Dieting Along Will Not Change Your Weight Permanently

According to Daily Mail, “Dieting without exercise 'will NOT help you lose weight."

It said scientists believe that this may be because of “a natural compensatory mechanism that reduces a person's physical activity in response to a reduction in calories”.
This research was carried out in 18 female monkeys fed a high-fat diet for several years. They were then switched to a low-fat diet, reducing calorie intake by about 30% in the first month and 60% in the second. The monkeys did not lose a significant amount of weight in the first month, apparently because they reduced their activity levels.

Contrary to the newspaper report, they did lose weight in the second month, even though they did even less physical activity. Another three female monkeys on a normal diet, but exercised on a treadmill, lost a similar proportion of their body weight to the monkeys on the calorie-restricted diet.

This study has several limitations, which increase the likelihood that differences between the groups other than diet and exercise influenced the results. Simply put, weight loss occurs when a person burns more calories than they consume. This can be achieved by either reducing calorie intake, increased physical activity or a combination of the two.