SubscribeMaintaining Weight Loss: How Much Exercise is Required?
So you've lost some of those extra pounds you've been carrying around since you started college/your career/a family/addiction to reality TV... Congratulations! Now get on that treadmill... for an hour! A new (and not terribly surprising) study has shown that it takes about an hour a day to maintain at least a 10% weight loss. I'll breakdown the study and offer some opinions/advice.
Study Breakdown
Participants: 201 overweight or obese women (BMI 27-40) age 21-45
- Participants were assigned to 1 of 4 behavioral weight loss intervention groups
- Groups were randomly assigned to groups based on caloric expenditure (1000 vs. 2000 kcal/week) and intensity levels (moderate vs. vigorous).
Results
Individuals sustaining a loss of 10% or more of initial body weight at 24 months reported performing more physical activity (1835 kcal/wk or 275 min/wk) compared with those sustaining a weight loss of less than 10% of initial body weight.
My Analysis
- This is consistent with other research on the subject and corresponds with the National Weight Loss Registry's observations regarding physical activity.
- I don't have access to the full study but if I did, I would see what kind of exercise people were assigned to and at what intensities they were working at.
- I would also like to see if the exercise intensities made a difference in overall weight loss
- Weight training doesn't often appear to be prescribed in these kinds of studies, which is a shame as this would most likely make a difference in the results.
- It's difficult to say whether or not exercise was the sole factor in the success of the best maintainers. Those who maintained above 10% losses also adhered to better eating habits and engaged in more regular phone contact with the intervention team.
Take Home Message
- Exercise is good
- It takes more exercise to maintain weight loss than it does to lose it in the first place.
- Try to engage in exercise daily, combining intentional exercise with lifestyle-based exercise (ie. walking more).
- Within your intentional exercise sessions, try and push the intensity a little. Try interval training.
- Resistance train. Try and partake in weight training at least twice per week and preferably 3.
- Don't stress too much about clocking exactly an hour of exercise per day. Just fit as much in as you feel comfortable with. Remember you can bump up the intensity and you won't have to do as much. You may have to build your way up to even 15 minutes of activity. That's okay - one step at a time.
- Don't have an extra hour a day? (You do, but that's beside the point). Break it up into smaller chunks - it's just as good.
- On the "you do have time" thing - 1 hour is only about 4% of your entire day. After working and sleeping, you still have about 8 hours to work with. Even with obligations, cooking, cleaning, etc. most people would still be able to get some activity in. If you truly feel you have no time, where can you make time?
- Don't let complacency set in. Keep working at what you've achieved. Health is a lifelong process, not a destination.
More like this in Exercise · Aug 1, 2008
I'd have more time to exercise if I stayed off the Internet.
-Steve
ReplyExcellent post.
It's really a shame that studies like this even need to be done, yet all too often in this age of "I don't have time to workout" and "Lose all the weight you want with this pill" people are getting lots and lots of bad information.
On a side note, I recently wrote an article smashing the "I don't have time to workout" excuse to bits (plus lots of other helpful articles).
Check it out here:
http://www.fatlosstogo.com/How_To_Lose_Fat_If_You_Don%27t_Have_Time_To_Workout.html
ReplyEd
Total garbage.
I went from 210 to 165. I sure as hell don't do cardio seven days a week.
For a long time I only lifted weights three times a week. I've only added some HIIT jump roping on off days to see how it impacts my physique.
The key to long term weight loss is not chronically eating above your total daily energy expenditure.
If you can stand the hunger you don't have to do ANY exercise, though for other obvious reasons I wouldn't recommend it.
Staying fit is easy and should never take up more than three hours of your time each week. If it does you're either doing something wrong or you've got super human goals.
Reply"The key to long term weight loss is not chronically eating above your total daily energy expenditure."
Can we just start pasting this sentence in for like...everything that anyone ever says about dieting and exercise? Barring a unique medical condition, is it EVER not the exact, most correct and simplest answer?
