More Exercise Doesn’t Always Mean Losing Weight

New research suggests there's a limit to how many calories you burn by being more active.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
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Americans spend $27 billion a year on gym memberships. They spend that money because they believe exercise is the key to losing weight—and fitness companies happily promote this narrative. It's a message the food industry pushes as well: Coca-Cola funded scientists who blamed weight gain on too little exercise rather than on too many calories.

But a growing body of research suggests that Americans trying to lose weight won't get the results they desire by slogging through extra miles on the treadmill—they'll need to cut calories to do it.