5 Reasons Why You Should Never Take Weight Loss Supplements

The prevalence of obesity in the United States continues to increase at alarming levels with one third of the adult population currently overweight or obese. Not surprisingly 15% of the American population uses dietary supplements for weight loss [1] yet in spite of the wide variety of products that purport to induce weight loss, the most one common aspect that they share is their abysmal failure rate. Weight loss is of critical importance to many people, but consumers often lack the information necessary to make informed decisions about the use of potentially harmful products like weight loss supplements. My stance against weight loss supplements is one that is seldom shared by other athletes on the payroll of companies in the industry, but it is one that will never waver. (You wouldn’t waver either if you had to visit your friends in the hospital several times over the course of 20 years thanks to readily available over the counter weight loss supplements.) Here are five reasons why you should never use weight loss supplements:

1. Weight Loss Supplements Don’t Work

It is that simple. Regardless of the widespread and ever present promotion of non prescription diet aids that are supposed to do miraculous things like stop fat absorption from your foods, block carbohydrates and increase your metabolism, the truth is that weight loss supplements will not bring about long term weight loss. Using them is not only a waste of money but a risk to your health as well. In twenty three years in the weight loss business I have yet to see a weight loss supplement help anyone achieve and sustain their ideal bodyweight. Back in the days when dangerous drugs like ephedra were included in weight loss stacks people did see a temporary reduction in their bodyweight while from the use of a powerful and (we know now) potentially deadly drug. But any weight loss quickly went away after stopping it.

Today’s supplements don’t have ephedra anymore and their active ingredients have been proven to be useless as an aid to weight loss. A German study presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm had 189 either obese or overweight middle aged men and women participate in a weight loss program for eight weeks using nine of the major weight loss products on the market. Half were given commercially available weight loss supplements and the other half took a sugar pill. At the end of the eight week period researchers found that the weight loss supplements were no more effective than the placebo pills.
This study was one of the most rigorous scientifically credible tests of weight loss supplements to date and included common ingredients such as L-carnitine, polyglucosamine, cabbage powder, guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fiber, sodium alginate, chitosan and certain plant extracts either alone or in combination. What we can infer from this study is that weight loss supplements are effective in helping you lose money- not weight.

2. Weight Loss Supplement Companies Are Allowed To Lie

You hear the commercial on television, you see the ads in the magazines and you see your favorite celebrity or athlete endorsing the product or book- but when you tried it you really didn’t see much in the way of weight loss. How could that be when so much is made of the efficacy of the product? Simple- weight loss claims by supplement companies, programs and products are not regulated and their claims do not have to be proven by clinical trials 4. That’s correct; in one of the most developed countries in the world there are no laws that demand truth in advertising when it comes to weight loss supplements or any weight loss product for that matter. Unfortunately the minor snag that the products don’t really work and that the ads are a bit far from the truth doesn’t stop us from spending 1.6 billion dollars on weight loss supplements each year!

Why do we keep spending money if the results are less than advertised? There are two reasons- one is if you are overweight and suffer everyday from the type of negative body image than can be associated with being obese you desperately want to believe that it will work. Not unlike the drowning man reaching for a straw. The ads work by highlighting young men and women that are in phenomenal shape- which makes someone that is overweight even more self conscious and creates a strong awareness of their problem. Thus you are far more apt to believe that the supplement that you are buying really will help you lose weight. This type of emotional manipulation is sadly the cornerstone of marketing today and is far more powerful than most people realize. The other reason why people keep on buying is that weight loss companies always have a steady stream of ‘new and improved’ products coming out, and with them come the growing hope that this new breakthrough formula will be the one that finally helps you lose the weight and keep it off- but it won’t.

3. The Science Of Weight Loss Supplements Is Compromised By Conflict Of Interest

According to Ano Lobb from the Dartmouth Medical School, “trials used to determine product safety and effectiveness…tend to be small, of short duration, and frequently lack financial conflict of interest disclosures.”[2] He goes on to say that “these factors could conspire to place consumers at risk, especially when published research cited in advertising cloaks products with the suggestion that their safety and effectiveness have been proven by science.”[2] In a paper published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology that included analysis from studies published by Hasani Ranjbar et al.[3] Ano Lobb went on to take a critical look at studies passed off as sound science for the promotion of popular weight loss supplements such as:

• Xenadrine- was cited for a study that were far too small (only 47 participants) and far too short a duration (6 weeks) to be clinically credible. The studies used for product promotion also did not have any mention of an independent funding source- so the reader has no way of knowing whether there is a conflict of interest.

