| The answer to why your weight does not budge | | | | loss. |
| despite all those hours spent on the treadmill, in the | | | | It does not take away in any way from the known |
| swimming pool, on the yoga mat... the list goes on — | | | | advantages of regular exercise like prevention of |
| may lie in a new study conducted by US researchers | | | | diabetes, heart disease fatty liver etc. As for weight |
| which says that people who work out for long | | | | loss, we are always very clear that diet and exercise |
| durations often tend to lose the advantage through | | | | go hand in hand and there are various combinations of |
| ‘‘compensation’’ of the predicted weight | | | | the two that work for different people. It is a fact that |
| loss by increased calorie intake. Think of the umpteen | | | | exercising does not mean the licence to eat what you |
| times you rewarded yourself with that post-exercise | | | | want and unhealthy eating will show. Who are prone to |
| piece of pizza. | | | | abdominal obesity, the international standards of |
| The study, conducted by researchers from Louisiana | | | | exercise of 30-40 minutes a day have been revised |
| State University, University of Missouri and University | | | | to 60 minutes. ‘‘It is true that exercise enhances |
| of South Carolina on 464 postmenopausal overweight | | | | the appetite but adjustments have to be made in the |
| women, randomly divided the women into four groups. | | | | diet for that. For example, instead of a bar of |
| While three of the groupswere assigned various | | | | chocolate, drinking a glass of nimbu pani with salt with |
| doses of exercise, one was the control group. | | | | five almonds is far healthier and it has calories too. |
| The first two groups — which did 72 and 136 | | | | Study reinforces the message that diet is as important, |
| minutes of exercise per week — showed the same | | | | however, We would take the findings ‘‘with a |
| weight loss as predicted but the third group which | | | | pinch of salt principally because it does not deal with |
| exercised for more than 194 minutes per week | | | | the quality of weight loss. There is no mention of the |
| showed only half of the predicted weight loss. All the | | | | changes in metabolic rate. In fact, for people who are |
| women though showed reduction of waist | | | | obese because of a hormonal imbalance — a |
| circumference. The study was published in the peer | | | | condition which is called metabolic obesity — weight |
| reviewed journal PloS One (PLoS stands for Public | | | | loss is impossible without exercise. In case of simple |
| Library of Science). | | | | obesity, merely watching your diet can cause weight |
| What the researchers in their staccato scientific terms | | | | loss but then you would also end up losing a lot of |
| call ‘‘compensation’’ may actually mean | | | | muscle mass in the process which will lower your |
| the oily samosa, worth 150 Kcal, which can be offset | | | | metabolic rate because muscle spends more energy." |
| by 25 minutes of running on the treadmill or that one | | | | According to figures published in medical journals, a kg |
| scoop of ice cream, worth 120 calories, that may be | | | | of muscle burns about three kilo calorie a day in the |
| neutralised with 30 minutes of table tennis that you | | | | resting body while fat burns just a third of that. Which |
| occasionally reward yourself with. Predictably city | | | | means 5 kg fat replaced by muscle will help you burn |
| experts do not appreciate what they call an attempt | | | | just 40 kcal extra per day. One small glass of cola has |
| to undermine the importance of exercise but at the | | | | 110 kcal. |
| same time accept the inherent finding of the study that | | | | If you want more information about weight loss and |
| diet is as important as exercise in achieving weight | | | | yoga tips log on to Health and Beauty Secret. |