A Randomized Trial Evaluating Exercise for the Prevention of Weight Regain

Area of Science:

• Exercise Science
• Obesity Research
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Clinically significant weight loss (WL) is often followed by weight regain.
• Behavioral interventions are key for weight management.
• The role of exercise volume in long-term weight maintenance requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of three distinct exercise volumes on preventing weight regain.
• To determine if higher exercise levels are associated with better weight maintenance post-WL.
• To compare weight change outcomes across different prescribed exercise durations.

Main Methods:

• Adults with overweight/obesity (n=298) underwent a 3-month WL intervention.
• Participants achieving ≥5% WL (n=235) were randomized to 150, 225, or 300 min/wk of exercise.
• Weight change was monitored over a 12-month WL maintenance period.

Main Results:

• Mean WL at 3 months was similar across all groups.
• No significant differences in weight change were observed between the 150, 225, and 300 min/wk exercise groups over 12 months.
• Intent-to-treat analysis showed no significant trend across exercise volumes or between sexes.

Conclusions:

• Exercise volume was not significantly associated with weight regain in this WL maintenance study.
• Lower exercise volumes, when combined with behavioral interventions, may be sufficient for weight maintenance.
• Current exercise recommendations for weight maintenance may not require higher volumes to prevent regain.