You may be aware that regularly exercising burns calories and makes you lose weight, but do you know that it can also help you commit to a healthy diet?
That’s according to a 2020 study led by Drexel University researchers, who found that working out makes it easier to stick to a calorie-restricted diet by helping prevent overeating.
The researchers aimed to determine how exercise affected people’s commitment to diets designed for weight loss. To that end, they instructed 130 overweight or obese adults to adopt a calorie-restricted diet and regularly engage in light to vigorous exercises.
The researchers found that engaging in physical activity for an hour cut the odds of overeating in the succeeding hours from 12 to five percent, with longer workouts causing bigger decreases.
“Interestingly, our study suggests that exercise may also aid in adhering to a reduced-calorie diet,” said lead author Rebecca Crochiere, “perhaps through improved regulation of appetite or eating behavior.”
The results of the study also suggested that lighter physical activity was more strongly associated with decreased odds of overeating compared to vigorous activity. However, the researchers noted that more studies are needed to confirm this finding, as it might be based more on the individual study participant than the intensity of the workout.
In any case, knowing that working out can help prevent overeating may also be useful if you’re following a different diet, such as intermittent fasting. Many people on an intermittent fast tend to overeat when not fasting, so the finding may also apply.
This is the not first study to show that regular exercise helps you adhere to a healthy diet. A 2011 study also found that exercising for four or more days a week was associated with eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day in the following week.
Staying committed to a healthy diet isn’t easy regardless of whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle or keep your weight off. Try the following diet maintenance tips to stick to your diet:
There are many ways to stick to a healthy diet in order to stay on track of your fitness goals. Exercising regularly, meal planning and keeping a food diary are just among the strategies you can employ to boost your willpower.
Sources: