What Science Says About Weight LossBy

A large part of the people who go to a FAST center do so motivated by weight loss. As Johns et al. (2014), “weight loss can reduce the health risks associated with being overweight and obese.” But actually the most effective method is not entirely clear. Diet? Exercise? The combination of both? What kind of exercise? In what dosage?

In this popular article we are going to present the latest conclusive data from a meta-analysis carried out by the research group “Behavioral Weight Management Review Group”.

This work included clinical trials looking at the effects of diet and exercise individually and in combination. Statistical data showed that, in the short term, weight loss is similar when only dieting or combined with exercise as well. However, in the long term, the results are better if you exercise and diet together.

But, what do we mean when we talk about the short and long term …

• Research has confirmed that at 12 months the best intervention is one that combines exercise and diet.
• At 3 and 6 months, the authors of the review on which we are based are not able to statistically predict what will be better, since the available clinical trials that play with these intervention time ranges are scarce and heterogeneous.

Another very important question is how prevalent diet and exercise will be in weight loss programs:

• Exercise programs that supplement diet lead to greater weight loss than those focused on diet and supplemented with exercise.
• It has been suggested that initially adding physical exercise to diet programs is not as beneficial, however in the long term it may be better for maintaining body weight.

All this would be the ideal, but there are conditions that slow down weight loss, stagnate it and decrease motivation. For example, in women, menopause represents a turning point from which to approach weight loss with greater difficulty.

Menopause is a biological transition divided into several stages until reaching postmenopause. This period can be accompanied by vasomotor symptoms, changes in body composition, such as increased abdominal fat, with consequences at the cardiometabolic level increasing your risk. Hormones related to energy expenditure and fat oxidation undergo major changes. All this results in problems associated with abdominal obesity: type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, etc. It is for all this that the prospects for effective and healthy weight loss have different nuances than the general population (Jull et al, 2014).

Many women in the transition stage of early menopause come to training centers and dietary consultations discouraged by the changes and the few responses of their body to eat a balanced diet and lead an active life. Knowing and accepting the physiological reality may be a strategy to start taking the first step towards changing attitudes. It is not only about eating healthy and moving, but also about relying on professionals in physical education and sports and on dietitians-nutritionists who offer us the best options to avoid such harmful changes in body composition that can bring about various diseases associated.

Another issue that often worries people who have struggled to lose weight for a long time, short or long term, is weight gain. What mechanisms are behind this? Were the efforts worth it?

“Energy expenditure varies depending on changes in body weight. Consequently, weight fluctuation can be a key component in weight maintenance once weight is lost. Resting energy expenditure (REE) is defined as the energy required to fuel minimal daily functions of cells and organs. Total energy expenditure (TEG) represents a compilation of expenditures, including basal metabolic rate, diet-induced thermogenesis, and activity-related energy expenditure. Higher body weight is associated with a much higher GET and a higher total intake. Weight loss leads to a decrease in the GER, which accounts for about 60% of the GET in humans. As a result of weight loss, it is believed that there is a decrease in GER, which subsequently leads to to new weight gain, suggesting a vicious cycle of obesity, followed by weight loss, followed by weight regain, followed by obesity, and so on. The concept of weight loss that leads to a decrease in energy expenditure is known as “adaptive thermogenesis” and evidence suggests that these changes increase hunger, thus promoting weight regain. Therefore, a difficulty in the treatment of obesity may be due to the metabolic and physiological responses that resist the maintenance of the decrease in body weight. ” The concept of weight loss that leads to a decrease in energy expenditure is known as “adaptive thermogenesis” and evidence suggests that these changes increase hunger, thus promoting weight regain. Therefore, a difficulty in the treatment of obesity may be due to the metabolic and physiological responses that resist the maintenance of the decrease in body weight. ” The concept of weight loss that leads to a decrease in energy expenditure is known as “adaptive thermogenesis” and evidence suggests that these changes increase hunger, thus promoting weight regain. Therefore, a difficulty in the treatment of obesity may be due to the metabolic and physiological responses that resist the maintenance of the decrease in body weight. “

What can we do to avoid this decrease in energy expenditure?

The solution begins by increasing, in some way, that energy expenditure.

As indicated in the review by Swift et al. (2014), if energy expenditure is above the levels of consumption in the diet, weight gain will occur. That is why physical exercise plays a very important role, since it increases daily energy expenditure, in addition to bringing with it a positive adaptation in the basal metabolism, which will help to maintain weight, and even continue reducing it.

Why is FAST a good weight loss supplement?

The electrostimulation Integral Activa has several answers that make it a perfect tool to accompany the combined weight loss programs (exercise + diet). The #FASTreduce and #FASTvitality programs are the perfect options initially because:

• There is higher oxygen consumption during the session compared to the same session without EMS. The energy expenditure during the session will be higher, as well as post-exercise.
• We increase capillarization, and thus there are also more possibilities of “burning” fat, due to greater vascularity.

Other methods, such as #FASTtonic and #FASTantiaging will help to improve your muscle tone, which will also be advantageous for the state of your body composition and the increase in your daily energy expenditure and your basal metabolism.

References:

Johns et al. Diet or exercise interventions vs combined behavioral weight management programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparisons. 

Jull et al. Lifestyle interventions targeting body weight changes during the menopause transition: a systematic review. 

Blomain et al. Mechanisms of Weight Regain following Weight Loss. ISRN Obes.

Swift et al. The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance.ProgCardiovasc Dis.