Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Two Hundred Seventy Five Minutes per Week

A new study that is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, reported that the commonly recommended physical activity levels (150 minutes per week) are not good enough to maintain weight loss. They concluded that 275 minutes of physical activity per week , in combination with a reduction in calorie intake, is important to maintain a weight loss of more than 10%. The study was conducted on 201 overweight and obese women with body mass index ( BMI) of 27 to 40.

The basics of achieving weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight have always been the same:

(1) Dietary management: portion control and high quality food.
(2) Increasing the activity level: by exercising, and by leading a physically active attitude during everyday normal activities.

This study validated the combined approach and, furthermore, has set a new recommendation for physical activity. Although the study is not a post-surgery study, the recommendations are valid for postoperative bariatric surgery individuals. The surgery is just a tool to achieve weight loss that cannot be achieved otherwise in a majority of people.

Reference:

Jakicic JM, Marcus BH, Lang W, Janney C. Effect of exercise on 24-month weight loss maintenance in overweight women. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jul 28;168(14):1550-9. [PMID: 18663167] (Abstract)

Affiliations: University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Brown Medical School and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.