Study shows fitness for health is more than numbers on a scale

A recent study published by researchers at Arizona State University’s School of Nutrition & Health Promotion reveals people who take up an exercise regimen could end up gaining weight due to extra fat, not muscle.

The study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and led by Glenn Gaesser, analyzed the effects of implementing a supervised exercise program for overweight, sedentary women.

As reported in the New York Times, the results of the study were surprising. At the end of the 12 week program, all of the participants were aerobically more fit than they had been at the start, but many were heavier. Approximately 70 percent of the women had added at least some fat mass during the program, with several gaining as much as 10 pounds, most of which was from fat, not added muscle. Further, Gaesser and his team found the women who were losing weight after four weeks of the exercise program tended to continue losing weight while others did not.

Gaesser told the New York Times, “What that means in practical terms is that someone who wants to lose weight with exercise should step on the bathroom scale after a month. If at that point your weight remains stubbornly unchanged or has increased, look closely at your diet and other activities.”

The study did not track eating or physical activity outside of the study’s prescribed exercise regimen. Gaesser explained the weight gain likely occurred because participants were eating more and moving less when they weren’t on the treadmills, probably without meaning to. He says using a bathroom scale and discipline, along with exercise, may go a long way in helping to lose weight.

Gaesser also says another key takeaway from the study is despite the weight gain, the women in the study were much fitter after four months of exercise and “fitness matters far more for health than how much you weigh.”