Physical activity and weight maintenance

Physical activity is an important component of a weight-reducing program. W hen combined with a low fat diet, a physical activity program can reduce bo dy weight by 10-15% in individuals complying with the program. However, eve n in disciplined individuals, resistance to lose fat ultimately occurs gene rally before the body composition status of the reduced-obese subjects is c omparable to that of their lean counterparts. On the other hand, this weigh t loss is generally sufficient to normalize the risk profile regarding the development of diabetes and heart diseases. Therefore, this suggests that t rying to lose weight beyond the threshold of spontaneous resistance to lose fat, may be unnecessary and not feasible. Furthermore, if one also conside rs the potential risks for health associated with large fat loss, it is pro bably not relevant to encourage further weight loss in reduced-obese indivi duals, when their metabolic profile is normalized. It is also important to emphasize that in such a context, the physical activity program must be mai ntained on a permanent basis to prevent body weight regain.