By Olivia Mackinder and Shannon Kilgore, contributors, MSN Lifestyle

Does exercise really help you to lose weight?

The entire fitness industry hangs on the premise that exercise and weight loss go hand in hand. But there is a growing body of research that says that exercise won’t make you thinner – just fitter. Two writers share very different views

"When it comes to losing weight, there’s one simple question we should ask – and don’t. It’s so simple that it often gets dismissed in favour of unsustainably terrifying exercise regimes (no really, it’s a good burn), complicated meal plans or the distinctly smug, no-fun approach of eating nothing but cabbage soup. (Sorry, I can’t possibly socialise, but I feel soooo amazing!) Of course, there’s exercise and there’s exercise... "The question is this: how does the amount of exercise you do compare to the amount of food you eat? If you work off more than you eat, you will lose weight. Unless there’s a medical reason why not. It may be dull, but I think that just about covers it.

Olivia Mackinder is a writer, life coach and lover of wide-open spaces.

"Working out, hitting the gym, getting our sweat on – however you describe it, exercise is good for us and helps to lose weight, right? Not necessarily. And don’t just take my word for it. Sure, we should all do our best to follow government guidelines and aim to work out for 30 minutes a day five times a week (at least), but don’t be fooled into thinking that exercise is the answer to all your weight-loss problems.

"Diet and fitness experts agree that your exercise regime is worth nada if you aren’t eating well".

"For one thing, most of us aren’t doing it right. That gentle plod around the running track is doing very little for your waistline. Intensity is the key, and in fact a very short, high-impact session that lasts as little as 15 minutes will do more for your metabolic rate (and subsequently how you look in a bikini) than an hour doing boring, slow cardio. I’d be wise to remember that myself…

"And anyway, all diet and fitness experts agree that your exercise regime is worth nada if you aren’t eating well. Trainer and fat-loss expert Gavin Walsh has repeatedly told me that the balance is about 70/30, in favour of diet. So unless you clean up your shopping trolley, those skinny jeans will become a permanent fixture at the back of the closet.

"It also doesn’t help that many of us use exercise as an excuse to stuff our faces with an extra-large pizza as a reward for sweating it out in the gym. A recent University of Washington study claims that regular exercise has actually led to many Americans piling on pounds, rather than losing them, for this very reason. Again, something I’d be wise to take note of myself.

"As my old gym teacher used to say, it’s not practice makes perfect, it’s perfect practice makes perfect. And there’s a lesson in there for all of us. Thanks Teach."