Diet may play a bigger role than exercise in weight loss, says new study.
Know someone who works out often, but can’t seem to lose any weight? Many Americans are having the same problem: a new study from the University of Washington has found that while more people are exercising, the rate of obesity is climbing too.
The findings imply that many people are ramping up their exercise routine with hopes of dropping weight quickly; only they’re finding out that weight loss is more about what you put in your mouth rather than the time you put in at the gym.
“Americans are not doing enough to control what they eat,” said the study’s senior author Ali Mokdad in a press release. “They still consume more energy than they burn off through exercise.”
The nine-year study included data from two U.S. health surveys and found that, from 2001 to 2009, the amount of adults who met recommendations for physical activity increased in most U.S. counties. Those recommendations are 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.
People exercising more is always a good thing, since exercise boosts health in multiple ways—keeping bones and muscles strong, supporting brain function, revving up energy levels, and reducing overall risk of chronic disease. But on the other hand, the corresponding rise in obesity raises concerns.
Unfortunately, the fact is that physical activity can rarely compensate for overeating a poor diet. Consider that an average 150-pound person would have to run more than 5 miles just to work off the calories found in a fast food milk shake or a quarter pounder (~600 kcals). Exercising off excess calories daily is not always easy when you are continuously tempted by high-calorie foods.
Sticking with a weight-loss or weight-maintenance program is easier with Isagenix products. The company provides clinically supported nutritional products and systems along with program guides that offer an easy and efficient way to get thinner, or maintain that thin, without risking your nutritional needs.
When compared against a doctor-prescribed heart-healthy diet, a clinical research study (see details here) found that the Isagenix system resulted in more weight loss, more fat loss–including twice as much loss of deadly visceral fat–and more improvements to overall health markers. The subjects on the Isagenix system also reported better compliance and more predictable weight loss. Not to mention, they didn’t want to stop taking the IsaLean Shakes.
Exercise should always be encouraged; however, Isagenix exists to help people get their diet under control and keep it that way, which is the larger part of the equation for weight control. With delicious products based on the latest findings in nutritional science and systems that are clinically studied and easy to follow, what Isagenix offers is perfectly primed to help reverse the trend of increasing waistlines—exercise included or not.
Reference: Dwyer-Lindgren L, Freedman G, Engell RE et al. Prevalence of physical activity and obesity in US counties, 2001–2011: a road map for action. Popul Health Metr 2013;11:7.
