Yup, it's true. You can lie on the couch all day long, graze on snacks and still lose weight. That's right — no exercise required.
That's if you believe research recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Thing is, you'll have to reduce the calories you consume to lose that weight. And the less active you are, the more calories you'll have to cut.
The study found that when it comes to body composition and fat distribution, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Doesn't matter if you take in fewer, burn more or some combination of the two. Dieting alone is just as effective at reducing weight and fat as a combination of diet and exercise — if the calories consumed and burned equal out.
Oh and don't bother doing specific exercises to target fat in certain parts of your body, either. Study says that doesn't work. You may get very good at doing sit-ups, for instance, but if you're taking in more calories than you're burning, those rock hard abs will still be covered by a layer of fat, if that's where it tends to gather on your body.
Answered by
poonam
, an ibibo Specialist,
at
12:30 AM on March 01, 2008