I’ve always found exercise to be a motivator for getting diet under control. Periods of low exercise correlates with bad eating. Building back the routine makes shifting diet much easier.

When I'm getting regular exercise everything else just kind of falls in to place. My appetite works properly, and I move towards my healthy body weight eating whatever I feel like eating.

Same! Periods of low exercise correlate with lower moods for me and lower moods mean less will power which makes keeping my diet in check tougher. The opposite is also true.

I agree. Whenever I decide to lose weight, I've always found that turning both the knobs(diet & exercise) at the same time in the beginning is overwhelming and doesn't work for me. I have to get into a routine for one of the two first before focussing my attention on the other. Usually, it's exercise first. Wonder if other people have same exeperience

Sure, but if you exercise and don't control your diet, you'll end up still fat but with more muscle underneath. Which isn't exactly the goal.