Eat less, exercise more. You’ve probably heard that’s the secret to weight loss. So, it makes sense that if you want to lose weight quickly, or if you’ve hit a weight-loss plateau, you need to really ramp up the exercise, right? Unfortunately, many people experience frustration with this approach. Why aren’t they successful? Research suggests that weight loss can be more complex than a simple “calories in/calories out” formula. In fact, our hormones play a larger role in regulating our metabolism than many people realize. As a result, maintaining a diet that encourages hormonal balance is often more effective than hours of exercise. Why Exercise Can’t Make Up for a Bad Diet Consider a woman training for a 5-K, like the Feaster Five . She runs from half an hour to an hour every day. With all of that exercise, she figures she should be losing weight and should be able to treat herself every so often. However, she’s plagued by some remaining pounds that she just can’t