The Study
Perception of exercise difficulty predicts weight regain in formerly overweight women
This study found that women who felt like exercise was harder during a test were more likely to gain weight back later, but it didn't make them do anything differently — it just watched what happened. So we can't say feeling exercise is hard causes weight gain, just that the two things often happened together.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
After losing weight, some women feel that even easy walking is really hard — and those who feel this way are more likely to gain the weight back.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 542 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — feeling exercise is too hard may lead to less physical activity, making it harder to keep weight off, even if the body isn't working harder physiologically.
- 2Women who felt their walk was harder (higher RPE) gained about 1 extra kg for every 0.5-point increase on the effort scale over one year.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
Year
2009
Authors
David W. Brock, Paula C. Chandler-Laney, J. Alvarez, Barbara A Gower, Glenn A Gaesser, G. Hunter
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who start exercising after losing weight are less likely to regain the weight, even if they do not continue to lose fat.
Among women who lost weight and reached a normal weight, those who felt their treadmill walk was more difficult regained more weight over the next year, even when their heart rate, breathing, and energy use were similar to others.
In formerly overweight women, how hard exercise feels during submaximal aerobic activity is a stronger predictor of future weight regain than measurable physiological responses such as heart rate or breathing patterns.
When formerly overweight women walk slowly, how hard they feel the walk is does not match their heart rate, breathing, or oxygen use, meaning their perception of effort comes from mental or psychological factors, not physical signals.
Women who take longer to lose weight and reach a normal BMI are more likely to regain the weight later.
Formerly overweight women who find submaximal aerobic exercise difficult tend to be less physically active in their daily lives over the next year.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.