We all know that the best way to ward off unwanted weight is through diet and exercise. But according to new research, burning more calories than you eat may not result in changes to the scale.
It has always been assumed that if you exercise consistently, fat will melt off and muscle will form in its place. Exercise has a laundry list of health benefits, but could working out actually cause weight gain instead of weight loss?
Researchers from Arizona State University analyzed 81 overweight, sedentary women to find out how effective exercise is in regards to weight loss. The women walked three times per week for 30 minutes on the treadmill for a period of 12 weeks. The women worked out at a rate of 70 percent of their maximum endurance, meaning they worked up quite a sweat. The researchers kept track of the calories each woman burned, but the participants were not asked to change their diet or log their meals.
Shocking for all us who intensely work up a sweat (and believe that sweat is really our fat crying), the study found that while some women became more fit, many became fatter. The study found that working out did improve the participant's fitness levels; however, extra exercise did not result in weight loss. 70 percent of the study participants gained weight during the study and most of that weight was from body fat.
Because the women did not log what they ate and how active they were outside the study, the reason why exercise causes weight gain isn't exactly known for certain. However, researchers have some theories. The participants could have gained weight after becoming sedentary once they stopped working out. The exercise could have left them too tired to move the rest of the day, or they could have consumed more food because they believed they burned enough calories.
Regardless of the reasoning, the study shows that exercise by itself doesn't guarantee weight loss and could actually cause weight gain.
"Some past studies of dieting had indicated that women who weigh more at the beginning" of a fitness program "tend to lose more weight during the program," says lead study author Glenn Gaesser, a professor of nutrition and health promotion at Arizona State.
The study found the women who lost weight after four weeks continued to lose weight. Gaesser suggests that those who want to lose weight should weigh themselves every four weeks to keep them on track, while being mindful of diet and other activities.
Even though increase amounts of exercise could cause people to gain more weight if they are not careful of their diet and other habits, it's important to remember that the scale is just a number, not to mention the fact that the scale may not tip the way you want it to when working out because you may gain muscle mass. While a pound is a pound, fat takes up more volume and space than muscle. Instead of obsessing over how much you weigh, focus on body fat percentage instead.
And just because the study found that working out alone could cause weight gain, the benefits of exercise still outweigh this downside.
"Fitness matters far more for health than how much you weigh," Gaesser says.
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