Great point, and one that is not discussed enough (or even researched enough). There is a link between healthy, active lifestyles and diet which all too often are ignored, and people either focus entirely on diet, or entirely on exercise as a lead-in for health. But I can tell you this, when I am in full cycling season, I crave fresh fruits, salads, and foods that make my body feel better.

However, when I was more sedentary, you begin to crave foods that are more mentally rewarding (i.e. – foods loaded with salt, sugars etc…) which increase serotonin in the brain.

Since an active lifestyle seems to drive a subconscious change in diet, I do wonder whether the additional serotonin benefit from exercise results in the body reducing the need for that jolt to come from food (or an even more complex theory would be that the body, recognizing that exercise is giving it the serotonin boost, then craves foods which will continue to fuel the exercise).

Or – it could be that most people who exercise wear body hugging clothing, and we naturally want to look better in lycra. Kind of the whole nurse/stripper comparison. When you get to wear scrubs all day long, you will naturally eat more since you do not pay a physical or mental image issue if you gain a few. But a stripper – one extra pound is a serious issue.