All of us who have ever wanted to lose a few kilos that were left over, many or few, we have thought: why are there people who lose weight and maintain themselves, while others can not avoid recovering the lost weight?

A recent study claims to have come up with the key, and this is the physical exercise. A lot, a lot of exercise.

A small but significant study

The truth is that it is a significant research, but still small and that should be expanded. Followed 14 volunteers, participants in a contest of American television, Biggest Loser , attended by people with obesity who win prizes according to the amount of kilos they manage to download . It was observed what those who managed to maintain their new weight had in common , and what made those who began to recover the lost weight different.

The result was that those who managed to maintain a significantly lower weight did 80 minutes of moderate exercise , such as walking, or 35 minutes of intense exercise , such as running, every day. Or what is the same: 560 minutes of moderate exercise or 245 of intense exercise a week.

Their weight was measured when the contestants were chosen for the program, after six weeks, after 30 weeks and after 6 years. No distinction was made between the exercise done specifically, such as going to the gym or training, and exercise done as part of daily routines , such as walking to work or climbing the stairs.

The fact is that this is much more than the exercise recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention , which sets the ideal amount of moderate exercise at 150 minutes per week, and at 75 for vigorous exercise for healthy adults.

First the feeding and then the activity

Although the study, as we say, is small, its conclusion is interesting: food is the key to losing weight initially, and physical activity is to stay ahead .

The study also helps explain what the reason may be. One of the consequences of the weight loss of the contestants was that their metabolism slowed considerably : they burned half an average of 500 calories less than usual. Their bodies were resisting weight loss.

It seems therefore that those who have maintained their new weight is because they have managed to balance the fall of their metabolism with physical activity.