Eight research studies from a team of health and fitness experts at
Baylor University found that sedentary and overweight women who followed the Curves program were able to significantly raise their resting energy expenditure (REE, also known as metabolic rate), in some cases by as much as 400 kcals/day. The Curves program may help redefine how women diet, lose weight and maintain weight loss, thereby reducing the need for perpetual dieting.
The series of studies were presented by Richard B. Kreider, Ph.D., FACSM, Professor and Chair of the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at Baylor University to nutrition experts attending the Experimental Biology 2004 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Kreider said, “We set out to scientifically test and evaluate the theories of the Curves program. We found it to be highly effective in promoting weight loss with no adverse side effects, especially among participants who followed the high protein / low carb / low fat diet.” Kreider attributed the success of the program to the “impressive increase in REE achieved by participants.”
“Following 10 weeks of dieting and exercising to lose weight and raise their metabolic rate, study participants were able to eat as much as 2600 calories a day and maintain their weight loss during the maintenance phase. These women also lost fat, increased the proportion of muscle to body weight, gained strength, and made medically significant improvements in blood pressure, resting heart rate and aerobic fitness,” Kreider said.
Gary Heavin, founder and CEO of Curves International, commented, “With a conventional diet, typically 50 percent of weight loss is in the form of metabolically active muscle, which decreases REE and makes it even easier to regain weight while eating fewer calories. But the combination of strength training and a high protein / low carb / low fat diet actually increases REE and protects muscle, which leads to the burning of fat stores and the ability to eat a healthy amount of food.” Heavin holds a degree in Health and Nutrition Counseling and is the author of The New York Times Best-Sellers Curves: Permanent Results Without Permanent Dieting and Curves On the Go.
Kreider said, “The test group following the Curves plan lost an average of two inches from their hips and three inches from their waists, while showing a 20- to-30-percent improvement in strength and a 15 percent increase in aerobic capacity. Their blood cholesterol, resting heart rate, and resting blood pressure also improved, reducing their odds against cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of women in the United States.