Can a couch potato lose weight?

[brightstar]

I know that if you just sit there and watch tv, eating chips, you’ll never lose weight. But after a long day at work, the last thing that I want to do on some days is to hit the gym or go for a run. If all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch television, is it still possible for me to do some things, from there, that will help me to lose fat?

Are there fat burning foods?

Are there exercises you can do form the convenience and comfort of the couch?

[tammybear]

I agree with Delilah. It would be amazing if all you had to do was crunches on the couch and you'd get a slim, healthy, beautiful body, but it doesn't work like that. I know that there are some exercises that you can do while you're sitting down, but they're not enough to actually create weight loss. You might be able to do a bit of targeted toning, but that's about it. Any diet that says you can lose weight while sitting on the couch is out to get your money, not to help you.

[char]

I don't think that you can just sit on the couch all night and lose weight, but I think that if you already are sitting on the couch, then you can do things like leg lifts and butt crunches at least to do a little bit of toning.

You might also think about getting one of those "exercise bikes" that consists of just pedals on a little frame that sits on the floor in front of your spot on the couch.

That way, you can sit there watching television and pedal away for a while. I'm sure it won't be your key to losing weight, but it might make more of a difference then just sitting around.

I personally find that if I have a tv in front of my exercise equipment, I'll use it more. I have a treadmill and I clamped a bitty little television to the front of it so that I can just watch a show or a dvd on it. It's funny how much the time passes when you're paying attention to a program and not your miles.

[bonniekins]

what are those pedal things called, char? That sounds interesting, especially since my problem areas are more my thighs and buns instead of my middle. Where do you buy that sort of thing? Are they expensive?

If they're not too expensive, then that'd be something I'm really interested in considering.

[suzie]

If you're willing to do all of those exercises while sitting on the couch, what's the difference between doing that and actually getting up and doing a workout video, or heading out for a walk for a half hour, or going to a gym that has televisions that you can watch while you use the machines?

If you're driven to actually get some exercising done, then maybe you should push yourself to take that one extra step off the furniture and really get some calorie burning in.

It's not as hard as you think. It's just a matter of standing up and then taking each of the steps to get there! You can do it!

[tankini]

Maybe get a real exercise bike and put it in front of the TV next to the couch, so when you come home you can still "sit" down and watch TV but you will be burning calories and getting good cardio while watching that hour of CSI Then you can collapse on the couch after guilt free!

[tara]

I agree with tankini its really great way to watch TV while doing ur exercises on cycle that way you can do more than 20 mins and not getting bored , its not necessary to do it fast you can enjoy it now an average speed and still get the benefit believe me in my slimmer days I always used to do this and it helped and you would feel great also about it . Give it a try

I guess you could do the same thing with a rowing machine or even a yoga mat for pilates if you can do that without a video. Good thinking!

[robinthomson]

Drink plenty of water

Our body needs a lot of water and our body contain 80% of water. Water is also helpful to flush out toxin and if you have more water in your body you will generally feel healthier and fitter and it is also helpful in weight loss.