I figured I'd post about this since it is the new year and a lot of people like to make resolutions about losing weight.

Okay, so you want to lose some weight?  Well forget about all those fancy and hard to follow diets.  Screw Atkins.  To hell with the low fat diet.
If you want to lose weight, all you have to know is this simple formula.  Ready?  Okay, here it is:

3500 calories = 1 pound

That's it.  So if you want to lose 1 pound, just lose 3500 calories.  There are plenty of ways to do it, but the easiest way is to figure out your average daily calorie intake.  This may seem daunting at first, but just look at the nutritional labels of your food for a few days and keep a notepad tracking everything you ate.  Then grab a calculator and figure out how many calories you ate over a few days, then figure out the average per day.

Once you get used to counting your calories, it is very simple.

Now what do you do, you ask?  Well, cut off 500 calories from each day.  This can be as simple as not putting cheese on anything you eat, or quitting soft drinks in favor of water.  Whatever.  Just get rid of 500 calories.  Why?  Because of this:

500 calories x 7 days = 3500 calories

And remember that 3500 calories is 1 pound.  So if you do this from now on, you will lose 1 pound each day.

It's as simple as that.  Now you can do other things to trim more calories.  Exercise will burn away extra calories.  Certain exercises burn more calories than others.  So if you start exercising AND trim 500 calories from each day, then you will lose weight at a faster rate.  Also, you can trim further if you really want...

But let's be realistic.  Take small steps first.  Start at 500 calories a day and wait until you see some results.  After a few months, when you've lost 15 pounds and you're starting to get excited, then you can think about cutting more calories.

Also, if you screw up and lose control, going over your calories one day, don't worry.  Just take the 500 from that day (or whatever you went over) and divide it up amongst the rest of that week.  As long as you come out 3500 under each week, you will continue to lose a pound a week.



Okay, now I'll answer a few common questions about diet:

1.  But shouldn't I be cutting back on fat?

You can if you want.  Eating fewer fats won't make you lose weight.  In fact, many types of fat are actually essential to your diet.  Such as omega 3 fats.  However, cutting out saturated fats would definitely be a good thing for your heart and your entire circulatory system.
Just don't expect to replace all your fats with carbs or protein and begin losing weight.  It won't happen.  Weight comes from calories, not fat.

2.  What about the low carb diet?  You can eat as much as you want!

No you can't.  Besides, the low carb diet is almost impossible to follow unless you have iron will.  It is much easier just to cut some calories and exercise a little.

3.  Help!  I can't cut my calories enough, what do I do??

If you find that you just can't cut your calories down without starving yourself, try looking at your food choices.  Soups, for instance, will do a lot to sate your hunger.  However, since they are mostly water, they are also low in calories usually.  Try replacing a lot of your foods with 'wetter' foods.  Basically any food that contains a lot of water - most vegatables, fruits, cheese, etc.  However, make sure you know what kind of caloric content they have.
Eating foods high in fiber can help too, as fiber tends to swell in your stomach, making you feel "fuller."  I know what you're thinking - wet foods, high fiber, sounds like a recipe for trouble!  Or an active bowel system anyway.  Yeah, you might have some issues at first if your body needs to clean itself out.  But you'll get over it after a week or so.  Not only that, but you will probably start feeling more energetic than before, once you get over the initial adjustment phase.

Also, if you drink soft drinks (or pop, soda, whatever you choose to call it) try replacing it with water.  Or tea.  Green tea, for instance, has 0 calories and tastes better than just water.  Whereas most soft drinks have enough calories to make an impact on your diet.  Don't believe me?  Figure out how many soft drinks you drink in a week.  Now grab the calorie count from the back of a can, then do the math.  It might surprise you.  Sometimes cutting that 500 each day really can be as simple as not drinking soft drinks anymore.

4.  I can't go a whole week doing this.  What am I doing wrong?

That might be your problem.  If you find your willpower waning, try just doing your calorie cutting Monday through Friday, cutting 700 calories each day instead of 500 Monday through Sunday.  Then on Saturday and Sunday, take some time off.  Don't go hog wild, obviously, or your hard work all week will be for nothing.  But if you normally ate 2500 calories a day before your diet, then go ahead and eat 2500 on Saturday and Sunday, then go back to just 1800 Monday through Friday.