ReplyI'll breakdown the study and offer some opinions/advice.
ReplyGreat take homes, Mike. I found that cycling for 45 mins a day, and going to the gym for a 45 min session 3 times a week, worked well for me.
The only times I've consistently lost weight and maintained the loss, I've done at least an hour's exercise a day ... but I think this is partly because when I'm exercising, my food choices tend to be healthier. (I tell myself "All that sweating in the gym will be wasted if I scoff a giant chocolate bar..." ;-))
ReplyVigorous Intensity/High Duration
Baseline 87.4kg [energy intake = 2096 calories]
6 months 77.9kg [energy intake = 1454 calories]
12 months 78.3kg
18 months 80.1kg
24 months 81.6kg [energy intake = 1454 calories]
Maximum weight loss at 6-months [-9.5kg]; weight rebound of +3.7kg over 18-months.
Moderate Intensity/High Duration
Baseline 87.9kg [energy intake = 2147 calories]
6 months 79.7kg [energy intake = 1551 calories]
12 months 79.6kg
18 months 81.5kg
24 months 83.2kg [energy intake = 1553 calories]
Maximum weight loss at 12 months [-8.3kg]; weight rebound of +3.6kg over 12-months
Moderate Intensity/Moderate Duration
Baseline 87.4kg [energy intake = 2039 calories]
6 months 80.1kg [energy intake = 1551 calories]
12 months 80.9kg
18 months 82.7kg
24 months 83.9kg [energy intake = 1689 calories]
Maximum weight loss at 6 months [-7.3kg]; rebound of 3.8kg over 18-months
Vigorous Intensity/Moderate Duration
Baseline 87.9kg [energy intake = 2200 calories]
6 months 80.4kg [energy intake = 1551 calories]
12 months 81.0kg
18 months 82.6kg
24 months 85kg [energy intake = 1628 calories]
Maximum weight loss at 6 months [-7.5kg]; weight rebound 4.6kg over 18 months
ReplyThanks for that breakdown Regina!
ReplyYou're welcome...if you need the PDF of the full-text, email me, OK? The graphs and graphics are really interesting to see!
ReplyI have database access through uni and just looked up the article - interesting reading. I saved it - if you're interested, I can mail you the PDF, leave a comment if you'd like.
ReplyHi Fran! I would love to take a look. Could you email it to me if it's not too much trouble?
coreconcepts@shaw.ca
Thanks so much!
ReplyMike, I just emailed it to you. I sent it from hotmail so if it doesn't come up in your inbox, check your junk mail ... hotmail is a bit crap like that.
ReplyI think the things that helped me maintain weight loss were:
- I learned to like water. I also try to run before dinner, which makes me want to drink more and not eat as much.
- I learned to differentiate between true hunger (which is painful) and false hunger ("Hey, I'm watching a movie...wouldn't it be great to be eating, too?").
- Improved my eating habits overall. I eat very little pre-made food. Most of my intake is cereal for breakfast, sandwich and apple for lunch, and usually chicken w/ frozen-veggies for dinner.
- Indulge every once in awhile. I go to a sushi buffer every other week. Knowing that I have that to look forward to makes the other stuff easier.
Reply#It takes more exercise to maintain weight loss than it does to lose it in the first place#
ReplyIt sounds scarry for me, if it is true. But, I wish it would not be true - I want to maintain my weight loss, but I am not going to spend some more time exercising.
they are assuming the subjects were eating the SAME calories as when they first started i.e. when they were heavier.. remember, you should be eating fewer calories when you lose weight.
But it will definitely take MORE exercise tom maintain if calories in are not adjusted... that's my take.
ReplyIt takes more exercise to maintain weight loss than it does to lose it in the first place.
As an "n of 1" take it for what it's worth - since 2001 I've maintained an 80-pound weight loss (30% loss of body weight baseline) - gained in pregnancy and lost again - and didn't and don't have a specific formal exercise routine, did not include exercise to lose the weight and have not specifically included exercise to maintain the weight loss. Seven years later, I can say that for me, I have not had to exercise more to maintain weight than I did to lose the weight.
