Every so-called expert will tell you the secret to weight loss.  Anyone who tells you it is easy and you just have to eat lots of a single item, be leery.  Whether it is your sister or aunt telling you all you have to do is drink plenty of water and avoid all “xxx” foods.  Let me be the first to tell you that they are wrong.  If you want to know the key to weight loss, keep reading this post, and I will share the key science behind weight loss.

So, you have tried every fad diet, and you just gain the weight back.  You may have tried the potato chip diet, the ice cream diet, or the snack cake diet, and although they worked, you still gained the weight back.  There is a reason for that weight gain.  I am sure you already know why.  You did not make a lifestyle change and went back to eating more calories than you burned.  So, wait, did you catch that subtle point I just made?  There are only two ways to gain weight.

Ways to gain weight:

1. Eat more calories than you burn.
2. Burn fewer calories than you eat.

No, I am sorry, you are not a special case.  Even if you have a slow metabolism due to an illness, these simple rules apply.  The laws of physics do not cease to exist in your body.  You cannot make something out of nothing.

So what is my point?  The concept of weight gain and loss is simple, but in practice, it is hard.  It is as simple as calories in and calories burned.  Our bodies, unfortunately, are meant to go through periods where food is less available, but in our current culture and lifestyle, there are no shortages of food.  My purpose is not to insult you or make you feel bad about yourself.  I just want to clear up the facts and hopefully motivate you.  You can and will lose weight if you follow these simple rules.

Weight Loss Rules:

1. Exercise to burn more calories than you eat.
2. Eat less calories than you need to maintain your weight.
3. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of good food choices.
4. Exercise every day.  It does not have to be a long session.
5. If you fall off the wagon, get back on quickly.

The key thing is to use a combination of exercise and dietary modifications.  You do not need to restrict food types completely, but as you will see in future posts, I recommend cutting out easy calories to avoid.  More to come on this in my Calorie Deficit and Energy Balance Article.