If its 80% diet and 20% exercise to lose weight...

Sooo.....does working out extra hard to burn a big piece of cake work? I don't think many people understood my post...

Working out burns calories, of course. So if you have a bit of a binge or a treat and then an extra hard workout after, yes, you'll offset some of the damage. However, it's not like your body will target that piece of cake specifically. It'll pull energy from anything you've eaten recently as well as the fat/muscle reserves you have.

However, I know for me, it's not all that realistic to rely on working out hard as a sustainable weight loss method. If for a week I ate 3000 calories every day but to lose a pound a week I should be eating 1500, I'm not likely to have the time or energy to work off 1500 calories every day to make up for the over eating.

But exercise is only going to do you good, and it also helps to burn a few extra calories, no matter the reason. When I know I'm going to go over my calories (going out to dinner, a party, lots of drinks, etc.), I'll workout harder and cut calories a bit the day before and after. I never really make up for the full deficit, but it does help!