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For some, working out and eating that extra slice of pizza seems like the easiest route, while others might want to skip the gym and cut unhealthy foods from their diet--but which works better for weight loss?
If you have ever heard yourself saying, "I'll eat this last slice of pizza and work out an extra 10 minutes tomorrow--that should balance it out!" you might want to rethink your strategy.
According to a new study, exercise needs to be linked with a healthy diet or you might actually gain weight (and no, the extra pounds wouldn't just be muscle weight).
In a recent Arizona State University study, for 12 weeks, 81 healthy but sedentary overweight women started walking on the treadmill three time a week for 30 minutes at 70 percent of their maximum endurance levels (that's a tough workout!). During that time, researchers tracked the exact number of calories each woman burned.
During this time, the participants were told to eat whatever they wanted throughout the study and they did not have to log what they ate.
"Without a doubt, the exercise improved participants' fitness levels," says study co-author Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., an exercise science professor at Arizona State University. "But interestingly, extra exercise didn't help everyone lose weight. Or body fat. Or inches from the waist — regardless of how many calories the women burned. Nearly 70 percent of the participants actually gained weight during the study, and most of that weight was from body fat."
Because the women did not log their food and it's nearly impossible to know how much someone moves and eats outside of the laboratory, "researchers don't know exactly why certain women packed on pounds," Gaesser says. "The gainers could have reduced spontaneous physical activity — meaning they moved less overall when they got off the treadmill — or they subconsciously consumed more food to compensate for the extra activity."
The bottom line is the same, though: exercise by itself will not help you lose weight. "Exercise is still good for your health," Gaesser says, "and it's more important to be fit than thin."
"Regardless of what the scale says, if you really want to improve your health, you need to eat healthy foods and move your body," he says.
There is also another finding coming from this study. "This means that people who need to lose weight should probably weigh in one month after they start any new exercise routine," Gaesser says. "If you don't see any changes, reassess your behaviors (i.e., your post-workout binge) outside the gym and make some changes to see results."
What do you think of this study? Let us know your thoughts and reactions in the comments!
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