Exercise may keep the pounds from creeping back after a successful diet, according to a new study at the University of Alabama Birmingham.
 

Previous research found that dieters typically burn fewer calories daily once they reach their weight goal, which sets them up for weight gain in the future. Other studies had shown that beginning an exercise program after dieting could help maintain weight loss, but scientists didn't understand why, or which types of exercise would be best at preventing rebound pounds.
 

The study, which is published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Medicine, examined the effects of exercise programs undertaken just after dieters had reached their weight goal.
 

According to the New York Times, 100 overweight, sedentary women agreed to adhere to a strict diet of only 800 calories a day, and to undergo tests to determine their body composition, metabolism, and how much they moved each day. A third of them were asked not to exercise, while another third began an aerobic exercise program consisting of 40 minutes of walking or jogging three times a week. The third group underwent a supervised program of upper and lower body weight training three days a week.
 

The women stayed on their diets until they had lost 25 pounds, then moved to a diet program designed to maintain their current weight.
 

The researchers found that women who didn't exercise while dieting didn't move much during an ordinary day, and overall, their metabolic rates dropped and they burned fewer calories each day than before they lost weight. The metabolism of the women who exercised also dropped, but the calories they burned during an ordinary day only slightly declined, meaning they walked, stood, and fidgeted as much as before their weight loss.
 

Over all, the study suggests that after weight loss, exercise — especially weight training — encourages people to move more throughout the day, causing them to burn more calories, said lead author Gary R. Hunter. If they control their calorie intake, they should be able to avoid regaining their lost weight.
 

To read the entire New York Times article, go here.