Short Term Slip-ups Lead to Long Term Weight Issues

A new study offers new insight into the long-term effects of short term diet and exercise missteps. The study, titled "Long-term increase of fat mass after a four week intervention with fast food based hyper-alimentation and limitation of physical activity", investigated what happens to body composition when you take a month off your diet and exercise plan.

In the study, participants were divided into two groups: a control group who exercised and ate as usual, and the intervention group, who reduced their exercise and increased their food consumption for four weeks.

The control group, of course, stayed at the same weight. The intervention group gained an average of 14.1 lbs (6.4 kg) by the end of the four weeks.

After the four week increase in calories and decrease in exercise, the intervention study participants went back to their old exercise program. At six months, the intervention participants had lost nearly all the weight they gained.

Researchers measured the fat mass of all the study participants before the study to get a baseline number, similar between the two groups. At the one year mark, the study group had an increased fat mass compared to the control group. The difference in fat mass between the intervention group and the control group rose even higher at the two and a half year mark.

According to ScienceDaily, "The study provides interesting new evidence to suggest that even a short period of excessive eating and a lack of exercise can potentially change an individual's physiology, causing it to be harder to lose and keep off weight."

Four weeks of letting loose on diet and skipping exercise can seriously affect long-term weight. Those four weeks were still apparent on the intervention group's health more than two years after their four week study took place, both in increased fat mass and an increase in overall weight.

Many people believe that they can just take a break from trying to lose or maintain weight, then go back to their diet when they are ready and just lose whatever weight they gained. Unfortunately, this shows that that belief is far from the truth. Those pounds you put on while on break are just the tip on the iceburg, and your fat mass will suffer long-term from that short stint.

It is far easier, not to mention much healthier, to stay on track and healthy than to take time off and let go.

ScienceDaily: A moment on the lips, a year on the hips