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Unstrap those ankle weights and put down those barbells -- it's time to revel in couch-potato splendor. A new study suggests that exercise might not help you lose that much weight after all.

The study compared the weight and physical output of a group of women from Chicago to one from rural Nigeria. The Americans weighed an average of 57 pounds more than their African counterparts, but burned almost the same number of calories each day.

The scientists concluded that, in all likelihood, diet was the culprit for the Chicagoans' extra pounds. The Nigerian women tended to eat to eat high-fiber, low-calorie foods rather than, say, deep-dish pizza.

Study chair Dr. Richard Cooper lamented, "We would love to say that physical activity has a positive effect on weight control, but that does not appear to be the case." (Ha! We bet.) Additionally, researchers believe that women who work out more may feel they have carte blanche to eat whatever the heck they want, even though it takes more than an hour on the treadmill to burn off two Pop Tarts.

That certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise, as building muscle has been proven to help burn extra calories and significantly contribute to cardiovascular and overall health. So while the health benefits of exercise always make it a good idea, if you're trying to lose weight, maybe adopting a healthy diet should be step one.

In the meantime, we can glibly stoke our swollen bellies in front of our gym-rat friends, proud of the fact that it's not our aversion to 6 a.m. yoga that makes us jiggly.