Does aerobic exercise help you lose weight?

I was appalled by some recent press articles saying that exercise doesn't help you get thinner because after exercising, you tend to be more hungry and are also more likely to eat richer foods because "you have earned them".
While this may be true to some extent ( as evidenced by the numerous occasions that I have pigged out after running a half-marathon), the health benefits of exercise are too numerous to even begin to recount. Exercise produces endorphins which make us feel happier, exercise increases circulation to all parts of the body from the brain all the way to the feet. It helps keep the joints well lubricated. Exercise improves lung capacity, boosts the immune system and help develop and stronger, more robust blood supply to the heart muscles. It stimulates the digestive system to more effectively assimilate nutrients and excrete waste. Sweating removes toxins too. In addition, it helps strengthen the bones and promotes stronger muscles, hence increasing lean body mass.
And this increase in lean muscle mass is how it can help us lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Thinking about exercise in terms of calories burnt is a rather foolish way of over-simplifying something that is much more involved. Even if you eat more calories than you burnt during exercise, the additional lean mass is going to boost your metabolism so that your body is burning fat even as you sleep.
SO...stop reading and go for a walk!!