Research
Macro partitioning
Exercise cessation during weight regain leads to increased fat mass, larger adipocytes, and decreased lean mass, negating the benefits of prior exercise.
If you have to stop exercising, be aware that your body may quickly regain fat and lose muscle. Combining this period with a diet high in resistant starch may help mitigate these negative effects.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Exercise cessation at five weeks of relapse led to increased weight gain, body fat, subcutaneous adipocytes, and decreased lean mass; all detrimental consequences to overall metabolic health.
Why this rating
Clear rodent data showing significant differences in body composition upon exercise cessation.
Source
Resistant starch and exercise independently attenuate weight regain on a high fat diet in a rat model of obesity
Janine Higgins et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2011
DOI 10.1186/1743-7075-8-49
mechanism_only · n=108Cited 48×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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