Energy balance
Physical activity increases weight loss when combined with moderate diet restriction, but adds no benefit when combined with severe diet restriction.
If you are cutting calories moderately (500-700 kcal deficit), adding exercise will help you lose more weight than dieting alone. However, if you are on a very strict, severe diet, adding exercise won't give you extra weight loss benefits because your body adapts metabolically. Stick to moderate restriction if you want to maximize the benefit of exercise.
PA will increase weight loss if diet restriction is modest but not if diet restriction is severe (i,e., <kcalIwkj1 needed to meet RMR).
Why this rating
Categorized as Evidence Category A.
Source
Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults
Joseph E. Donnelly et al. · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2009
DOI 10.1249/mss.0b013e3181949333
More from this paper
- Physical activity greater than 150 minutes per week results in modest weight loss (2-3 kg), while 225-420 minutes per week results in clinically significant weight loss (5-7.5 kg).Limited
- Moderate-intensity physical activity between 150 and 250 minutes per week prevents weight gain greater than 3% in most adults.Weak
- Resistance training alone does not promote clinically significant weight loss, but it increases fat-free mass and reduces fat mass.Weak
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