Comment by alistairSH

I can definitely see how that works. I'm a cyclist and often ride 60-100 miles on a weekend day, plus 3 days pf 20-30 miles during the week. That should be a lot of extra calories. But, after those long rides, I usually need a nap and don't do much else (maybe grocery shopping, but definitely not woodworking or other serious projects).

That said, at the peak of my training (12 hours/week), I can definitely consume more calories without putting on weight. Like, a giant bowl of ice cream most nights. But, if I continue that diet during recovery periods, I'll put on a few pounds. So, it's not that exercise has zero impact, but possibly quite a bit smaller an impact that one might assume.