OUTCOMES OF A 3-MONTH WEIGHT LOSS EXERCISE TRAINING IN OBESE MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN : WITH SPECIAL PEFERENCE TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WEIGHT LOSS AND MOOD STATUS

Abstract

Exercise-induced changes in body composition are dependent on various external factors. The psychological factor seems to be an important determinant for reducing body mass. However, the effect of changes in mood on weight loss have not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among mood status, body composition and anthropometric characteristics observed during an exercise training program. Thirty-four obese women, aged 46.5±7.7 years, participated in our 3-month weight loss program. Body mass and % fat significantly decreased from 66.3±7.1 kg to 59.8±6.5kg, and from 31.8±3.1% to 27.9±4.0% (P<0.05), respectively. Aerobic power, as represented by maximal oxygen uptake, significantly increased (from 29.1±5.0 mlin/kg to 34.6±5.2 mlin/kg), and oxygen uptake corresponding to lactate threshold increased as well (from 17.2±2.8mlin/kg to 20.0±3.0mlin/kg) after training (P<0.05) . Accord. ing to the degree of body mass change, the subjects were divided into the following two groups : good-responder group (Group G : -9.2±2.7 kg) and poor-responder group (Group P : -3.8±1.4 kg) . Analyses of variance revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in total mood disturbance between Group G (103.54±16.30) and Group P (115.20±21.17) . These results show the possibility of the effects of mood on the success of weight loss in obese middle-aged women.