People who perform the same amount of exercise can lose different amounts of weight, according to the first evidence-based study to show that exercise impacts people in different ways.
The study involved 35 overweight and obese people who followed a supervised exercise program for 12 weeks. The program was modified so that each person would burn 500 calories per session.
They did not, however, all lose the same amount of weight.
It turns out that some of the study participants were engaging in “compensatory responses” such as eating more following their workout either as a reward or because of a biological drive.
This increase in food intake undermined the weight loss benefits you would expect from exercising.
The study demonstrates the importance of treating people as individuals. For people who are “compensating” for the increased energy expenditure of exercise, and therefore are not losing weight, attention should be given to diet and other factors.
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