Simple Weight Loss with Easy Tips

You could get a Ph.D. in order to study how our bodies work. You could read scientific journals like I do. Or you could spend thousands of dollars on the latest weight loss marketing campaign. How about I simplify it for you instead? Our bodies are extremely complicated and we still don't understand everything there is to learn about our bodies. There are a few proven practices however that do have weight loss benefits. Eat less? Exercise more? Shockingly... yes!

Our bodies need energy to work. The calorie is a unit of measurement for energy. We can measure the amount of energy in food using this unit of measure. All you have to know to lose weight is that there is energy in food. The more food you eat, the more energy you are putting in your body.

Your body burns energy as it functions, whether you're sleeping or sprinting up hill away from a big bear. The amount of energy differs depending on the amount and intensity of that exercise.

Your body will store energy that it doesn't use. The storage tank is your fatty tissue. The more energy you put in your body and the less of that energy you expend, the more energy will be stored in your storage tank (love handles).

So there it is... Eat less and do more activity.

Don't worry about metabolism, carbohydrates or sex. Don't let eating habits or what you've been taught about weight loss affect what you put in your mouth. You control what goes into your mouth. Stop and think about it honestly for a minute. Who will be affected most by the chocolate treat you "can't avoid"? You will. You want to be skinnier or not? Don't let a food craving or a habit of eating when you're bored take control. Be in control.

For those more detail oriented people like myself, here are some things you can do to help:

Count every calorie you put in your mouth. You'd be surprised how much "energy" you take in every day. The extra bite of your kid's dinner or the coffee with sugar and creamer add up dramatically.

Figure out your basal metabolic rate at any web based calculator. Figure out how many calories you expend with exercise. Now eat less calories than you burn. It takes about 3500 kcal (calories) to make up a pound so it'll take a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound.

Try for about a 500 calorie deficit per day and you'll lose a pound a week.

Nutrition Tips:

Switch to diet sodas. A can of soda has about 150 calories in it. If you reduce your soda intake by one per day, you'd save over 15 pounds a year.

Give yourself a daily allowance of calories and work within that allowance to decide what to eat. If you allow yourself to eat 1400 calories a day, then that 1200 calorie cheeseburger doesn't sound so good when it means you'll be hungry the rest of the day.

Try to eat a well-balanced menu to get all your nutrients. You'll feel better and avoid disease.

Eat slow and let your body tell you when you're done rather than your habits/mind. It takes 20-30 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you're full. Stick to your caloric allowance rather than eating until you're full.

Exercise More Without Thinking About It:

Exercise at work. When your colleagues take a smoke break, take a quick brisk walk around the office. Do squats in your office/cube. Go for a long walk at lunch time.

Take the stairs.

Park farther away.

Wear a pedometer and try to increase your activity. A pedometer will give you an unbiased number of steps you took during the day.

Tighten your muscles when sitting in a meeting. Other people won't notice but you'll be burning a few calories.