That said, I am fairly active...and was when I started my weight loss - but what I do today for active "fun" isn't really all that different than what I did when I was 80-pounds heavier.....it's not as tiring to be active now, but the level of activity isn't really all that different, it's just easier when you're not as heavy.
Recently I started some resistance training (3x a week), not for weight maintenance or loss, but just because the data is good that it's good for you. Sadly though, I'm now on a hiatus with that since I'm in an AFO brace since I somehow managed to injure my peroneal nerve in my left leg.....not from the resistance training, but from scrubbing my floors! LOL
ReplyI think that's great and goes to show there are different roads towards success. I think keeping active doing "fun" things instead of "structured" is fantastic - especially if it gets you to the same place.
That's an unfortunate injury - how's the recovery going? Is it an entrapment? Are you going to wait it out or are you condsidering a decompression surgery?
On the bright side, at least "no scrubbing floors" is part of the treatment plan :)
ReplyThankfully the morning after the top of my foot started to feel numb and I was experiencing 'foot drop' my husband got me into a neurologist (colleague of his) who did nerve conduction tests and electromyography (EMG)...determined the nerve was stressed, not terribly damaged yet, and immediately had me cast for the brace and had me in a temporary one same day....good thing too, since I found out that what I'd planned to do (wait a few days, maybe a week, to see how it was before going to the doctor) is what causes more damage usually - since I was braced immediately it was hoped that I'd have no more than six weeks of recovery (unlike some who need to stay in the brace a year to 18-months and then sometimes still need surgery)....I've been in it about 4-weeks now and it's pretty much healed up already, I'm just keeping the brace on until my appointment as 'ordered' by the doc....once he gives the green light I can keep it off, it's off!
And yeah, bonus - no more doing the floors! WooHoo!
ReplyWhat I found most interesting about this study was that the women who exercised the most were also eating the least. On average, they ate 444 less calories than the women who exercised the least.
http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/exercise-how-much-is-enough/
After crunching the numbers, this group was eating 3108 less calories per week than the slacker group. And then when you add in the fact that they were also burning 1100 more calories per week, it’s no surprise that they did better than their chubby sisters.
ReplyYoni Freedhoff took a look at the data and came to the conclusion that it wasn't the exercise that directly led to keeping the pounds off, but the fact that those who exercised the most also ate the least:
http://bmimedical.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-exercise-necessary-for-weight.html#comment-form
If he is correct, then it seems that many who are reporting on this study have not been drawing the right conclusions.
ReplyThat makes sense. People who are healthy and work out a lot are very conscious of the effect food has on their workouts, their mood and their overall sense of well-being.
Anyway, I have to log off and get dressed for my hike!
ReplyI don't understand why it would take more exercise to keep it off than to lose. Can't you just figure out the number of calories to maintain, and then eat that? I mean, I exercise on a regular basis for my health, but I sure don't do an hour a day. It's just confusing to me how people seem to think you have to starve and exercise like crazy to maintain a weight loss. I haven't found that to be true. Perhaps if you cut calories too much and damaged your metabolism...
ReplyMost of us would like to believe that weight loss is a one time deal. We have to exercise and eat right for a little while, and we will lost weight and keep it off. Unfortunately, sustained weight-loss requires a lifestyle change, and it takes a lot of focus, and a strong commitment.
ReplyI definitely know that exercise has helped me maintain my weight loss for the long-term. I don't know if I have to necessarily exercise MORE to maintain my weight loss than I did in the initial loss, but I do exercise more intensely now than I did before. I also do cardio for about an hour (sometimes more) 6 days a week, plus strength training. And if that sounds like a lot of time, it really isn't...I just don't watch as much TV as some other people, I guess. It's all about priorities...if it's important to you, you'll make time for it.