• LeptiCore -The material used to market their weight loss product cited a study[4] that followed 62 participants that supposedly reported losing weight, body fat, a reduction in waist size and lowering of their cholesterol, however one of the authors appeared to be a chief scientific officer of a dietary supplement company, and was listed as the inventor of a weight loss supplement whose patent was held by the very same company that he was employed by.

• Hydroxycut Advanced -Studies cited in marketing materials for Hydroxycut were according to Lobb’s paper ‘small and of short duration and reported no serious side effects. In spite of this, Hydroxycut was withdrawn from the market in 2010 after being linked to 23 cases of liver toxicity and one fatality.[5] Again there were no financial conflict of interest disclosures or evidence that funding for the studies were not received by the supplement manufacturers themselves. (Note that after a change of ingredients- Hydroxycut is once again on the market shelves).

4. Weight Loss Supplements Can Kill Or Seriously Harm You

Unlike the far stricter laws applied in Europe and in Canada, manufacturers of dietary supplements here in the United States are not required to conduct any trials to establish the safety or efficacy of their products. All that is required is that a copy of their label is sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review[6,7,8].  What this means to you the consumer is that you become a lab rat in the post marketing trial of every weight loss product’s safety. Reviews have shown that the FDA only gets about 1% of the harmful events resulting from supplement use by consumers and there is no coordination between the FDA and the Poison Control Center to regulate ill effects from weight loss supplements.[9]

Factor in as well that weight loss supplement companies created for the sole purpose of turning a profit are not always honest and forthcoming about the safety of their products. The manufacturers of the weight loss supplement, Metabolife 356 withheld over 14, 000 reports they received over a 5 year period that documented serious side effects associated with their weight loss supplement product which contained ephedra, including myocardial infarction, stroke, seizure and death[6]. It took 155 deaths before ephedra was banned here in the United States by the FDA, all the while several supplement companies were fully aware of the dangers and continued to sell ephedra to the public.[10]

As mentioned earlier, Hydroxycut, was the number one weight loss product in its market selling just about a million bottles a year[11] was recently pulled from shelves after 23 cases of liver damage and one death[4] and it took only a few months before they were back on the shelves with a ‘new and improved’ formula. That’s how the industry operates- when one ingredient (in this case Garcinia cambogia) is found to be responsible for the sickness and or death of several members of the public, the product is simply reformulated with something else. Lawsuits and other fines from people injured by their products are part of the cost of running their business and is a small drop in the bucket compared to the profits from their weight loss supplements.
5 Weight Loss Supplements Distract From The Real Steps Needed For Long Term Weight Loss

There are no secrets. No magic exercises or magic foods or harmless pills or powders that will help you lose weight. You have to make healthy and sustainable changes in your eating habits and find a way to incorporate exercise into your daily life. Sustainability is a word often associated with our interaction with the environment, but it is time that it is used more frequently with regards to how we approach diet and exercise. You can’t take a weight loss supplement for the rest of your life, nor can you follow an extreme diet or workout for any significant period of time. Don’t be mislead by the temporary weight loss some of these methods may bring about- as any decrease in weight (if any at all) won’t be sustainable. It isn’t easy- if it was we wouldn’t have obesity as a national epidemic, but staying away from weight loss supplements and their instant-weight-loss-cousins gives you a better chance of doing it the right way.
Thanks for reading and I hope you share this article with your friends and family members.

