Abstract

The aim of this study is to establish the changes in body composition in young obese people after modifying their lifestyle by applying individualized training programmes and nutrition counselling. The study was made on a group of 72 students (21.2±3.58 years) from our university, with BMI over 30kg/sqm (31.63±7.05kg/m2); the study group participates in nutrition counseling sessions and to individualized training programmes for 12 months; the assessment protocol was composed of: somatometry, body composition analysis (with an bioimpedancy device – InBody720), analysis of the glicemic and lipidic profiles, ergospirometric analysis, life quality and cardio-metabolic risk assessments; the subject are evaluated on a quarterly basis. The training schedule was based and individualized with ergospirometric analysis, so that the heart rate intervals demanded in required physical activities were those in which lipids are predominantly consumed; the diet was based on a hypocaloric and hypolipidic regime and was individualized too. After 12 months, body compostion analysis revealed that the parameters involved in the development of cardio-metabolic complications of obesity were significantly changed, so there have been important improvements in body mass index, the percentage of body fat. These values were highly correlated with lipid and glucose levels, blood pressure values and the quality of life taken of study subjects. In conclusion, we reached the final goal of our study - reduction and maintenance of the selected subjects’ body weight and composition at levels closer to the optimum, the diminution of cardio-metabolic risk, the improvement of the eating habits and physical activity related behaviour with an important impact on their quality of life.