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If you are really motivated to lose weight through exercise, aerobic training is likely your best bet. Researchers at Duke University looked at whether supervised aerobic exercise, resistance (strength training with weights), or a daily routine incorporating both would lead to the most weight loss. They divided a group of 234 overweight or obese adults into one of three training groups: The first group performed aerobics only (workouts on treadmills, elliptical machines and cycle ergometers – a type of stationary bike), the second group participated in resistance workouts, and the remaining group exercised using a combination of both. A total of 119 participants completed the study. Results showed that those in the aerobic group trained for an average of 133 minutes per week and lost weight; the resistance training group worked out for approximately 180 minutes per week and gained weight (they replaced fat with muscle, which is denser than fat). Participants who did both types of exercise didn’t lose as much weight as those in the aerobic group but had the largest decline in waist circumference. The study was published in the December 15, 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.