Obesity: Is Diet or Activity More Important?

Recent studies almost appear designed to create confusion about which is the main cause of becoming overweight -- the amount of food we consume, or the amount of exercise we get. This confusion was magnified by a recent, headline-grabbing study which concluded (based on fancy mathematical modeling) that it's the food we eat - and not reduced activity - that is responsible for the "obesity epidemic" being experienced by Americans.

But on the other hand, other recent studies say that increasing our activity levels is indeed important in achieving and maintaining weight loss.

So which is it, diet or activity?

This article attempts to make sense of all the data, and to give some practical advice on whether we ought to concentrate on diet or exercise when we're attempting to lose weight.