Why Bother Dieting When You Can Strenuously Think About Exercise?

In theory, exercise complements a healthful diet. In practice, some people use a token amount of exercise as a get-out-of-dieting-free card—with predictable consequences for their weight.

A new Gallup poll finds a majority of adults saying they’d like to lose weight, whether a little (38 percent of respondents) or a lot (18 percent). The catch is, the wish to slim down is increasingly detached from real efforts to make that happen. If the only way to lose weight were to eat a lot less food, it would be difficult for non-dieters to fool themselves into thinking they’re making an effective effort at it.