A new study debunks the widely held belief that diet plus exercise is the most effective way to lose weight. Researchers report that dieting alone is just as effective as dieting plus exercise.

For weight loss to occur, an individual needs to maintain a difference between the number of calories they consume everyday and the number of calories they burn through metabolism and physical activity.

i'm sorry, but DUH ... it's always been said that in order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume ... you CAN do it by diet alone, but it's not as effective as exercise ... exercise will trim up muscles and get you into better cardiovascular and muscular health to protect you from many ailments later on down the road ... adding exercise only makes it easier to lose weight, and develop habits to help keep it off ...

A diet can only do so much... in order for you to lose weight on just a diet and not change the rest of your life style would mean you would have to eat less calories than the total number of calories you burn in a day. If you excerise just a few minutes each day, it will beat a diet hands down.

i wouldn't say beat it, but it will definitely make the process easier and quicker, and will get you into a healthier state ... you can lose the weight and therefore have an outer body in shape, through just diet ... but for a strong heart and muscular system, exercise is imperative ... besides, the more muscle mass you have, the more invisible calories you burn, meaning as i just sit here, i, being one who exercises often and is toned with good muscle mass, will burn more calories than Joe Schmoe who looks as thin as i am, but did so through solely diet ... it makes it easier to maintain the weight you desire to be at ...

True, True. Diet is a good thing, but exercising is a better thing, IMO. With a diet many people have a hard time, they are so use to eating the foods they have for so long that they can't keep with the diet. But I agree, if they are able to keep with the diet, then they will lose weight a lot faster.