How Exercise Effects Weight Loss Data

Prevention of obesity or weight loss is dependent on two principal components that define calorie balance -- energy intake and energy expenditure. There is interestingly no evidence that shows that obesity is caused by an absolute level of high calorie intake. In fact, some cross-sectional studies show that a lack of energy expenditure rather than overeating makes people prone to obesity, according to the "Annals of Internal Medicine."

Health and Nutrition Survey

A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 1976 and 1980, and then 2003 and 2006 shows a rise in obesity levels across age groups. Obesity among children between the ages of 2 and 5 increased from 5 percent to 12.4 percent. For children between the ages of 6 and 17, obesity increased from 6.5 percent to 17 percent. Teens showed an increase in obesity prevalence from 5 percent to 17.6 percent. The survey also found that 30 percent of people older than 15 considered walking their preferred form of exercise.

Importance of Physical Activity

More than a decade of clinical research supports the importance of combining exercise and diet to attain successful weight loss. W.C. Miller and colleagues at the George Washington University Medical Center found that persons who followed a diet and exercise program for 15 weeks lost an average of 24 lbs. -- and most kept off the weight for more than a year, according to a report published in "Medical Science Sports Exercise" in August 1999. Weight gain proved common in both groups -- those who exercised and those who merely dieted -- after three to five years. People who engage in physical activity for at least seven hours per week also enjoy a 40 percent less chance of dying early than those who are active for fewer than 30 minutes a week.

Strenuous Exercise for Weight Loss

A more recent study concluded that you should exercise strenuously each day if you want to achieve long-term weight loss. University of Colorado researchers Victoria Catenacci and Holly Wyatt argue that the usual prescription of 60 to 180 minutes of exercise weekly does not promote weight loss. They advocate daily exercise that burns 500 to 1,000 calories, according to a report published in July 2007 in "Endocrinology and Metabolism." (See Reference 5 and 6)

National Health and Nutrition Survey

A10-year National Health and Nutrition Survey also found a positive link between low levels of activity and weight gain. The study followed the diet and exercise habits of 3,515 men and 5,810 women -- establishing a baseline for activity level at the beginning of the survey, followed by a questionnaire a decade later. Participants who engaged in low levels of physical activity in both assessments gained an average of 28.6 lbs. more than persons who engaged in high levels of activity.

Consistency

Regular, consistent exercise provides the only means to maintaining permanent weight loss, according to the National Weight Control Registry. In the last few years, the number of women agreeing to work with free weights has increased by 134 percent. This is attributed mainly to fitness education and drives to refute the myth that women who work with free weights become bulky and muscular. Working with free weights builds lean muscle that burns calories more efficiently than fat.