Calorie-restricted low-fat diet and exercise in obese women

The effects of caloric restriction and exercise on body composition, resting metabolic rate (RMR), and maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O₂ max) were studied for 16 wk in 26 premenopausal obese women. Exercise (X) vs nonexercise (NX) was crossed with a low-fat, ad libitum-carbohydrate (AL) diet vs a restricted (R) (800 kcal) low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet in a 2 x 2 factorial design. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups. Body-weight and percent-fat losses were significant (p<0.05) in all groups but greater in subjects assigned to the R diet (p<0.05) and/or X (p<0.10) groups. Exercise increased (p<0.01) V̇₂ max but neither exercise nor diet influenced fat-free mass or RMR (kcal·m^-2·h^-1), both of which remained unchanged over time. A program similar to that followed by the ALX group is recommended for long-term weight control and overall health.