This short introduction includes a brief description of papers that were prepared following the "Symposium on Exercise--Diet and Energy Balance", which was presented at the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology annual meeting in the autumn of 2005. Briefly, these three papers discuss findings related to (i) the emerging role of exercise in the treatment of obesity and its co-morbidities, (ii) the role of novel proteins secreted by fat, and (iii) the control of appetite and food intake after successful weight loss.