References
1.     Blanck HM, Serdula MK, Gillespie C, Galuska DA, Sharpe PA, Conway JM, Khan LK, Ainsworth BE. Use of nonprescription dietary supplements for weight loss is common among Americans. J Am Diet Assoc.
2.    Lobb A. Science of weight loss supplements: Compromised by conflicts of interest? World J Gastroenterol
3.    Hasani-Ranjbar S, Nayebi N, Larijani B, Abdollahi M. A systematic review of the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines used in the treatment of obesity. World J Gastroenterol
4.    Kuate D, Etoundi BC, Azantsa BK, Kengne AP, Ngondi JL, Oben JE. The use of LeptiCore in reducing fat gain and managing weight loss in patients with metabolic syndrome. Lipids Health Dis
5.    Lobb A. Hepatoxicity associated with weight-loss supplements: a case for better post-marketing surveillance. World J Gastroenterol
6.    Consumers Union. Dangerous supplements: still at large. Consum Rep 2004; 69: 12-17
7.    Morrow JD. Why the United States still needs improved dietary supplement regulation and oversight. Clin Pharmacol Ther
8.    Gardiner P, Sarma DN, Low Dog T, Barrett ML, Chavez ML, Ko R, Mahady GB, Marles RJ, Pellicore LS, Giancaspro GI. The state of dietary supplement adverse event reporting in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf
9.    Gardiner P, Sarma DN, Low Dog T, Barrett ML, Chavez ML, Ko R, Mahady GB, Marles RJ, Pellicore LS, Giancaspro GI. The state of dietary supplement adverse event reporting in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf
10.    Moran M. Did delay of ephedra ban cause unnecessary deaths? Psych News
11.    Weight control a high priority. Chain Drug Rev

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in Manhattan. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

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High intensity weight training is a scientifically proven way to reduce body fat.

High Intensity Weight Training Helps You Lose Weight And Keep It Off!

Most equate aerobics with weight loss not high intensity weight training. Weight training is generally perceived as an activity for those interested in building big and bulky muscles and not for people trying to lose weight, however as many who have been frustrated by their lack of progress on the treadmill can attest- weight training or more specifically high intensity weight training is the best way to tone up and slim down. The fear of building oversized muscles is understandable- as television, books and magazines regularly bombard us with images of steroid using male and female bodybuilders- a look that most find unappealing. The reality is that without resorting to unmentionable combinations of drugs, while following a regime calling for enormous quantities of food far above what the average human being could regularly consume, even the hardest and most conscientious weight trainers will never get that big naturally. It simply doesn’t happen by accident.

What does happen however to the men and women that dare to weight train hard and heavy is that they get smaller as they see their body fat levels reduced from the high intensity weight training. Your muscle size will increase if you weight train correctly, but not in titanic proportions, just enough to give your body a toned and sculpted look as your body fat is reduced from the increase in metabolism that results from high intensity weight training.

Low Intensity vs High Intensity Weight Training

If you are serious about losing weight and toning up science says you should focus your energy on high intensity weight training using challenging not overly light weights to burn more calories! A study conducted at Georgia Southern University had participants performing resistance exercises at low intensities using a little less than half of their maximum weight for 15 repetitions during one session and the same resistance exercise at a higher intensity and heavier weight for 8 repetitions at 85 % of their one repetition maximum. After measuring the subjects for up to 2 hours after the workouts, researchers discovered that the heavier weights and higher intensity exercise produced a far greater excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) than the higher repetition low intensity exercise. [1] Excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is associated with an elevated consumption of fuel in the body causing fat stores to be broken down and free fatty acids (FFA) released into the blood.[2]

High Intensity Weight Training And Weight Loss In Women

Several long term studies also support the idea that high intensity weight training is an efficient method of losing body fat thanks to the metabolic boost that occurs after the workout. One six year study of 122 post menopausal women published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise concluded that ‘resistance training is a viable long-term method to prevent weight gain and deleterious changes in body composition in postmenopausal women.’[3] Researchers used previously sedentary women in their fifties and had them perform eight basic weight training exercises for two sets at 70% to 80% of their one repetition maximum three times a week plus progressive weight bearing stretching and balance movements. Body weight and fat percentages were measured annually using anthropometry and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. After adjusting for age, years on hormone therapy, change in lean soft tissue, baseline body composition, and baseline habitual exercise they saw a significant reduction in body weight, fat and trunk fat  over the six year period due to the weight training exercises. Interestingly enough those that did more military presses and squats had the highest reduction in weight and body fat.

