Weight loss isn't one diet fits all
in
Long
The American College of Sports Medicine recently changed its recommendation of getting in at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity to 250 minutes per week.
According to the ACSM, "greater amounts of physical activity (more than 250 minutes a week) have been associated with clinically significant weight loss. Moderate-intensity physical activity between 150 and 250 minutes per week will improve weight loss in studies that use moderate diet restrictions but not severe diet restriction."
The ACSM also stated the facts of weight regain and physical activity are not as well understood. In other words, many people regain a lot of their weight after initially losing it. Cases in point are famous people such as Kirstie Alley and Oprah Winfrey. It has long been a fact that of those who successfully lose weight, few keep it off permanently.
The reasons for weight regain are many. Sometimes people simply go back to unhealthy eating (too many calories). Also, many tire of the need for constant exercise and simply quit. Some even have bariatric surgery to induce weight loss without realizing that even then a lifestyle change is necessary to keep the weight off. Bariatric surgery is rarely, if ever, a cure-all for obesity in and of itself. A healthy diet and exercise program need to be adhered to even after these surgeries.
We are not all born with the same genetics and life is not always fair. I tell my kinesiology students at Mississippi College that in real life (unlike a Disney movie) the lost dog does not always find his way home and that little Timmy doesn't always make it out of the well.
We don't all have the same metabolism, body composition, height, etc. Some people simply have a harder time losing weight than others. Never base your diet and exercise program on someone else thinking that you should and will have the same results - often you won't.
