This. I have started exercising a lot (6 times a week, with a trainer) and I have only gained weight (both muscles and fat). Turns out there is a consensus tha

This. I have started exercising a lot (6 times a week, with a trainer) and I have only gained weight (both muscles and fat). Turns out there is a consensus that exercise is the best thing you can do for yourself. It will do wonder on many aspects, but it won't make you thinner. Eating less will. A couple of years earlier, I did some small changes to my alimentation : - always have an healthy breakfast (instead of just drinking a coffee). I generally cook some muesli. It is delicious and I can use one batch for almost a week. - control the quantities I eat. I was brought up to always finish my plate. It is polite and in theory it avoids waste. But in practice I have been eating too much just in order to finish some arbitrary plates (I was buying lunch around work these days, no control over the portions). I decided to just stop eating once I had enough. With these 2 small changes, I lost 15 kgs (from 84 to 69 kgs for 1.90m). Now that I work out, I am back at 77 kgs, but a way healthier one (and there is still some progress to be made, both in building muscle and losing fat). The whole "exercise so you can continue to drink coke, have burgers, etc" sounds a lot like companies wanting you to do everything but what would hurt their bottom margins.