**1. Introduction**

Obesity is a public health problem, given it relates numerous risk factors for cardiovascular disease and comorbidities [1]; this points out the need for further studies. It is known that healthy habits of physical activity and nutrition work together to maintain body weight at desirable levels [2]. Although diet contributes to a greater extent for short-term weight loss [3], exercise seems to be important in maintaining this loss [4]. Thus, exercise might also facilitate long-term adherence to healthy eating habits and behaviors.

Several studies have analyzed if exercise was able to modulate food intake [5,6], indicating that participation in physical activity as well as its duration and intensity, could contribute to appetite regulation [7], total calorie intake [8] and macronutrient composition of the diet [9,10], resulting in an appropriate energy balance. Other studies have also shown an association between regular physical activity and psychosocial and motivational factors related to a healthier eating behavior [11,12].

However, the type of exercise that can induce greater physiological and behavioral changes, related to eating behavior and food intake, remains unclear. It appears that long-term exercise interventions (more than 1 month) could decrease daily energy intake [5]. Regarding the intensity of effort, some authors found that more intense exercise reduced feelings of hunger during and after its practice [10]. Other authors have shown that absolute caloric intake was superior in high-intensity exercise, compared to moderate-intensity exercise [8]. In terms of the mode of exercise, most studies involved aerobic exercises and regular weight individuals [8,10], and the results are not very consistent. In addition, the literature lacks studies on the relationship between exercise and long-term diet adherence, and that consider the composition of the diet. Therefore, the present study aimed at examining if there is a type of exercise or a physical activity threshold (daily steps' categories) that favors a better compliance with the prescribed diet, a higher eating-related motivation, and a healthier diet composition in overweight and obese subjects.
