Do you have to workout EVERYDAY?

I'm pretty sure that if you don't train 4 hours every day that you'll lose muscle and gain fat.

Seriously, OP, you're setting yourself up for burn out and/or an injury. You have to give your body its recovery time. Don't be afraid to take rest days twice a week. You don't have to sit on the couch those days but keep it leisurely. And 2+ hour workouts are a bit much.

I kind of disagree. I have been holding to my routine for well over a year. Never had the slightest bit of burnout after this long, though I have been an athlete my entire life.

I also disagree that 2 hour workouts are a bit much, but it depends on your goals, I guess. I will do a 90 min hot flow, a 60 min spin class, then go hit the pool for 75-90 minutes as well. I do it because I love it. Obviously if you don't love it, then this route is not for you. My trainer said rest days are not vital to success, but does encourage a light swim on those days or a hatha yoga class which is more stretching than cardio/resistance training.

This would be one of those exception I mentioned in my response that it didn't make sense for *most* people.

That said, just because it's working for you now does not mean that it is a good idea overall for health. I suspect you're young, and by all means, enjoy it if it's what you like to do...but I will still argue that this level of activity is not necessarily "healthy", and will likely lead to "overtraining" problems for you down the road. Keep an eye on it, and if you start seeing warning signs, know that cutting back is the obvious first step.

Never "add" time to a workout just because you missed your last one. Why? Because your risk to overtraining and injury are vastly increased. And you would need to eat a substantial more amount of food to fuel a "double" workout day, which you probably won't prepare for.

You don't have to workout everyday...anyone that says you do, is telling you a load of sh1t. Plain and simple. Your body needs recovery time, especially if your workouts are strength based, or high intensity.

I started my weight loss journey assuming that I'd work out 3 times per week. In reality, I go to the gym 5-6 times per week.

I feel very guilty on my days off. Partially because I now love it, and two I am afraid if I take too many days off, I'm not going to lose.

I haven't. The days I was going in earlier to work I didn't go to the gym. But...my work schedule is changing next week to even earlier every day. I don't really want to get up THAT early....well ok, at least for the summer. I usually work out five days a week.

This was on another post a little bit ago: http://fitnessista.com/2011/08/focus-on-rest-days/

Taking a day off is good. If you feel you MUST workout, try a nice 3 mph or slower walk. Your body needs time to recover, but walking (within reason--I'm not talking about a hike) is good for you and won't hinder recovery.

I do it every day but half of my workouts are just brisk walks, so it's not really the same. I don't do strength training more than 3 times a week.

No, you don't have to work out everyday. It's a choice, always remember this fact. On the days you don't work out, you just have to limit your caloric intake. You're allowed to eat more on the days that you decide to work out. I guess this is why I use to view going to the gym or simply walking for up to 2 hours as an incentive, my getting to eat more than I normally would. Fortunately, I've grown accustomed to eating under 1200 calories. Make no mistake about it, I do have my off days when I go over 1200 calories but I usually just shrug it off because it doesn't go over by much. I try to eat foods that are delicious and healthy all in one. Most healthy foods taste disgusting to me. Some of my fave snacks/ foods are Dannon's Light & Fit yogurt which only has 80 calories per serving. Recently, I began buying the 8 or 12 pack which contains only 50 calories per serving. I absolutely love bananas so much that my middle name should be monkey. My weaknesses are Oreos and Kit Kats or anything chocolate, who am I kidding. Smh and Lol. If you would've told me I would ever be eating just those two additions alone, I would've snickered and walked away while believing you're just insane or escaped from an asylum just the same. I have even started eating store brand pre-packaged salads. I don't eat them often because I can't eat them without dressing and the dressing is really fattening. Dude, it's like over 100 calories for every 2 tablespoons! Anyhow, I hope this was a big help to you.

if you kick your *kitten* every workout then no

this

This!

If you're working out hard then your body needs a break or it WILL punish you for it. If you go for a bit of light work in between or some kind of gentle stretching, then do what you want.

That said, just because it's working for you now does not mean that it is a good idea overall for health. I suspect you're young, and by all means, enjoy it if it's what you like to do...but I will still argue that this level of activity is not necessarily "healthy", and will likely lead to "overtraining" problems for you down the road. Keep an eye on it, and if you start seeing warning signs, know that cutting back is the obvious first step.

Nah, I am 35. I have been doing high intensity workouts all of my life as a national level competitive swimmer. Since I quit (theoretically, though I still swim Masters), I have never once been told by a trainer, coach, or physician that what I am doing is unhealthy or impossible to maintain. When I trained hard, I was often in the water 4-6 hours a day + dry land training on top of that. This was encouraged. My trainer now has absolutely no problem with the levels at which I workout. Nor does my physician.

I am definitely not saying it's healthy for everyone, but I think after being in my body for 35 years, and training hard for a good 25 years of it, I am a-okay. Thank you for you concern, though.