Is Exercise the Best Way to Lose Weight? Have You Been Fooled?

Spend an hour on the treadmill, burn a few hundred calories, then undo it all with a single muffin. If you have ever felt like exercise alone never moves the scale, you are not imagining it.

Exercise is powerful — just not for this

Movement is one of the best things you can do for your heart, mood, muscles and longevity. But as a weight-loss tool it is surprisingly weak, because it is far easier to eat calories than to burn them. Weight is lost primarily in the kitchen.

Let each tool do its job

Use nutrition to create a modest calorie deficit, and use exercise to stay strong, protect muscle and feel good while you do it. Together they work; alone, exercise usually disappoints. Knowing the difference is what finally makes progress stick.