The Curves Study

Regular exercise is important but will not result in body fat reduction if what you are eating has more energy than you can use - and we ALL overestimate how much we move and underestimate how much we eat.

In other words, you can't out-train a bad diet.


A study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine measured 50 participants hormone levels before, during and after a 10 week diet.


This was a diet in the conventional sense, where the calorie intake was severely restricted well below sustainable levels so it is unsurprising participants could not maintain this when the study finished.
 
Aside from the control group, there was an 'exercise only' group and four dietary groups, each with different variations of energy carbohydrate and protein.


Participants did a 30 minute resistance circuit program three times a week at a Curves gym (sponsors of this study) and all groups except the control experienced significant reductions in waist circumference.


The conclusion: "Exercise alone has minimal impact on measured outcomes with positive outcomes apparent when exercise is combines with a hypo-energetic (low calorie) diet. 

Greater improvements in waist circumference and body composition occurred when carbohydrate is replaced in the diet with protein. 

Weight loss in all groups was primarily fat and stimulated improvements in markers of cardiovascular disease risk, body composition, energy expenditure and psychosocial parameters."

What this means is that eating more protein than carbohydrate, in smaller portions, they lost body fat, reduced their waistbands and felt better.


If you are participating in the MET Fitness 6 Week Challenge, you will feel the benefits of eating enough  protein at each meal, including feeling satisfied until your next meal as well as having more energy.