Weight Loss Harder For Some?

It has long been suspected that losing weight is physiologically harder for some folk than for others. This view is now supported by a study on data obtained from more than 1700 adults (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/27/losing-weight-through-exercise-may-be-harder-for-obese-people-research-says). Weight loss occurs (forget trendy diets!), when the calories taken into the body, after food intake, are exceeded by those burned in total energy expenditure. Total energy expenditure was assumed to be a simple sum of the energy used in exercise and that needed by the body for its basic metabolism. The study suggests, however, that estimates of total daily expenditure are lower than this sum. Increasing levels of activity by exercising more, seems to result in the body conserving baseline energy. This energy, expended on general metabolism, is limited, over a much longer period than the time taken to exercise. For people with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI), 72% of the calories used in exercise are reflected in their total energy expenditure. This figure is, however, only 50% for obese people (those with the highest BMIs). Consequently, even if their food intake is the same, obese people will get less benefit from taking the same amount of exercise. This slows down weight loss and can be very demotivating!