Keeping pounds off may take more exercise

November 16, 1999
Web posted at: 2:15 p.m. EST (1915 GMT)

(CNN) -- Losing weight and keeping it off may require close to three times the amount of exercise previously thought, according to research released at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity in Charleston, South Carolina this week.

Rena Wing, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Brown University, looked at 2,500 people who lost an average of 60 pounds and kept the weight off for average of six years. Wing found those individuals exercised approximately an hour each day.

"Patients, participants who have lost weight and kept it off really exercise more to the level of 2800 calories a week. If you translate to walking, they're walking 28 miles a week," said Wing.

VIDEO CNN's Linda Ciampa examines a report describing the amount of exercise needed to keep weight off. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Diet and Fitness

The study data came from the University of Pittsburgh's National Weight Control Registry, a repository of information on weight loss.

Wing also reported those who were successful at keeping weight off did a mixture of different physical activities.

"They walk a lot and they do other things including ... strength training, bike riding , aerobic dance," Wing said.

Gary Lepore has lost 35 pounds in the last year. He says he tries to burn at least 2500 calories a week by jogging, walking and biking, but at first it wasn't easy to find the time.

"Basically what's happened is, I have made it part of my lifestyle and it's really becoming something I break out a certain time of the day to exercise," Lepore said.

But weight loss experts say all that exercise won't do much good if you eat too much.

"I think there's no question that for long-term permanent weight loss you really do have to make long-term permanent changes in what you eat and your physical activity," said Wing.

And while an hour-a-day exercise regime may be discouraging for some people, experts emphasized that any amount of exercise done on a regular basis would be better than none.

Medical Correspondent Linda Ciampa and The Associated Press contributed to this report.