Regular exercise key to maintaining ideal weight

University of Kansas professor Joseph E. Donnelly studies how people lose weight and maintain their weight loss.

The best way to maintain weight loss is to exercise, Donnelly said, adding, "There is nothing that is even a close second." His research suggests a target goal of burning 2,000 calories a week, which equals about five hours of exercise a week. (2000 calories is approximately 40 miles of bicycle riding.)

Donnelly also suggests eating 35 servings of fruits and vegetables per week. Eating 35 servings of fruits and vegetables a week, as federal guidelines suggest, gives a person a lot of nutrition without a lot of calories, Donnelly said. "You get to feel full, and you get to chew," he said.

Craig Weinaug, a participant Donnelly's study, started riding a bicycle to work, a jaunt of almost six miles. On weekends, he often adds 125 to 200 miles on his bike.

"They encourage you to find something that you can adopt as a permanent thing that you like to do," said Weinaug, 50. "I ride unless there is ice on the ground or it's raining."

Read the entire story on the Kansas City Star's web site.