Another study published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition of 164 postmenopausal women doing high intensity weight training twice a week for two years suggested that

strength training is an efficacious intervention for preventing percentage body fat increases and attenuating intraabdominal fat [visceral abdominal fat] increases in overweight and obese premenopausal women. This is relevant to public health efforts for obesity prevention because most weight gain can be assumed to be fat, including abdominal fat. [4]

The study went on to say that American women ages 23-44 on average tend to gain 0.5 to 1 kg per year, most of which is fat and recognized that although few midlife women participate in any form of strength training, it should be considered as an intervention for preventing age-associated fat increases in the this population.

High Intensity Weight Training Works for Everybody!

What does this mean? Simple, the stereotype that weight training is for men or that weight training gives you oversized muscles needs to be put aside as it is simply untrue. Most gym goers and exercise enthusiasts that focus on aerobics as their primary activity see little in terms of long term body composition change while negative and erroneous attitudes towards weight training prevent most (especially women) from utilizing a form of exercise that is scientifically proven to be effective for weight loss, overall body fat and visceral abdominal fat reduction. So pick up some weights and learn to challenge yourself in the weight room- you will be all the better for doing it!

References
1.          Thornton MK, Potteiger JA. “Effects of resistance exercise bouts of different intensities but equal work on EPOC.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

2.         Bahr R (1992). “Excess postexercise oxygen consumption–magnitude, mechanisms and practical implications”. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. Supplementum

3.         Bea JW, Cussler EC, Going SB, Blew RM, Metcalfe LL, Lohman TG. “Resistance training predicts 6-yr body composition change in postmenopausal women.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

4.         Schmitz KH, Hannan PJ, Stovitz SD, Bryan CJ, Warren M, Jensen MD. “Strength training and adiposity in premenopausal women: strong, healthy, and empowered study.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

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Natural athletes who do not reduce their body fat to extreme levels do not necessarily suffer from extensive breast shrinkage

Does Weight Training Really Reduce Breast Size In Women?

One of the most common myths about weight training for women is that weight training reduces breast size and creates a flat manly looking chest. This misconception has prevented many women from incorporating weight training into their quests to lose weight and firm up their bodies. A practice that inevitably leads to failure as weight training is without question the most effective way to really tone up and develop a tight body. But what about the prospect of becoming flat chested? To answer that I can honestly say that unless you plan on starving yourself  or using anabolic steroids, women have little to worry about in terms of their breasts getting smaller from weight training. In fact most tend to see a slight increase over time!

Weight training properly executed with sufficient intensity, adequate rest and nutrition will bring about an increase in muscle size of any part of the body that is being worked.  This holds true whether it be it the pectoralis muscles of the chest (or pecs as many call them) or the muscles of your arms and legs. The way that this process (hypertrophy) works is that individual muscle fibers will get bigger (slightly bigger, that is, you won’t see mountains of muscle sprout on a woman without the use of anabolic steroids as it takes men with ten times more testosterone, years upon years to develop a muscular physique) or they will split and then get slightly bigger. The fibers of your pectoral muscles are all constituents of skeletal muscle whereas breast tissue is made up of sex specific adipose tissue (fat), ligaments, connective tissue and mammary glands. There are no skeletal muscle fibers found in the breasts as they simply sit directly over the pectoralis muscles. Weight training therefore can have no direct effect on them whatsoever.

Weight Training Doesn’t Affect Breasts Just The Muscles Underneath

Breast schematic diagram (adult human female cross section) - Legend: 1. Chest wall 2. Pectoralis muscles 3. Lobules 4. Nipple 5. Areola 6. Duct 7. Fatty tissue 8. Skin. Image courtesy Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator

Thus breast tissue cannot be subject to hypertrophy or get larger due to weight training, but by increasing the size (slightly, ladies) of the pectoral muscles under the breasts there will be a natural increase in overall chest size. It may then appear that the breasts look a bit larger as they will stand up a bit more, which, is something most women would not mind. However the actual size and composition of the breasts themselves will not change. A study conducted in the University of Arizona back in 1985 confirmed this phenomenon in a 21 day study that used concentric and eccentric contractions with a specialized chest exercise machine. After the three week program researchers found no changes whatsoever in the size, shape or volume of the breasts of the women participating after extensive scientific measurement.

