If you are exercising regularly as part of a weight loss program, then good for you. Studies have proven the value of exercise in reducing cardiovascular disease, preventing and treating diabetes, sustaining cognition, enhancing the immune system, and even reducing the risk of getting certain cancers. But narrowly considered, does exercise really help people lose weight? Not as much as you might think.
...A recent study, published this year by PLos One, looked at 464 overweight women, and divided them into four groups. Women in three of the four groups were asked to work out with a personal trainer for 72 minutes, 136 minutes, and 194 minutes per week, respectively, for six months. Women in the fourth group acted as a control and were told to maintain their usual routines. All the women were asked not to change their dietary habits.
You would expect that the group exercising for 194 minutes per week lost the most weight, right?
... All the groups lost weight that was statistically significant from their baseline – that’s the good news – but the absolute amount was only 2-5 pounds.
... The authors found that in those who exercised the most, compensatory behaviors like increased hunger and perhaps fatigue cancelled the benefits of burning more calories. They also speculated that the control group lost a little weight simply by being more conscious of their health through the filling out of the study’s health forms.
... The exercise groups did lose about an inch off their waistlines, but were found to have no statistical difference in body fat composition.
This study and others like it help explain why all the fitness crazes, and the 20 billion dollars we spend a year on gym memberships, have not necessarily contributed to a svelte nation of Americans. Exercise, although excellent for our mental and physical health overall, is not a panacea for achieving weight loss. It naturally makes us hungry.
Full review:
http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2009/08/ex... Be sure to read the full review of the current research. It's not as simple as exercise won't help you lose weight. It won't help you lose very much, but exercise is still good for you in so many ways. It just means that if you're trying to lose a substantial amount of weight, you're going to have to focus more on reducing calories long term. Although, and this is a bit of editorializing on my part, that is nigh well impossible for many people too because obesity, especially morbid obesity, brings about metabolic changes in our bodies that are very hard to undo.
