Physical fitness: 3 reasons why exercise can lead to lasting weight control

Regular exercise can help set yourself up for weight loss success. It can boost metabolism and lead to improvements in physical fitness. It can reduce stress which can help reduce belly fat. Exercise and stress reduction can help control hunger hormones; in turn, this can help prevent constant hunger and stop overeating. Taken together, exercise-associated health benefits can lead to lasting weight control.

Exercise is not the best method for rapid weight loss. Instead, following a strict diet can help you lose weight quickly.

However, dieting is not the best solution for lasting weight control. Dieting leads to feelings of deprivation and most people can't stick to a strict diet long term. 

What's even worse is that dieting usually doesn’t lead to lasting weight loss -- especially when it involves starvation -- because it slows down metabolism. Another negative effect of dieting is not having enough energy for physical activity. Inactivity further leads to even slower metabolism and slower weight loss.