Work outs won't get your weight down

by PAUL KENDALL, Daily Mail

It has become a core belief of modern life that a punishing exercise regime makes you slimmer.

But now researchers say those who put their faith in intensive gym or sport sessions are wearing themselves out to no purpose.

High-energy work-outs plus a strict diet do no more to fight the flab than simply concentrating on cutting down on calories.

The real key to becoming slim and staying fit is to eat less and take more moderate exercise such as walking or cycling, the scientists concluded.

The problem for those who use tough exercise is that for the rest of the time they are less active.

Professor Klaas Westerterp, who led the study at Maastricht University, Holland, said that such people tend to 'feel good' about themselves and believe they are doing enough to shed weight.

So they 'reward' themselves by spending the rest of the time watching television or doing other sedentary activities.

At the same time they have to eat more so they have enough 'fuel' to work out. However, said the professor, 'doing sport or workouts adds up to only around ten per cent of the day, which doesn't affect our overall activity level.

'To prevent weight gain it's better to do moderate exercise over a longer period. And to lose weight you must eat less.'

In his study, published in the journal Nature, Professor Westerterp measured the physical activity levels of 30 men and women over a two-week period.

Volunteers wore a sensor to record their every movement. They split their day between low-intensity activity such as lying, sitting and standing; moderate activity such as walking and cycling; and high-intensity activity such as gymnastics and sport.

At the end of the experiment researchers calculated their total energy expenditure.

Those who had spent most time doing moderate activity had burnt off the most energy, while volunteers who had done more strenuous exercise had burnt off less overall.

Professor Westerterp said: 'My results indicating that short periods of vigorous activity do not have much impact on the physical activity level in the normal population are borne out by studies on obese patients.

'Adding exercise to an energy-restricted diet does not further increase weight loss.'

The professor concluded: 'Workouts may help you get fitter by increasing your cardio-respiratory capacity, but will not help you lose weight.'

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