Weight Loss and Exercise

How to Lose Weight with Exercise

There’s a universal truth about weight: the only thing harder than losing it is keeping it off.

The odds are stacked against sustained weight loss. Only 1 in 5 people who lose 10% of their body weight manage to keep it off a year later. Is an inevitable loss of self-control to blame? Or does the long-term strategy for weight loss need rethinking? The answer lies in the connection between weight loss and exercise.

There’s an adage about weight loss: you can’t “out-exercise” a bad diet. And that’s mostly true. A couple of cookies gulped in haste could easily take an extra 30 minutes of quality treadmill time to burn off.

The key to weight loss is to consume fewer calories and to choose high quality foods. But once the weight begins to come off, there is some fascinating data about how physical activity may play a much more significant role than previously imagined to maintain weight loss.

The evidence that exercise is needed for sustained weight loss is compelling. In a study of over 3,000 “successful weight losers,” defined as those who achieved a minimum weight loss of 10% of body weight and maintained it for at least 1 year, a common denominator was that almost all were exceptionally physically active.

How Much Physical Activity is Enough to Keep Weight Off?

About one hour of moderate intensity physical activity 5 days a week was the common denominator among 91% of those with long-term success in weight loss. Physical activity in this study included moderate-paced walking, in addition to more vigorous forms of exercise.

For those who can’t or don’t want to be that active, all isn’t lost. Studies suggest that it is possible to keep weight off without being especially physically active. However, only 9% with long-term success in weight loss were able to pull that off.

Why is a High Level of Physical Activity Needed for Maintenance of Weight Loss?

After initial weight loss, many people experience a shift in metabolism that makes it progressively harder to lose additional weight—as if the body was attempting to reclaim the lost weight. The same calorie-restricted diet that was initially helpful can later falter, leading to a plateau in weight or even an about-face and weight gain.

The thought is that exercise does much more than just burn calories, it actually makes the body’s calorie burning metabolic “flame” bigger and hotter—leading to bonus weight loss for each calorie restricted from the diet.

Is Physical Activity Beneficial Even If I Can’t Do an Hour a Day?

The amount of physical activity recommended to maintain weight loss, 1 hour a day, is twice the minimum 30 minutes a day of activity advised for general fitness. It’s a daunting challenge—but the payout is huge.

The ideal is clearly to be as close to ideal body weight as possible AND to be physically active. Nevertheless, it’s important to know that the benefits of physical fitness extend beyond weight loss.

Studies consistently show that even for overweight individuals, those who are consistently physically active are much better protected against cardiovascular disease than those who remain sedentary. And physical activity is part of a comprehensive program that helps control high blood pressure and diabetes.

Please keep in mind: Always check with your health care provider before beginning a new program of physical activity.

References:

Successful Weight Loss Maintenance

Sustained Physical Activity, Not Weight Loss, Associated With Improved Survival