Exercise One Size Does Not Fit All

A study by a Queensland University of Technology behavioural scientist says there is no one size fits all way to lose weight through exercise. Some people will eat to compensate for the exercise done.

When it comes to losing weight and exercise there is no one program that works for everyone. Dr. Neil King, a Queensland University of Technology behavioural scientist, is the lead author of a study that was carried out in collaboration with the University of Leeds in the UK, which has been published in the latest edition of the International Journal of Obesity. "When it comes to losing weight, a lot of people assume if you lose less than the predicted weight then you aren't exercising enough, and that is why you aren't getting the desired results," Dr King said. He added "This study is the first evidence-based study that shows despite people doing the same amount of supervised exercise people lose different amounts of weight." Thirty-five overweight people were the focus of this study which sought to identify and characterize the variability in exercise-induced weight loss. A 12 week supervised exercise program that was individually tailored to expend 500 calories per session was undertaken by each participant. Each participant had their weight loss and behavioural outcomes monitored. The effects of exercise could be by "compensatory responses" such as a person's increased hunger and food intake as a result of their increased energy expenditure. "People, who we refer to as compensators, are those who compensate for the increase in exercise-induced energy expenditure, by adjusting their food intake" he said. "For some people this might be in responses to an automatic biological drive, whereas for others it might be a deliberate reward-based increase." This study has demonstrated that that some individuals were predisposed to compensatory responses, rendering them resistant to the theoretical weight loss benefits of exercise. "The individual variability here demonstrates the need to treat people as individuals," he said. "It also highlights the importance of determining the mechanisms that may explain this variability, such as how to treat the more resistant compensatory person to improve their weight management outcomes. "Those resistant to exercise might be better suited to weight management strategies which include controlled dietary intake, in addition to exercise." "Therefore, unlike unsupervised exercise interventions, any variability in weight loss cannot be explained by differences in exercise compliance," King added.