I am a poor exerciser. I do my pilates before bed and take a walk regularly in the spring and fall, but winter is too cold and summer too hot. I started Atkins in March of 2003 and lost 48 pounds by December, the first 30 were off in three months. I stalled off for a couple of months and wavered from the plan on and off for 5 months, and gained some back. Now I'm back on plan since the Top of May and down 12 pounds. Simply put, everyone is different and YMMV (your mileage may vary)