don't want to worry that every morsel you put in your mouth is going to throw you off.

They both have a part in keeping us healthy. You can lose weight by just focusing on one, sure, but focusing on both gives us a little wiggle room with each once in awhile. Like if I've got a cold and don't feel like working out, I know I won't gain because I'm still eating reasonably. Or if I want to eat cake on my daughter's birthday, I can do it and not fret. As long as my lifestyle is healthy overall, I know that I'll be able to fudge here or there when I want to.

I'll be honest. I totally relied on exercise for any extra weight right up to the day that my body betrayed me. Ok, it really didn't betray me. I was in a car accident, had a TBI (brain injury), which threw my thyroid out of whack, and injured my knee to the point I couldn't run anymore. I power-walked until I just got disgusted with it not helping and gave it up. After that, I tried restricing calories, but that didn't work, either.

I gradually gained weight for 7 years before I decided to change my diet. Since I"ve been watching what I put in my mouth (counting carbs instead of calories) and exercising again, the weight has been falling off me with no effort. I wouldn't give one more credit than the other. Even Dr. Atkins said they go hand in hand.

I exercised the exact same amount/intensity/type for the whole time I was on low fat and now on CALP. I gained weight while exercsing, but it was because of my high carb diet. But the way I think about it, who knows how much sicker I would have been if I did not exercise? I do it for general heath and fitness. My weight loss all came from low carb- totally.

And you've done an awesome job, Eno. I'm wowed by your stats!

I've got to ask, though. What does CALP stand for? (So I can Google it, lol.)

Exercise might not be required for maximum weight loss for everybody; I don't think there's enough good science on the matter to be definitive.

I do know that after three weeks away from the gym (killer contract of 50-60 hrs./wk), I weigh less than before, but I'm softer. I miss my buff bod!