That report isn't too surprising as muscle weighs more than fat...
So if you workout longer you lose fat but amass more muscle.
If you workout less it is more aerobic which loses fat but builds less muscle.
But all depends on what type of workout was used by each individual.
Thanks

20 to 30 min three times weekly is probably all the time u need if u are in shape already, getting in shape is another story in that it requires more time and effort to achieve.

This article only points out weight loss and doesn't mention anything about gaining muscle mass which is why those working out 60 minutes a day aren't losing as much on the scale.

30 mins, of aerobic exercise , 4 to 5 days a week, 95% healthy diet, 7 to 8 hours of sleep, relaxation time, 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, about 4 cups of green tea daily, and a multivitamin gives me the most health benefits....lots of fruit and vegetables...eats fast food once or twice a week!!!

30 minutes of exercise (and how intense is it?) does not represent enough effort to accomplish CHANGE! A more significant comparison would be based on body measurement changes. If one adds muscle weight to their body through SIGNIFICANT effort in their exercise, their body weight may decrease less significantly but they will be much healthier and fitter for their efforts. This article just gives people without the drive to challenge themselves in exercising more excuse to not commit to exercising.

For me, my weight stayed static when I was exercising (trial biking about 1 to 1.5 hours per day). But I did notice I was much more toned. So I think that people have to be aware that weight loss (fat) can be counter-balanced by muscle gain. It is not black and white and I suspect every case is different. Plus I don't know how 'truly' honest people are in reporting back on studies such as this. Especially with so many dimensions of their life involved, such as diet as well.

Another 'study' to help lazy people feel better about themselves. Exercise is not just about weight loss, it is about quality of life and overall health. Blood pressure goes down, stress goes down, endorphines go up, risk of heart attack goes down, risk of disease goes down....how can all of this not be worth 1 hour a day of your time?
People really need to start taking responsibity for their own health.

Your title is very misleading.

You want to know how to lose weight? Eat less.

There are other reasons to exercise besides losing weight...strengthen your muscles, especially that all-important muscle, the heart...keep flexible...energize yourself. It's also a constructive activity, as opposed to watching hours of mindless t.v., snacking, spending hours texting pointless, boring messages. playing endless video/computer games.

Awfully misleading headline! The bottom line is that you still need to exercise!!
I can assure you that the problem with most folks these days is not exercising TOO much.
Perhaps looking at other parameters aside from weight loss would show the benefits of going longer.

The people that did the 60 minute exercises lost body fat but gained weigth because muscle weighs more than fat

This is not surprising, and not new either. In his famous book, "The Aerobics Way", Dr. Ken Cooper wrote that running two to three miles,(typically between 20 to 30 minutes), three to five times a week is the optimal you need. "Anyone doing more than that", he wrote, 'is doing it for reasons other than fitness'. And he has got mountains of data to support it.

I've read the reason why it's better to exercise less is that if we do too much, we become too hungry and eat more. Not worth it, then. We truly only need about 20 minutes per day, and 30 minutes is still at a reasonable amount.

The problem with this study is that it takes only one component of exercise into consideration. Aerobic exercise is only effective for fat loss when there is a good amount of lean muscle present. If sedintary people don't weight train and build dense, lean muscle they don't require as many calories to fuel their aerobic activity. These kinds of studies are incredibly misleading. People have enough excuses already not to exercise without..."well scientists said I don't have too...." Read some more studies about the positive effects of exercise there are a lot of them.

14 years ago my weight had gotten up to 195 lbs. As nothing fit, I went on the Protein Power Diet. After about 8 months I was down to 160. I am now 82 and still weight 160. I currently walk for 30 minutes 6 days a week. I watch my weight and if I put on 3 to 5 lbs., I reduce my carbs until I am back to 160 (usually about 3 to 4 days). No big deal using the Protein Power maintenance diet. My cholesterol, blood pressure etc are normal . I take no prescription drugs. Living in Toronto I do take 2000 mgs a day of vitamin D. Thats it.