Weight maintenance and resting metabolic rate 18-40 months after a diet/exercise treatment

In the present study 44 participants (32 females and 12 males) of the studies on the effects of a diet (D) diet-exercise (DE) treatment on body composition and sleeping metabolic rate (SMR), were followed over a period of 18, 36 or 42 months post-treatment. Mean weight loss after treatment (12-14 weeks) was 12.0 and 16.5 kg for D and DE respectively (P less than 0.05; D. v. DE) and fat loss (9.5 kg and 13.5 kg for D and DE respectively, D v. DE P less than 0.05). Nine subjects dropped out during the follow-up phase. After 18, 36 or 42 months follow-up the diet group regained 90% of their initial weight loss compared to 60% of the diet-exercise group (P less than 0.05). Seven subjects out of the original diet-exercise group kept up their exercise activities, while two subjects from the diet group started exercising. These subjects (EX) gained only 23 per cent of their weight loss, but their body weight at the start of the study tended to be lower compared to the diet and the diet-exercise group (86.5 (EX) v. 91.4 and 95.2 for D and DE respectively). During the last follow-up measurement SMR of 18 subjects was determined and revealed a persistent lower SMR for nine non-exercising subjects (18.6 per cent lower than before treatment), whereas for subjects who kept on exercising, SMR was 9.8 per cent lower than baseline values. Per kg FFM SMR was almost restored to baseline values for the EX group, whereas the non-exercising subjects still showed depressed values (EX 3.7 per cent and D + DE 15.8 per cent lower than before treatment; P less than 0.05). It was concluded that exercise is one of the factors which contributes to the restoration of SMR and long term weight maintenance.