Secrets To Losing Weight - Numbers Really Matter!

There are no "secrets" to losing weight. There's no "magic formula" or "super weight loss pill" that will cause you to drop those extra pounds. The only way to be successful is to play it by the numbers.

When you eat, your digestive system extracts calories from the food and uses them as fuel to provide energy for all of your bodily functions. Every movement that you make, from walking to your heart beating, requires this energy, and the need continues even if you don't eat or drink.

Fortunately, Mother Nature foresaw this dilemma and provided your body with a way to save unused calories for a time when you may need energy, but haven't eaten any food. When you do eat, calories that aren't needed immediately are stored in body fat for use when none are available from food.

With that in mind, it stands to reason that if there are any secrets to losing weight, they would lie in understanding two things:

1. When you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.

2. When you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.

I realize that you (probably) know all of this already, but, if you're trying to lose weight, you must burn these ideas into your brain. Every weight loss diet or exercise program that you've ever tried was designed to make you either stop doing number 1 or start doing number 2 (or, better yet, both!). There just isn't any other way to do it!

So, then, let's look at the numbers...

Medical professionals say that, to lose one pound of body weight, you must burn about 3500 calories. That sounds simple enough, I suppose, but, it's only half of the equation.

To be more more precise, to lose one pound of weight, you must burn 3500 more calories than you consume. That's the only way to force your body to use the calories that you have stored in fat.

In practical terms, if you set a goal of losing one pound per week, then you must burn 3500 more calories than you consume during that week. When setting your weight loss goals, this is the only thing that matters, so, it's extremely important that you be realistic. Setting your goals too high without thinking of what it may take to reach them will only leave you frustrated, and frustration is the mortal enemy of successful weight loss.

Adopting a healthy weight loss diet or exercise program to help you can be a good idea if you realize that these are only tools that you should use to accomplish your goals. They'll help, of course, but you must still do the work.

And, it's really not that hard. To consume less, just take smaller portions of what you're eating now. Be conscious of what you're eating, of course, but, I don't feel that you need to be told what foods are good and what foods aren't from a weight loss perspective. Somehow, I think you know all of that already.

As for burning more calories, again, it's not rocket science. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. When you have an errand in your neighborhood, leave the car at home and walk. When you drive to work or go shopping, park as far away from the front door as possible. Even short walks are very beneficial.

Could you consider these things secrets to losing weight? Perhaps! While they really aren't secret, they will help you to lose weight. I suppose some people think that "secret" means it has to be hard and complicated, but now, you and I know better.

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