Exercise-Induced Weight Loss Spares Muscle Mass
People who lose large amounts of weight through dieting alone usually look emaciated and unhealthy. The body feeds on its own tissues during starvation. People who follow extremely low-calorie diets will lose almost as much muscle weight as fat weight.
Guess what? They can lose the same amount of weight by exercising and end up more fit and toned.
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported that people who lost weight through diet alone for 12 months experienced large decreases in muscle mass, strength and exercise capacity.
In contrast, another group that followed a yearlong exercise program without dieting lost the same amount of weight, but maintained muscle mass. They also increased aerobic capacity by nearly 30 percent.
At 12 months, people lose the same amount of weight dieting or exercising. However, dieting decreases physical fitness while exercise increases it. [sources: Journal of Applied Physiology, Fitness RX]
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