Is increasing physical activity useful in weight reduction and maintenance?
November 6th, 2007
In previous studies it has been found that the addition of physical activity, or this in conjunction with dietary restriction, has little additional benefit in terms of weight loss when compared to a simple dietary restriction on its own. This is largely due to difficulty for those who are overweight in achieving a high enough level to make the necessary calorie deficit. The deficit required to lose just 1lb per week takes a saving of 600 kcals a day, which is, in fact, far easier to achieve via dietary measures. However, if an adequate volume of activity, to bring about the necessary deficit in calories is achieved and is carried out over a sustained period of time; it is as effective as diet in producing weight loss.
Increased activity levels seem to play a much more significant role in maintenance of weight lost. The overall recipe for success, it seems, is a combination of diet and increased amounts of physical activity i.e. 60-90 minutes per day, which is carried on in the long term in order to prevent any future weight gain.
SmartWeight™ is a medically supervised programme and includes individual monitoring of abdominal fat and insulin resistance.