A study published in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine finds that overweight and obese women need to do more than just limit calories in order to sustain a 10% weight loss over two years: they also need to exercise 55 minutes per day, five days per week.
Overweight people account for more than 65% of adults in America, and it is a serious public health concern.
"Among obese adults, long-term weight loss and prevention of weight regain have been less than desired," write the authors of this recent study. "Therefore, there is a need for more effective interventions."
Experts have recommended at least 150 minutes of exercise per week through their suggestion of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on at least five days of the week. More effective long-term weight loss maintenance, however, may require more frequent exercise.
The study, conducted by John M. Jakicic, Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh) and colleagues, calculated the amount of exercise needed by studying 201 overweight and obese women who enrolled in a weight loss intervention between 1999 and 2003.
After all women were instructed to eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, the researchers divided them into one of four physical activity groups: one group burned 1,000 calories per week, one burned 2,000 calories per week, one experienced moderate intensity, and the last experiences vigorous intensity. The women also attended group meetings that discussed strategies for changing eating and exercise habits and received telephone calls with the intervention team over the two-years of the study.