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Keeping the Weight From Creeping Up

Aired January 13, 2004 - 06:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We are 13 days into the new year. If losing weight is one of your new year's resolutions, now is the time to get started. But what if you're not really trying to lose weight, you just don't want to gain any more weight? Do you really need to exercise?
Our medical contributor, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, is here to talk about that -- and, you know, it does seem like the weight creeps up. You don't really notice you're gaining weight, so it is hard to keep it off.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it's not your imagination, Carol, either. We start to gain about a pound of fat each year once we hit the age of 55. And as a nation, we're wearing those extra pounds. Fifty-five percent of all Americans are either overweight or obese. So if losing weight is one of your new year's resolutions, the time to get started is right now.

COSTELLO: So, do you have to exercise to keep the weight off?

FRYHOFER: You have to exercise. A new study in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" looked at this. They looked at a group of overweight men and women and they told them not to diet, just to keep eating whatever they would normally eat, and they assigned them to several different exercise programs of varying levels of intensity, and after eight months, here's what they found.

The group that didn't exercise and didn't diet, because they were told not to, didn't lose weight. And, in fact, they gained two and a half pounds. The group that exercised, in fact, everyone who exercised was able to lose inches and the people that exercised walking briskly 30 minutes a day a total of 12 miles each week were able to maintain their weight and many of them were able to drop a few pounds.

But if you want to lose weight, you're going to have to do even more. People who jog 17 miles a week, on average, were able to drop eight pounds over that eight month period. And most of those pounds were fat pounds and, in fact, they gained lean muscle mass, which we know is good for your metabolism.

COSTELLO: You know, I'm trying to talk Chad into jogging. He refuses.

FRYHOFER: Let me get to him.

COSTELLO: Chad, I hope you're listening to Dr. Sandy this morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am.

COSTELLO: You are?

FRYHOFER: Good.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: So you're going to run the Army 10 miler with me?

MYERS: No. Running is bad for you. It wears out your heart.

FRYHOFER: You need to get the elliptical, and it's good for your heart, Chad.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

So, I did want to ask you this, how was that study different from previous studies?

FRYHOFER: Well, there are different recommendations about exercise. The CDC, the surgeon general, the American College of Sports Medicine has recommended about 30 minutes a day. About a year ago, the Institute of Medicine said 30 minutes is not enough. They recommended an hour a day and said that's what you needed to maintain your weight and keep it under control.

Well, the results of this study are a little more in line with what the CDC and the surgeon general are saying. But remember, exercise is great. You also need to diet to lose the weight. That will get you better results. And exercise is good for your heart, your blood pressure, your cholesterol. It makes you feel good and puts you in a good mood, Chad. That's why you need to do it.

COSTELLO: Exactly. I know he's listening.

Thank you, Dr. Sandy.

We appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 13, 2004 - 06:50   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We are 13 days into the new year. If losing weight is one of your new year's resolutions, now is the time to get started. But what if you're not really trying to lose weight, you just don't want to gain any more weight? Do you really need to exercise?
Our medical contributor, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, is here to talk about that -- and, you know, it does seem like the weight creeps up. You don't really notice you're gaining weight, so it is hard to keep it off.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it's not your imagination, Carol, either. We start to gain about a pound of fat each year once we hit the age of 55. And as a nation, we're wearing those extra pounds. Fifty-five percent of all Americans are either overweight or obese. So if losing weight is one of your new year's resolutions, the time to get started is right now.

COSTELLO: So, do you have to exercise to keep the weight off?

FRYHOFER: You have to exercise. A new study in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" looked at this. They looked at a group of overweight men and women and they told them not to diet, just to keep eating whatever they would normally eat, and they assigned them to several different exercise programs of varying levels of intensity, and after eight months, here's what they found.

The group that didn't exercise and didn't diet, because they were told not to, didn't lose weight. And, in fact, they gained two and a half pounds. The group that exercised, in fact, everyone who exercised was able to lose inches and the people that exercised walking briskly 30 minutes a day a total of 12 miles each week were able to maintain their weight and many of them were able to drop a few pounds.

But if you want to lose weight, you're going to have to do even more. People who jog 17 miles a week, on average, were able to drop eight pounds over that eight month period. And most of those pounds were fat pounds and, in fact, they gained lean muscle mass, which we know is good for your metabolism.

COSTELLO: You know, I'm trying to talk Chad into jogging. He refuses.

FRYHOFER: Let me get to him.

COSTELLO: Chad, I hope you're listening to Dr. Sandy this morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am.

COSTELLO: You are?

FRYHOFER: Good.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: So you're going to run the Army 10 miler with me?

MYERS: No. Running is bad for you. It wears out your heart.

FRYHOFER: You need to get the elliptical, and it's good for your heart, Chad.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

So, I did want to ask you this, how was that study different from previous studies?

FRYHOFER: Well, there are different recommendations about exercise. The CDC, the surgeon general, the American College of Sports Medicine has recommended about 30 minutes a day. About a year ago, the Institute of Medicine said 30 minutes is not enough. They recommended an hour a day and said that's what you needed to maintain your weight and keep it under control.

Well, the results of this study are a little more in line with what the CDC and the surgeon general are saying. But remember, exercise is great. You also need to diet to lose the weight. That will get you better results. And exercise is good for your heart, your blood pressure, your cholesterol. It makes you feel good and puts you in a good mood, Chad. That's why you need to do it.

COSTELLO: Exactly. I know he's listening.

Thank you, Dr. Sandy.

We appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com