So what about those flat chested women in the magazines with thickly developed chest muscles and no breasts? The ones that are so often parodied and ridiculed? Firstly it should be noted that the female bodybuilders that we typically see in magazines or on the internet use extensive amounts of  drugs to attain a degree of muscular development and body fat reduction that is not in any way possible without pharmaceutical intervention.  These athletes do not in any way represent what a regular woman would look like if they trained with weights, no matter how long or how hard they trained.  The size and shape of breasts in a healthy woman is fairly resistant to change as long as there are normal conditions of hydration and food availability. That being said, in cases of extreme under nutrition or calorie restriction as is often the case for athletes trying to get lean or individuals with eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia where there is a significant reduction of body-weight and body fat, the breasts, which have a high proportion of fat, will shrink. In the case of female bodybuilders- you see the dense muscle tissue in their chest area and no breasts and the assumption is erroneously made that somehow the weight training made their breasts go away. Weight training has nothing to do with it, as shrinkage comes from the reduction in body fat and nothing else.

Weight Training Can Help You Look Better All Round!

That being said, natural athletes who don’t aspire to have 3% body fat levels don’t tend to have the same flat chested look as their drug using counterparts, nor the thickly muscled pecs that many find a bit off putting. Due to the reduced body fat of the average elite athlete there is some reduction in breast sized as compared to the general population, as they diet down, but most of the size lost in their chest area comes back when they eat normally and reduce their levels of fat burning activity. The other factor that can cause breast size to change is obesity- in which case the breasts become larger as body fat increases past healthy levels. Some women who are overweight see this increase in breast size as a positive attribute and are reluctant to exercise or diet for fear of reducing their bust size. For someone who is overweight to trim down to a lean and toned body, there will always be some loss of breast size- from the loss of body fat. But keep in mind that weight training can help lift what remains and make you look better all round!

Related Articles: Women and Weight Training- Should Women Train Like Men For Best Results?

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

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Nuts Will Not Make You Gain Weight 

You can’t have your cake and eat it as the expression goes, but you can have nuts and not worry too much about weight gain even thought they are high in calories and fats! One of the most interesting observations that I have made over the years is that people are able to eat peanuts and tree nuts in significant quantities and still lose weight in spite of the significant amount of calories that come with every handful. Nuts of all kind (what we categorize as nuts are not actually nuts at all- almonds, walnuts and pecans are technically fruits, cashews are seeds as are candlenuts, pistachios and pine nuts, macadamias are kernels and peanuts are actually legumes) are high in many valuable nutrients and have tremendous health benefits. Many nuts are rich sources of vitamins E and vitamin B2, and are rich in high in protein, making them quite popular among those who choose to avoid or limit their meat intake. Nuts are also high in folate, fiber, and vital minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium. Nuts are also very high in fats namely essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic and most of the fats found in nuts are unsaturated and include monounsaturated fats which are extremely beneficial. Studies have found that people who consume nuts on a regular basis are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease¹ and that certain nuts such as almonds and walnuts can lower LDL cholesterol levels (the bad cholesterol)^2,3. In addition to their heart friendly benefits, nuts are also recommended foods for individuals with Type 2 diabetes thanks to their very low glycemic index. The problem is that because of their high caloric nature, many are afraid to add them to their diet for fear of gaining weight. Interestingly enough there are several studies that have validated what I have seen for several years now, namely that you can ingest a significant number of calories from nuts and not gain weight.

Studies On Nuts And Weight Gain

During a thirty week study of fifteen healthy normal weight adults at Perdue University participants added approximately 2000 kJ worth of peanuts to their regular diet for eight weeks and then for the next eight weeks peanuts replaced an equal amount of other fats in their diet. Researchers found that the subjects compensated for 66% of the energy provided by the nuts and body weight gain was far lower than expected with an average gain of only 3.6 kg. However when customary dietary fats were replaced with calories from peanuts body weight was maintained perfectly. Resting energy expenditure was increased by 11% after regular peanut consumption for 19 weeks and more importantly the high consumption of peanuts did not turn them off to its taste or lead them to consume other snack foods during the study. The study concluded that despite being high in calories, peanuts have a high satiety value and chronic ingestion evokes strong dietary compensation and little change in energy balance.⁴ Another study found similar findings with almonds. This study’s aim was to determine if adding 1440kJ (about 343 calories) of almonds in a daily diet would elicit positive energy balance and body composition change. For the duration of the 23 week study with twenty women there were no changes in bodyweight from daily almond consumption, but an inefficiency in absorption of energy from almonds was noted. The study concluded that a daily 340 calorie serving of almonds enough to brig about positive cardiovascular effects could be added to the diet with a limited risk of weight gain.⁵

