What’s better: Exercise or diet for weight loss? It’s an issue that millions of Americans with a New Year’s resolution to lose weight are considering right now. I recently read an article in the Journal of Family Practice that reviewed the latest studies to find an answer to this question. Based on current evidence, here’s how diet and exercise compare.
Short-term weight loss
Early studies showed that people who exercised but didn’t diet lost less weight initially, but maintained the weight loss better than those who relied on diet alone. But these studies did not control for energy balance. In other words, the calories reduced by the dieters were not necessarily equal to the calories burned by the exercisers.
Since then some well-designed studies have controlled for these variables to improve the accuracy of the results. These studies have shown that exercise and dieting are equally beneficial for weight loss. The initial phase of rapid weight loss is often followed by a weight-loss plateau in both people who diet and those who exercise, according to the research.
Holding weight steady
Most dieters I know find it easy to shed a few pounds but very difficult to keep that weight from returning. The ability to maintain a desired weight determines the long-term success of any diet.
Based on the results of recent randomized-controlled trials, the combination of exercise plus diet works better than exercising or dieting alone for the maintenance of weight loss in obese and overweight men and women.
Exercise advantages
Just going on a diet may seem the easiest thing to do, but adding exercise to the mix often proves very beneficial.
Researchers have noticed that people who exercise while trying to lose weight usually experience the loss of greater amounts of fat and smaller amounts of muscle than those who only restrict the calories they consume.
The fat lost with exercise preferentially comes from the abdomen — and that’s a good thing. Sporting an abdomen larger than your hips increases your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, increased LDL (bad) cholesterol, decreased HDL (good) cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and hardening of the arteries.
Weight loss through exercise has other advantages: Many people I have known swear they have more energy and feel more relaxed, and that their overall health noticeably improves when they become more physically active. As an added benefit: Exercise can pick up your metabolic rate a notch, making it less likely that you will regain unwanted fat.
Recommended activities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise daily for people who want to lose weight or maintain weight loss. First see your doctor if you’re unaccustomed to this amount of activity. It’s OK to accumulate your activity in several segments, as short as 10 minutes, throughout the day.
Gradually expand your exercise program to include a variety of activities, including:
Aerobic exercise, which moderately elevates your heart rate, most days of the week. Examples: walking, cycling and swimming.
Strength training, for stronger muscles and bones, two to three times a week. Examples: weight lifting, exercise bands and calisthenics.
Stretching, to maintain flexibility, should be performed regularly.
Activities of daily living, to burn additional calories, incorporated into your lifestyle all day long. Examples: walking breaks, yard work and household chores.
For more information: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.hhs.gov.
Contact Dr. Elizabeth Smoots, a board-certified family physician and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at doctor@practicalprevention.com. Her columns are not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Before adhering to any recommendations in this column consult your health care provider.
&Copy; 2007 Elizabeth S. Smoots
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