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While the fundamental principle of weight loss involves consuming fewer calories than expended, exercise often has only modest effects on initial weight reduction. Exercise can stimulate appetite, lead to subconscious reductions in other daily movements, and trigger metabolic adaptation, where the body becomes more efficient at burning calories. Despite its limited impact on initial weight loss, exercise is crucial for maintaining weight loss and provides significant health benefits, including improved cholesterol, blood sugar control, and insulin sensitivity. Physical activity aids in sustaining weight loss by offsetting reduced resting energy expenditure, preserving muscle mass (particularly through resistance training), improving fat-burning efficiency, and enhancing insulin sensitivity. Beyond weight management, regular exercise offers numerous indirect benefits such as better sleep, improved mood, reduced stress, and regulated appetite, contributing to overall physical and mental well-being.