ReplyMy experience has been similar to Spectra's. I've maintained a 90-pound loss (40 % of my body weight) for nearly five years. I exercise less now than I did to lose the weight, but now that I'm a lot fitter I exercise far more intensely.
And yeah, I watch very little TV.
ReplyAm I correct in my analysis of this study that there were two variables being tested? That does subtract from the strength of the conclusion, but it probably couldn't be helped.
ReplyExercise is needed to maintain weightloss, of course it is. Exactly how much is going to vary between people, for many an hour a day is probably overkill. Still, it will hardly do any harm will it?
I think a heart rate monitor is helping me. I stay in my fat burning zone of 60-70% of maximum. I also think cycling is good as it is low impact.
ReplyThis article has encouraged me and I see my ex Royal Marine personal trainer today. If he doesn't scare me into weight loss no one will!
Peter, just so you know unless you have a medical reason there's no need to artificially limit your intensity.
First of all, you don't burn more fat by exercising at 65% vs 75% -- that is a myth. (You burn a higher percentage from fat, but what matters is Calories, and you burn more overall at the higher intensity.)
Also, trying to operate off your MHR is flawed unless you've actually had your MHR tested. The 220-age, or even the adapted formulas, can be very inaccurate-- and have shown 30 beats per minute variations between estimate and actual in people regularly. That's why it's best to use RPE in conjuction with heart rate to get a full picture.
Now, I'm a big fan of doing what works for you... what you like and will do consistantly is absolutely the best exercise. However, I saw the "fat burning zone" comment and wanted to clarify to make sure you aren't holding yourself back because of some myth you heard.
Replyhttp://www.loseweightstories.com/weight-loss-stories/home-gym-lose-weight/
ReplyExercise is a very good habit, people who are all want to get a healthy life they have to do exercise daily exercise helps to be active, good blood circulation, good heart beat etc.,
ReplyMaking the time to exercise is a problem for most people. What helps me is to combine exercise and radio/podcast listening (I have an exercise routine I do at home for about an hour 2 or 3 times a week; I set up my laptop with external speakers where I exercise). Before I exercise, I select the podcasts or programs I want to listen to. I have given up watching news on TV, which frees up a lot of time. I get much better news and analysis (commercial-free) by listening to NPR on my computer (go to npr.org). I use iTunes to search for podcasts I want to regularly download (there is an amazing amount of high quality stuff out there!). The rest of my exercise is done through lifestyle (or "spontaneous exercise") such as walking or cycling to the store, etc.
ReplyThis is an excellent topic. After reading several posts and the initial study...There are a few things that are interesting to me. There are a couple of aspects that effect our metabolism...first is how much cardio we do....how much resisitance training we do...and what our caloric intake is...There are several other factors...but these were the topics touched upon in the initial study.
1. The more cardio you do...the more your body needs to get the same results...so too much cardio can be counter-effective
2.HIIT(Intensity Interval Training) is in my opinion the best form of cardio. What the study didn't tell you was what kind of cardio these individuals for partaking in.
3. Cardio with no resistance training actually slows down your metabolism...if you are not lifting weights or doing some sort of resistance training along with your cardio...what you are actually losing is muscle and not necessarily fat...Muscle burns more calories then fat...so if you are losing muscle weight you are slowing down your metabolism.
4.Now to maintain ones current weight...they can not exceed their total caloric needs...it really is that simple.
I, like many of you was obesed. I at one time was 240 pounds on a 5'2" frame. I lost 125 pounds and have kept it off for 7 years. I now look to help anyone and everyone I can to succeed in their weight loss battles. As I remember how it feels to be big. And I don't wish that feeling on anyone. I put out a monthly newsletter called "get fit" it has essential tips and great recipes. Feel free to visit my site www.thexfactorfitness.com and opt-in to receive the newsletter. It is a newsletter that I give to all my clients. If there is anythng I can do for you guys here...please do let me know. You can contact me here or through my site. Good luck to all of you on your weight loss
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