You do not need to be a Sherlock Holmes in order to understand weight loss. Calories in, calories out. It really is that simple. So, yes, you will obviously lose poundage when you cut out a food group (or two or three). Why do you think “low-carb” diets are so successful? But you do not have to do that if you simply eat sensibly.

So, the question of losing weight becomes more about whether you would rather eat 1,000 calories of Twinkies or 1,000 calories of celery in one day. Because, in the end, both “diets” will result in giving you an identical number on the scale, but do you just want to be skinny, or skinny and healthy?

I make it my mission to harp on and on about giving you a healthy lifestyle, so I am not advocating that your diet consist of only cream-filled desserts, I am merely saying that being healthy and being “skinny ” does not always mean the same thing (although in a perfect world, it totally does!). But, since when do we live in this “perfect world”?

This is the primary reason that we witness people who snack on garbage, etc. all day, claim to have discovered some miracle secret to weight loss. Not only will these people mess with your pretty little head, but all of today’s fad diets and others taking extreme measuresto help them cut calories and fit into those skinny jeans are simply choosing a “lazy ” route to cut calories. A Pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories no matter how you look at it. So some smart person will go as far as surgically making their stomach smaller, deforming their tongues and/or getting the nutrients from a feeding tube, all for the sole purpose of reducing the number of calories that they put into their bodies. You do not have to do that! If you properly feed your “temple” with adjusted portions of good food , there is absolutely no need for any surgeries, diet pills, etc.

In essence, it all really is a numbers game, and that is why those “lazy” people temporarily win (by cheating the system, they are only living in a beautiful-yet, unhealthy-body until their temporary fix stops working.) Do the work right and you will reap the benefits, forever.

You can sign up for some pricey service to calculate your input/output for you, or you could always do the math yourself (the horror, right?) and write down everything , including what/how much you eat/drink and how much you move (expel those calories). This is similar to the winning equation used in Weight Watchers. You are not depriving yourself, because while you are still eating that pizza, you are eating less pizza to achieve less points (calories really) and in turn… Lose weight.

I just saved you hundreds (if not thousands) of moolah with this winning formula. But wait, I am not done. True, you can achieve your summer body goals by eating less food (even if it is crap!), but call me crazy… I actually want you to live a long, healthy life and not suffer from some disease brought on by a steady diet of Coke-a-Cola and Snickers. So, I am here to suggest that a diet filled with vegetables, whole grains and fruits will not only fill you up (unlike your favorite sugary snacks), but will give everything on your body the vitamins that you need.

Unfortunately, weight loss does not end there. Next up, you need to determine how many calories you need in order to achieve your goals. The percentage of your caloric output is all found in a simple pie (mmm, pie) chart. About 60% of our daily calories are used in regulating our involuntarily bodily functions (like hair growth and heart beat). That means that a mere 30% of our calories are used in doing any kind of physical activity (a sport, a jog and yes, even sexytime) and the rest of the 10% goes toward digestion. So, skipping meals, or eating smaller meals more often, does influence our rate of weight loss. That 10% determines just how fast everything leaves your body and that can make or break you.

Calculate how many calories you need by doing a simple little equation (see that math that you learned in school actually did come in handy!), your current weight in kilograms (pounds/2.2) times your height in centimeters (inches/2.54) times your age in years! Viòla! You now know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), this is how many calories you are burning by simply surviving . Any calories that you burn in addition to this number is just gravy (hopefully it is healthy gravy!). Remember that the magic number is 3,500 so how fast/how often you can burn this number of calories determines how fast/how often you lose one pound.

Most importantly, remember that you are not a bear! You do need to hibernate and/or add on a layer of fat during the Winter months. Summer bodies are created during the Winter months, so now that I told you the secrets to weight loss success, you can set that lofty resolution and actually achieve it this time! I wish you good luck success in your journey!