Drs. Victoria Catenacci and Holly Wyatt from the University of Colorado at Denver reviewed the literature and came to the following conclusions.

• Most studies show modest weight loss with exercise alone.
• And, the resulting weight-loss is consistent with the amount of exercise prescribed.
• Other studies demonstrate that it’s possible to achieve significant weight loss with high levels of physical activity alone.
• However, producing the amount of activity needed is challenging given the difficulty of getting sedentary people to achieve and adhere to increased physical activity.

The bottom line?
According to the authors, there appears to be “a strong relationship between physical activity and success in weight-loss maintenance.”

But there are lots of unanswered questions about exercise. For example?

• The impact of physical activity on other components of energy balance
• Why physical activity appears to be critical for successful weight maintenance
• The amount of activity required for weight-loss maintenance

And the biggest question: “How to motivate people to achieve and sustain the levels of activity that seem to be required for weight loss and weight-loss maintenance.”

6/24/07 22:42 JR