Although research suggests that exercise is not strongly associated with weight loss initiation, exercise has been shown to be a strong correlate of successful weight loss maintenance. It is unclear, however, whether people who lose weight using exercise as a behavior change strategy are better able to adopt and maintain the high levels of activity that appear to be necessary for successful maintenance.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this analysis was to describe the characteristics of people who successfully lost weight using exercise compared to those who did not use exercise.
METHODS: Four hundred and nineteen adults who intentionally lost at least 10% of their body weight in the past year were recruited for the Keep It Off study, a randomized controlled trial of a phone-based intervention to promote long term weight loss maintenance (mean age = 47.0 ± 10.8 yrs, 81.6% female, mean BMI = 28.4 ± 5.0). Baseline data presented here include: measured height and weight, physical activity (PA) level derived from the Paffenbarger questionnaire, weight-loss method(s), social support for PA, television time, and PA self-concept. Participants were categorized as exercise-focused (EF) or non-exercise focused (NEF) based on their reported weight-loss method.
RESULTS: Of the 419 participants, 67% (n=282) reported using exercise as one of their weight loss strategies. Weight loss method was not significantly related to BMI after weight loss, percent of weight lost, gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, or income. The EF group was younger (p < 0.05) and more likely to be employed (p < 0.05) than the NEF group. The EF group reported significantly more support for PA from friends than the NEF group (p < 0.05). The EF group exhibited a significantly higher overall level of PA (p < 0.05), and higher PA self-concept (p < 0.05) when compared to the NEF group. The EF group also reported watching more television on weekend days (p < 0.05), but not weekdays.
CONCLUSIONS: Participants who reported using exercise to lose weight versus those who did not appear to be different on several dimensions, including reports of significantly higher levels of PA, social support for PA from friends, and PA self-concept. Future analyses will examine whether the EF and NEF groups differ with respect to successful long term maintenance.