Don't forget that a pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat. Someone who is muscular and weighs 140 will wear a smaller size than someone the same height who is flabby and weighs 140, everything else being equal.

When I started running I was 140 and in a UK size 10 (about a US 6). Three months later I had only lost 3 lb but had dropped an entire dress size and was comfortably in an 8.

You can lose fat without losing weight.

But absolutely, the best way to lose fat is to exercise AND eat less.

This is not news to me.

You can't possibly out exercise overeating. There's only so many calories exercise can burn. And calories? They add up fast!

You must always be mindful of the calories that are going IN to your body.

Exercise helps create a bit more of calorie deficit, but not much. If I'm exercising, but not adhering to a calorie budget, I will definitely gain weight.

If I miss a workout or two or even three, I don't gain weight. BUT if I eat one off meal, I WILL gain weight. There you have it.

Most important. Calories. Coming. In.

I agree with everybody else, I have been exercising for many years but until I changed my diet I did not lose any significant weight.

However I have to say that when you are very close to your goal weight or you are very low in the scale you really need to exercise to get the body that you want and you have to do especially weight training or you can end up as a skinny fat person.

So, for me, losing weight = change your diet; getting the body you want = exercise (including some weight training).

Wow, this was all reassuring (even though the article basically said what everyone is also saying). I have begun training for a 5k and its going really great. In just a couple weeks, I went from barely being able to run 2-3 minutes to being able to run over a mile without even feeling winded. I have also gained weight.

I had checked out a few running books from the library and it seemed many runners said "I run because I love to eat!" I wouldn't say I ate whatever I wanted but I kept myself in check without really monitoring too closely. I was just hoping that naturally through training my weight would come off and I would crave healthier foods.

I can see that now and in the past, I expected weight loss from exercise alone. I was excited that since running was clicking with me, that this was my answer to weight loss. I've always had difficulty being diligent with my diet AND exercise at the same time -- it's usually one or the other. It makes sense that I've had weight issues my whole life, even though I was doing many healthy things, like exercising.

:-)......this article just confirms my experience. I have been working out faithfully (minimum 4 times a week) for almost 4 years, without paying attention to my diet. Guess what...I gained 37 lbs. I was so confused as to why I was gaining weight and I was working out so much.

It was not until May when I went to see a nutritionist that 'I saw the light'. Weight loss really works out to being 80% diet, 20% exercise.

I agree with everyone, too.

There are a lot of benefits to exercise that aren't just about burning calories. I find it helps keep my moods more level, which means I feel more happy/normal and less likely to emtionally eat. As I see muscles develop, I gain more confidence to continue on with eating right to lose weight.

I also read some articles once about how thin people can be fat. There is fat under your skin like you see in overweight people, but then there can also be fat around your organs from unhealthy eating/not exercising. Everything I read said the WORST fat is that deposited around your organs. Exercise is great for minimizing that fat.

I have to say that many times if I have a great exercise session-that I have to watch myslf at mealtime. I will say, "I can have an extra piece of this or add a dollop of that because I exercised so hard!" In the long run, I will sabatoge my days exercise by eating too many calories. With that aside, exercising definitely helps me out in too many other things to just diet alone. I sleep better, I think clearer, and I am able to manage stress better.

For ME, exercise is what makes my weight loss plan successful, as I just can't create enough of a calorie deficit without it. But I'm a big numbers geek who calorie counts so I know not to eat back those workout calories (or even more).

I agree that it's diet AND exercise that makes the best weight loss combination, but I know *my body* and it seems to be the opposite of most people! - My body will not lose weight with diet alone. Is just won't. My body responds to exercise. Throughout my yo-yo dieting life (25+years!) I have dieted/exercised and felt great... until an injury or illness sidelined me, and then I'd start gaining weight.

I've tried dieting alone, and it just doesn't work for me. So I maintain that exercise IS VERY IMPORTANT in my weight loss efforts.

That is exactly what I was going to say. I just re-started my journey in the end of July after I got injured from working out too much. Someone in a different thread told me that exact line and it has stuck with me ever since. I applied the strategies and in August I lost 14 lbs just from diet alone. No exercise except the occasional walk with my dog. I believe exercise is an important role in weight loss but not a total means of achieving it.

My only hope is that people who read all this don't think, "Oh, now I can cancel my gym membership." Exercise is very important...it just doesn't make the top priority for the weight loss ticket.

Weight loss = 20% exercise and 80% diet does seem to be accurate for many of us, me included.

But exercise...I wouldn't give it up for the world! I have so much more energy, my BP has gone down, no GERD, normal blood sugar, ridiculously low HR (46). All of that is priceless in my life. Because of exercise, I was fit at 200 pounds! Without exercise, I was just fat and my body stats were poor.

I just know too many people who eat horribly and don't understand why spending hours at the gym isn't taking off any weight.

I'm not sure I agree with this. For me, working out four days a week has made a tremendous difference. I've lost 29 lbs without cutting back all that much. I still eat carbs at one meal but try to avoid them for the other two meals. I have lost 4 inches in my waist, my muscles look shapely (yes even with the fat over them), my arms have toned up. I realize that I'll have to cut down more as time goes on, but for now this is working, I'm happy and feel great. During times when I was only dieting I felt terrible most of the time. Yes I could have lost weight quicker by eating less, but I don't want to lose too fast, I want to give my skin more time to shrink. Maybe my head is in the clouds about that aspect, but so far things look tight. I know if I truly lose all the weight I need to I'll have flapping skin of course cause I'm old and it's been stretched out too long, but I believe the muscles are taking some of the slack up.

There is also the matter of more muscle burning up more calories even when you are sitting around doing nothing, so that's a win situation right there.

I guess I could see where people might stop exercising once they find out it's not making them lose weight -- but I still feel dedicated to exercise for health reasons. Exercise is prescribed as treatment for depression/mood problems, sleep problems, cardiovascular health, etc. It's so going to give you a more defined body and I believe tighter skin (though don't quote me on that).

But what I'm taking away from this article is that trying to undo overeating by doing extra exercise probably isn't accomplishing much. I really need to avoid overeating. So many times I have extra this or extra that and think -- I'll just go for a really long run. Instead, I need to be telling myself... if I eat this, it can't be undone.

Maybe when I am maintaining, extra exercise will help. But to create a calorie deficit, it doesn't seem to be canceling out food splurges. I wish I had realized this a long time ago!

I can only speak for myself, but without exercise I won't have made it as far as I have. Not only have I achieved the benefits of exercise physically, but what you get from it mentally, is worth the effort it takes.
What makes me a little nervous about this article is that so many factors seemed left untouched. Stress plays an important part in how our body reacts to food, excercise has been proven to release several hormones in the body that ease the mind of stress. The less stressed you are, the less likely you are to binge eat. The article doesn't say exactly what kind of exercise they were doing? What I've learned is that just like your diet, exercise also has to be well-rounded and must include cardio, strength training, toning, and yoga.
Also what kind of food are the subjects eating? A lot of processed, high sodium food? Did they eat high frutose corn syrup like it was water?
I know what has worked for me and I know what a difference it has made in my life but then again...I'm no scientist.