Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exercise in the Treatment of Obesity

  • Living reference work entry
  • Latest version View entry history
  • First Online:
Obesity

Part of the book series: Endocrinology ((ENDOCR))

  • 513 Accesses

Abstract

Increasing physical activity through structured aerobic exercise should be a cornerstone of behavioral weight loss programs. Recently, numerous scientific and popular media pieces have discounted the role of exercise for weight loss, which may discourage those trying to lose weight from exercising. However, existing data clearly demonstrate that exercise – either alone or when combined with dietary energy restriction – promotes clinically meaningful weight loss in the majority of people and may be especially important for maintaining weight loss for the long-term. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to critically evaluate the role of exercise for weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Topics covered in this chapter include: a discussion of the direct and indirect influences of exercise on energy balance; a review of the impact of exercise on body weight during each stage of obesity treatment; recommendations for incorporating exercise into obesity treatment programs; the role of exercise in the prevention of weight gain; and a discussion of the challenges of making lasting changes in health behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans [Internet]. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; 2008 [cited 22 Apr 2016]. Available from: http://health.gov/paguidelines/.

  • Astrup A, Hjorth MF. Low-fat or low carb for weight loss? It depends on your glucose metabolism. EBioMedicine. 2017;22:20–1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beaulieu K, Hopkins M, Blundell J, Finlayson G. Does habitual physical activity increase the sensitivity of the appetite control system? A systematic review. Sports Med. 2016;46:1897–919.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belluz J, Zarracina J. Why you shouldn’t exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies. Vox [Internet]. 2017 [cited 15 Dec 2017]. Available from: https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories.

  • Bize R, Johnson JA, Plotnikoff RC. Physical activity level and health-related quality of life in the general adult population: a systematic review. Prev Med. 2007;45:401–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell JE. The contribution of behavioural science to nutrition: appetite control. Nutr Bull. 2017;42:236–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell JE, Gibbons C, Caudwell P, Finlayson G, Hopkins M. Appetite control and energy balance: impact of exercise. Obes Rev. 2015;16(Suppl 1):67–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown W, Bauman AE, Bull FC, Burton NW. Development of evidence-based physical activity recommendations for adults (18–64 years): report prepared for the Australian Government Department of Health. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2012. https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:342307

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan AD, Jakicic JM, Hunter CM, Evans ME, Yanovski SZ, Epstein LH. Behavioral and psychological phenotyping of physical activity and sedentary behavior: implications for weight management. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017;25:1653–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butland B, Jebb S, Kopelman P, McPherson K, Thomas S, Mardell J, Parry V. Foresight. Tackling obesities: future choices. Project report. [Internet]. Government Office for Science; 2007 [cited 15 Dec 2017]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tackling-obesities-future-choices.

  • Caldwell A, Masters KS, Peters JC, Bryan AD, Gribsby J, Hooker SA, Wyatt HR, Hill J. Harnessing centered identity transformation to reduce executive function burden for maintenance of health behavior change: the maintain IT model. Health Psychol Rev. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2018.1437551.

  • Catenacci VA, Wyatt HR. The role of physical activity in producing and maintaining weight loss. Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab. 2007;3:518–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chin S-H, Kahathuduwa CN, Binks M. Physical activity and obesity: what we know and what we need to know. Obes Rev. 2016;17:1226–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Church T. Exercise and weight management. In: Bray GA, Bouchard C, editors. Handbook of obesity–volume 2: clinical applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2014. p. 207–18.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Church TS, Martin CK, Thompson AM, Earnest CP, Mikus CR, Blair SN. Changes in weight, waist circumference and compensatory responses with different doses of exercise among sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women. PLoS One. 2009;4:e4515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark CCT, Barnes CM, Stratton G, McNarry MA, Mackintosh KA, Summers HD. A review of emerging analytical techniques for objective physical activity measurement in humans. Sports Med. 2017;47:439–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson JA, Hall KD, Thomas DM, Hardin JW, Allison DB, Heymsfield SB. Novel mathematical models for investigating topics in obesity. Adv Nutr. 2014;5:561–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly JE, Blair SN, Jakicic JM, Manore MM, Rankin JW, Smith BK. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41:459–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson KI, Kramer AF. Aerobic exercise effects on cognitive and neural plasticity in older adults. Br J Sports Med. 2009;43:22–4.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foster GD, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, McGuckin BG, Brill C, Mohammed BS, Szapary PO, Rader DJ, Edman JS, Klein S. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(21):2082–90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Franz MJ, VanWormer JJ, Crain AL, Boucher JL, Histon T, Caplan W, Bowman JD, Pronk NP. Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107:1755–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freese J, Klement RJ, Ruiz-Núñez B, Schwarz S, Lötzerich H. The sedentary (r)evolution: have we lost our metabolic flexibility? F1000Res. 2017;6:1787.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodpaster BH, Sparks LM. Metabolic flexibility in health and disease. Cell Metab. 2017;25:1027–36.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS Data Brief. 2017;10:1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Honas JJ, Lee J, Washburn RA, Donnelly JE. Energy intake, nonexercise physical activity, and weight loss in responders and nonresponders: the Midwest Exercise Trial 2. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015;23:1539–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill JO. Understanding and addressing the epidemic of obesity: an energy balance perspective. Endocr Rev. 2006;27:750–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill JO, Wyatt HR, Reed GW, Peters JC. Obesity and the environment: where do we go from here? Science. 2003;299:853–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hill JO, Peters JC, Wyatt HR. Using the energy gap to address obesity: a commentary. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:1848–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill JO, Wyatt HR, Peters JC. Energy balance and obesity. Circulation. 2012;126:126–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter GR, Brock DW, Byrne NM, Chandler-Laney PC, Del Corral P, Gower BA. Exercise training prevents regain of visceral fat for 1 year following weight loss. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010;18:690–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jakicic JM, Otto AD. Physical activity considerations for the treatment and prevention of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82:226S–9S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, Ard JD, Comuzzie AG, Donato KA, Hu FB, Hubbard VS, Jakicic JM, Kushner RF, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines and the obesity society. Circulation. 2014;129:S102–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanosue K, Oshima S, Cao Z-B, Oka K. Physical activity, exercise, sedentary behavior and health. Tokyo: Springer; 2015.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • King NA, Hopkins M, Caudwell P, Stubbs RJ, Blundell JE. Individual variability following 12 weeks of supervised exercise: identification and characterization of compensation for exercise-induced weight loss. Int J Obes. 2008;32:177–84.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee S, Kuk JL, Davidson LE, Hudson R, Kilpatrick K, Graham TE, Ross R. Exercise without weight loss is an effective strategy for obesity reduction in obese individuals with and without Type 2 diabetes. J Appl Physiol. 2005;99:1220–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, Wycherley TP, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Woods SC, Mattes RD. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr [Internet]. 2015. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25926512

  • Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Westling E, Lew A-M, Samuels B, Chatman J. Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. Am Psychol. 2007;62:220–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer J, Roy P, Mitra KP. Relation between caloric intake, body weight, and physical work: studies in an industrial male population in West Bengal. Am J Clin Nutr. 1956;4:169–75.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Michie S, Fixsen D, Grimshaw JM, Eccles MP. Specifying and reporting complex behaviour change interventions: the need for a scientific method. Implement Sci. 2009;4:40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostendorf DM, Lyden K, Pan Z, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, Melanson EL, Catenacci VA. Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in successful weight loss maintainers. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018;26:53–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paluska SA, Schwenk TL. Physical activity and mental health: current concepts. Sports Med. 2000;29:167–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rolls BJ. Dietary energy density: applying behavioural science to weight management. Nutr Bull. 2017;42:246–53.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rynders CA, Blanc S, DeJong N, Bessesen DH, Bergouignan A. Sedentary behaviour is a key determinant of metabolic inflexibility. J Physiol. 2017:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP273282.

  • Simpson SA, Shaw C, McNamara R. What is the most effective way to maintain weight loss in adults? BMJ. 2011;343:d8042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steig AJ, Jackman MR, Giles ED, Higgins JA, Johnson GC, Mahan C, Melanson EL, Wyatt HR, Eckel RH, Hill JO, et al. Exercise reduces appetite and traffics excess nutrients away from energetically efficient pathways of lipid deposition during the early stages of weight regain. Am J Phys Regul Integr Comp Phys. 2011;301:R656–67.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Delbridge E, Purcell K, Shulkes A, Kriketos A, Proietto J. Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. N Engl J Med. 2011;365:1597–604.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swift DL, Johannsen NM, Lavie CJ, Earnest CP, Church TS. The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;56:441–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorogood A, Mottillo S, Shimony A, Filion KB, Joseph L, Genest J, Pilote L, Poirier P, Schiffrin EL, Eisenberg MJ. Isolated aerobic exercise and weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Med. 2011;124:747–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Ommen B, van der Greef J, Ordovas JM, Daniel H. Phenotypic flexibility as key factor in the human nutrition and health relationship. Genes Nutr. 2014;9:423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu T, Gao X, Chen M, van Dam RM. Long-term effectiveness of diet-plus-exercise interventions vs. diet-only interventions for weight loss: a meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2009;10:313–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA

    R. Drew Sayer & James O. Hill

Authors
  1. R. Drew Sayer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James O. Hill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James O. Hill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systems Medicine, Internal Medicine Unit and Obesity Center, University of Rome Tor Vergata, University Hospital Policlinico Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Sbraccia

  2. UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science, National Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention, London, United Kingdom

    Nicholas Finer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Sayer, R.D., Hill, J.O. (2018). Exercise in the Treatment of Obesity. In: Sbraccia, P., Finer, N. (eds) Obesity. Endocrinology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47685-8_29-3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47685-8_29-3

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47685-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47685-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Exercise in the Treatment of Obesity
    Published:
    16 April 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47685-8_29-3

  2. Excercise in the Treatment of Obesity
    Published:
    28 March 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47685-8_29-2

  3. Original

    Physical Excercise in the Treatment of Obesity
    Published:
    01 March 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47685-8_29-1

Search

Navigation