Why Nuts Don’t Make Us Gain Weight

Why is it that nuts seem to defy the laws of thermodynamics that do not apply to other foods? We don’t exactly know why you can ingest more calories than the body needs to maintain an energy balance from nuts and still not gain weight but some data points to the fact that eating nuts increases the amount of energy our body expends and there seems to be evidence that our bodies do not absorb calories from nuts very efficiently. In either case these mechanisms seem to offset most of the calories ingested or the weight loss studies conducted all found that dietary compliance was improved when nuts were permitted. I personally include in all weight loss dietary recommendations for my clients for the health benefits and the fact that it does provide a welcome guilt free treat that actually helps you stay on your diet as well. Just be sure to get the unsalted variety!

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

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Being Skinny Doesn’t Mean Being Healthy

In today’s society, especially for women, being skinny is the ultimate goal of most people interested in weight loss.  The media not only bombards us with a constant barrage of ultra thin models to advertise everything from clothing to cars while medical experts continuously tout the reduction of risk of metabolic related disease by being thin. But the question remains, can you be on the larger side and still be in good health? The reality, outside of selling fat burning supplements diet pills, tummy tucks and liposuction is that getting fit is far more effective at reducing the markers for type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease than by just being thin. 

You Can Be Overweight And In Better Health Than Someone That Is In A Healthy Weight Range

According to a study conducted at the University of Exeter in the U.K., longevity and good health comes far more from your activity levels than by simply being thin. The study observed the health of four groups of adult males, those who were thin and in good physical condition, those who were thin and in poor physical condition, those who were overweight but in good physical condition and those who were overweight and in poor physical condition. What was important for the relevance of this study in the real world is that everyone in the fit groups were long term exercisers and not just a group of people put on an exercise program for the purpose of the study. Blood sampling revealed an interesting fact: that both groups that were in good physical condition had significantly higher hdl (good cholesterol) levels than the unfit groups. 

Visceral Abdominal Fat Levels Are Lower In Overweight People Who Exercise Regularly

What was also significant is that the visceral abdominal fat and liver fat, which have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (see my article on the dangers of visceral abdominal fat) was far lower in the overweight group of men in good shape than the overweight group of inactive men even though their body fat percentages were the about the same.  So although someone might be classified as being overweight because their Body Mass Index (BMI) is on the higher side and they have a higher body fat percentage as long as they consistently engage in intensive regular exercise it appears that they will not have a dangerous visceral fat distribution around their internal organs. At the end of the day a low fitness level is a far greater threat to your health even though you might be thin and svelte. 

The Biggest Predictor Of Mortality Is Fitness Levels Not BMI

Overweight but fit people are often healthier than their slimmer counterparts!

The study at Exeter University isn’t the only one that has come to these conclusions, a study here in the U.S. of 5,400 adults found that half of those classified as overweight and one third of those classified as obese according to BMI standards were found to be metabolically healthy. That means that they did not have any indicators that might suggest a predisposition to health problems. The study also found that a quarter of those that fell into the ‘healthy’ weight range had at least two risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A 12 year study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that looked at mortality rates among 2,600 adults aged 60 and over found that while death rates were highest among the very obese (those with a BMI of 35 or higher), fitness level was always the strongest predictor of mortality risk, not BMI. Those who scored the lowest on treadmill tests were four times more likely to die in the next 12 years than those who had high fitness levels. 

Regular Exercise Is Far More Important Than Simply Being Thin

The message is simple- looking good is great but the key to longevity and good health is regular exercise. Keep that in mind the next time you look in the mirror and don’t quite see the six pack you might want to see- by exercising regularly and watching what you eat you’ll live longer and be in better shape that someone who may be skinny but is inactive. Keep training! 

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

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