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Exercise Less for Weight Loss?
By WLR Dietitian
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Is your workout making you fat?
Ever wondered why you’re not losing weight, despite taking
regular exercise and putting in maximum effort each time?
Researchers from the University of Ottawa think they may have
the answer. They’ve looked at the effect easy and hard
workouts have on the appetites of young women. After each
morning exercise session, the 13 women in the study were
allowed to eat as much as they wanted from a buffet lunch.
The study found that those women who pushed themselves to
the limit with high-intensity workouts ate the most after
exercising, consuming more than 90 percent of the calories
they’d burnt off. In contrast, those women who’d done low
intensity workouts, consumed just 35 percent of the calories
they’d burnt.
The authors of the study conclude that women who do
high-intensity exercise are more likely to over-compensate by
eating more food after their workout, compared with those who
do easier workouts.
Eric Doucet, assistant professor at the
University of Ottawa's School of Human Kinetics and a
co-author of the study says, "Women need to be aware of the
fact that after high-intensity exercise, they might be tempted
to over-consume food."
Weight Loss Resources says…
This study shows it may be better to ‘tone’ down your
workout after all, and aim for gentler activities such as
brisk walking or aqua aerobics rather than ‘going for the
burn’ on the treadmill or in a spinning class.
Nevertheless,
it’s important to bear in mind that this study included just
13 people – and they were all young, fit and a normal weight.
More research is needed to identify whether the same results
occur with women of different ages, fitness levels and
weights.
In the meantime, it’s well established that physical
activity helps to burn calories and
build muscle. The latter
is especially important as the more muscle you have, the
faster your body will tick over so that you can maintain your
weight on a slightly higher calorie intake.
Ultimately, if you want to lose weight and tone up, it’s
essential to get moving – ideally, you should aim for at least
30 minutes of exercise, five times a week. But it’s equally
important to make sure you don’t undo all your good work by
filling up on sugary drinks, chocolate bars, crisps, biscuits
or super-sized lunches or dinners after exercising.
If you’re
hungry between meals opt for fresh fruit. And remember, it’s
easy to mistake thirst for hunger with the result that you eat
when really your body is crying out for fluid. If you feel
hungry after exercising, have a glass of water and wait for 15
minutes – you may find you weren’t hungry at all!
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