The Biggest Losers Have to Work Out a Lot to Keep From Gaining Weight.
Diet usually matters more to weight loss than exercise, but it turns out that Biggest Losers who have managed to lose weight have to exercise a lot . But if you and I are not contenders for the title of Biggest Losers, does that mean anything to us?
“Probably not,” says Yoni Friedhoff , an obesity specialist who was not involved in the study. Most of the people who lost weight did not use the Extreme Short-Term Regime on national television. Many former members now act as motivational speakers or personal trainers, he said, so they have to train like crazy to maintain their source of income. Most of us have the opposite pressure. We need to find time per day for training, after making sure we get into our working hours.
In the study, researchers, including one obesity specialist who was herself a Big Loser participant, divided 14 participants into two groups. Half of them have mostly gained weight in six years, while others have largely retained it. On average, the people in this group were 81 pounds lighter than when they started. (Initially, the average weight loss was 120 pounds.)
The researchers then used several methods, including urinalysis, to check (rather than just ask) how many calories people ate and burned in real time. Of course, people who lost weight exercised a lot more than those who didn’t. We already know that humans – even especially the Biggest Losers – slow down their metabolism after they lose a lot of weight. Diet changes may be required to lose weight in the first place, but maintenance seems to be more dependent on exercise.
The calorie burn of the successful participants was equivalent to 80 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking, or 35 minutes of vigorous activity. Every day . “The fact that we all have the same number of minutes per day does not mean that we will all prioritize those minutes the same,” says Friedhoff. “The priority of 35 to 80 minutes a day for exercise is not available to the majority of the population.”
But that doesn’t mean exercise is hopeless. Friedhoff stresses that any amount of exercise you can manage is still good for your health, whether it helps you lose weight or maintain it. The same can be said for healthy eating and other behavioral changes such as falling asleep or drinking alcohol in moderation. So, do the exercise – but do it for yourself, not because you should be doing it on a TV show.