Exercise without diet causes a small amount of weight loss in men, but not women

Women lost 1 lbs with exercise alone

Women who engaged in a high amount of exercise alone without a change in fat intake lost an average of roughly 1.2 pound after two years, which is the same as a reduction in body mass index (BMI) of 0.2 units.

Men lost 4 lbs with exercise alone

For men, a high amount of exercise reduced BMI by 0.6 units, which is roughly 4.2 pounds for a man of average height.

Comments: Exercise alone not very effective

These results are not surprising.

Numerous studies have reported similar results; women doing a reasonable amount of exercise don’t lose much weight. Sorry ladies.

Comments: Exercise reduced weight gain in women by 1 lbs

One study found that after eleven years, women who exercised alot gained only one pound less than women who exercise little or none at all.

Comments: Exercise critical for weight maintenance

Another paper concluded that exercise is critical for weight maintenance, “physical activity does not appear to contribute significantly to weight loss”.

It is important to highlight this: exercise is important for weight maintenance.

A few studies have found that exercise alone can cause women to lose a significant amount of weight, however, they must do a huge amount of exercise—a couple hours per day.

How many women, or men for that matter, are going to exercise a couple of hours a day? Not many.

Comment: Studies show diet alone nearly as effective as diet plus exercise

Numerous studies have also found that women lose nearly as much weight from diet alone as from diet plus exercise.

Most studies which have found that exercise alone causes weight loss are done with young men in their early 20’s.

Comment: Diet essential for weight loss

The important thing to take home from this study is that if you want to lose weight, you must change the way that you eat.

Comment: Men too need to both diet and exercise for substantial weight loss

It is also important to note that men did not lose all that much weight from exercise alone either; they only lost about 4 pounds. That’s not exactly the kind of weight loss that will get your picture on the cover of a magazine.

Men too, need to both diet and exercise if they want to lose a significant amount of weight also.

Comment: Exercise essential for good health

This article is not meant to discourage exercise. It is simply meant to tell people the truth about what they can expect from exercie alone.

Exercise has been found to reduce the risk of dying, reduce the risk of a heart attack, reduce the risk of some cancers, including breast cancer, reduce the risk of diabetes, and improve cognitive function in older people.

Next to eating a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, exercise is probaby the best thing you can do for your self.

Comment: Other results of this study covered in next article

Other results of this study are covered in the next article.

REFERENCE

Dunn CL, Hannan PJ, Jeffery RW, Sherwood NE, Pronk NP, Boyle R. The comparative and cumulative effects of a dietary restriction and exercise on weight loss. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2005 Oct 4.

AUTHOR’S CORRESPONDENCE

Dr. C. L. Dunn
Division of Epidemiology
School of Public Health
University of Minnesota
1300 South Second Street, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA
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