My Polar fitness watch just sent me an update regarding my weekly exercise log. It seems last week I only worked out one time, and burned 429 calories. I’m no data analyst but I’m thinking that is not enough for me to lose weight.
Matter of fact, I just read that even the old walk 30 minutes a day trick isn’t enough to really lose weight. According to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers enrolled 201 overweight and obese women in a weight loss program. All limited their daily calories to between 1200 and 1500. After six months, the women had lost 9 to 10 percent of their body weight. Not bad, right?
Here is the problem: they couldn’t keep it off. By the end of two years, the average participant had maintained a loss of only 5% of her starting weight. There were, however some who had more success.
Friends at home, here is the key. 25% of the women were able to maintain a loss of at least 10% of their starting weight. How is that, you ask?
These participants exercised about 275 minutes a week, burning an average of 1,835 calories. This translates to just under an hour a day for at least five days a week.
Note the current recommendations are for just 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week, significantly less than the amount needed for success according to this study.
My conclusion? I need to work out more! I’m getting on the treadmill now!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve read this study on weight maintenance after initial weight loss and the outcome of it didn’t really surprise me. For most of us it’s nearly impossible keeping up with a diet that limits food intake to 1200 – 1500 calories. To keep it off, as the study suggests, we must exercise rigorously to compensate for the extra food above this zone. This borders on cruelty.
I believe, in order to lose weight and keep it off for good is to eat conscientiously by changing your mind set to healthy. As simple as this may sound, it works wonders.
Exercise, on the other hand helps with weight loss, but shouldn’t be the propelling reason for it. Exercise tones muscles and strengthen the cardiovascular system and makes us feel good all around. Exercise is a great health elixir. And I agree, that we need to find the time for it, yet in a way that fits into our daily life naturally.
Go rigorous and slow intermittently. Cut calories when you can.
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It’s a never ending battle for some people isn’t it?
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It can be a never ending battle for some. But for the masses it can be fixed. Most people just will not commit to a long term routine. Really it’s about a lifestyle change, with your eating and exercising habits. Doing what you can when you can, just isn’t going to work longterm. Exercising needs to be scheduled into your day just like anything else you want to do. You are going to have days when you just can’t get to it and that’s okay as long as it isn’t happening most the time.
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