The benefits of exercise in assisting to lose weight are disputed. While public information programs promote exercise in contributing to weight loss others claim the assistance is less than what is claimed. If you are very overweight and unfit you wont be able to undertake much exercise to burn calories.
My own view is that there are seperate benefits from losing weight and exercising even if exercise does not contribute greatly to weight loss in a direct way.
Once you have managed to lose weight how do you keep to your goal weight?
According to research findings published by the American Physiological Society exercise may contribute to maintaining your goal weight by reducing appetite, preventing fat cells from accumulating and prompting the body to burn calories from fat before burning calories from carbohydrates.
One benefical effect of exercise may be the change in the bodies ‘defended weight’ – the weight the body seeks to maintain. Apparently this makes the lower weight easier to maintain.
The study challenges the belief that the number of fat cells can not be altered by diet or lifestyle.
However the importance of eating well remains if you need to lose weight and stay at this lower weight.
So, exercise (and eat well) to maintain weight loss. Regards, Keith
