http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html
This article (see link above) does a good job of highlighting the fact that exercise, by itself, is not very good at promoting weight loss. Exercise is typically portrayed as a major promoter of weight loss. However, the weight of the evidence does not support this assertion. Without strict dietary control, exercise by itself, at amounts most people can do, does not produce much weight loss. This is what we present in our book (S.P.E.E.D.-The only weight loss book worth reading).
There are other benefits to exercise and the author, John Cloud, of the article does acknowledge this. He states: “Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reason: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases – those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses.” We agree.
There is one main problem with the article and that is the information on exercise and hunger. The author discusses the subject in a way that leaves you with the idea that exercise ALWAYS increases hunger. It does seem to do this with him, but this is just one person’s experience. This type of anecdotal evidence is relatively worthless. The majority of the published evidence supports the view that exercise typically does not stimulate appetite. But, for some it can increase appetite. Much of the debate is whether the calories burned from exercise will be compensated for by an increase in food consumption; can we maintain the deficit? You can if you can stick to your diet plan and if you have addressed the psychological and social aspects that affect hunger and overall food consumption. These latter variables are very important and that is why we included them in our book; S.P.E.E.D.- The Only Weight Loss Book Worth Reading.