Diet vs. Exercise

I was always of the thinking that in order lose weight and stay slim, diet and exercise were equally important. I don't know about you but I have been hearing and reading more recently that this is not necessary true. I recently heard a former lineman from the Pittsburgh Steelers interviewed on a radio show. When he was playing, he weighed over 300 pounds. He has been retired for a while now and wiehgs around 185 pounds. When asked how he dropped all that weight so quickly after retiring, he simply said that he stopped eating so much. He said that when he played football and trained, the team fed him large meals about 5-6 times a day. He worked out and exercised everyday as well but wouldn't lose any weight because he was eating so much. Then when he retired, he ate 3 meals a day and the weight fell off quickly. He didn't even exercise as much anymore but he said it was just a matter of not eating so much. I also read recently that in order to burn off the calories from a piece of pie, you would need to run 5 miles! This doesn't mean there aren't benefits to exercise though. When you exercise, scientific studies show your body releases endorphins that relieves stress and makes you feel happy. It's also good for your heart. I'm trying to lose some weight myself, but instead of focusing on exercising like a maniac to shed the weight, I need to work on passing on that piece of pie after dinner!