It does by the traditional measures of calories burned—e.g., x calories burned per mile of swimming, x calories to consume per pound of weight gain or loss. That’s what I was getting at.
You might have to walk more to burn the same calories, the calories still balance.
3 guys eats 2000 calories a day. One burns 1900, he gains weight. One burns 2000, he remains the same. The third burns 2100, he loses weight.
It doesn't matter if the different amounts burned are because they exercise differently, their metabolism is different or their hormones are different.
Eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight.