The Myth Of Moderate Exercise

[GloryB]

Obesity experts agree that daily exercise is essential for good health, but whether it can successfully lead to long-term weight loss is a question of much debate. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice — 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week — is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight. A study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to the burgeoning scientific consensus: when it comes to exercise for weight loss, more is better. It suggests that obese people would have to exercise at least an hour at a time to see any significant difference in their weight.

The study, led by John Jakicic at the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh, followed nearly 200 overweight or obese women ages 21 to 45 through a two-year weight-loss program. The women were given free treadmills to use at home, regular group meetings and telephone pep talks to help keep them on track. Participants were also asked to restrict their food intake to between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day, and were randomized to one of four physical activity intervention groups based on energy expenditure (either 1,000 calories or 2,000 calories burned per week) and exercise intensity (high vs. moderate). By the end of the 24-month intervention, the women who managed to lose at least 10% of their starting body weight (which was, on average, about 193 lbs.) — and keep it off — were exercising twice as long as health authorities typically recommend and expending more than twice as many calories through exercise as women who had no change in body weight. The biggest weight losers were active a full 68 minutes a day, five days a week (about 55 minutes a day more than they had been before the trial began), burning an extra 1,848 calories a week...

http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...0.html?cnn=yes

[Jon-Marc]

Until my arthritis got too painful, I used to walk 45-90 minutes a day, and it did nothing to reduce my weight. I haven't gained any weight since I quit walking. I do swim about 20 minutes a day on the dry days. When it rains, the pool is cooled down too much for me.

[Wabco]

interesting article GloryB. so that's where I've been going wrong!!! lol!

[BeartheCross]

Thanks for finding this info GloryB I will implement this into my system but with a split of 2 half hours instead of one full hour. . My heart is what has been making my workouts very difficult to keep going.

[Bloodbought]

There is a simple formula

Calories burned - calories consumed = weight loss

The bigger the difference the bigger the loss.

[Dinky's Mom]

You have to be careful about metabolism, too. One cannot remain sedentary and reduce their caloric intake and expect to continue to lose weight. It has to be reasonable or the body can actually *gain* weight during dieting due to the lack of metabolism. I have a metabolic problem because of anorexia years ago, and I am still trying to increase my calorie-burning power.

The key isn't *less* food, it's *better* food and all things in proper moderation.

[Bloodbought]

Where a diet involves a change in what you eat you are liable to have problems. Keep a balanced diet. Eat well but a little less and keep up the burning of calories.

My motto is to eat for the weight I want to be.

[PenelopePitstop]

While watching old Billy Graham crusades, I noticed that people in the audiences on the average were more slim & trim than the average person these days. Obesity was not so common, was it? Makes sense...they didn't have PCs in every home. They didn't have remote controls for their TVs or dishwashers.