Basics of Losing Weight

Failed diets and out of control obesity may lead you to believe that losing weight is difficult but it is quite easy, at least on paper. The only thing you need to do is keep the calories that you burn greater than the calories that you eat. So why is this article so long?

Your first step is to figure out how many calories you are burning each day. There are a few formulas that have come out over the years that estimate how many calories you burn per day based on your sex, age, weight, height and physical activity. When using these formulas, keep in mind that the number you get gives you an estimate not a number that never changes day to day. It will fluctuate.

Safe weight loss is considered 1-2 pounds per week. While it is possible to lose more, it is extremely unhealthy to do so. So how many calories do you actually have to cut out of your diet? One pound of body fat equals about 3500 calories. If you want to lose one pound in a week, you need to cut 3500 calories out of your diet per week. While this might sound like a lot, per day it comes out to a 500 calorie deficit.

Your next step is to ask yourself how you want to get rid of any unwanted weight. You can cut 500 calories out of your diet per day, or increase the amount of calories you burn by 500 calories per day. A combination of these two methods is the best way to go.

A Simple To Follow Weight Loss Program

This article gives free tips and advice about how to lose weight. Dieting does not need to be a choir, however many of the weight loss programs that are available make it this way. During the article, I describe an easy to follow diet or weight loss program which has helped me to reach a weight that I am now happy and feel comfortable with.

My background

My name is Steve Hill and I struggled to keep my weight under control for the first twenty-two years of my life. I was often teased at school and found it very hard to meet girls as I believed that there would be no way, that they would want to date somebody as fat as myself.

I was a very negative person and I frequently felt stressed and depressed. I often felt sorry for myself and would feel envious of other people who seemed fit, healthy and happy. During these periods of depression, I would often comfort eat to make myself feel better. I love food and this would temporarily help. The problem I found was that if I ate food for ten minutes, I would feel a sense of guilt for around two hours.

Like many people who are over-weight, I was not happy this way and often looked into different types of weight loss plan or diets. Maybe it is just me, but they seem so unrealistic and for somebody like myself impossible to follow. I needed a simple, easy to follow weight loss program.

The solution to my weight problem

The first thing I had to do was to be honest with myself. I asked myself a series of questions:

Why are you over-weight?

I do not eat the right types of food and I rarely exercise.

How determined are you to lose weight?

Very determined.

Are you willing for this to be a long term project, or are you looking for a quick fix?

The quicker the better, however I realise that crash diets do not work and end up causing more harm than good.

Do you feel you have enough self-discipline to succeed?

I am not sure but I will have to have, to reach my target weight.


The weight loss plan

These are the things I must do:

Eat three healthy meals a day.

Exercise more. This will be achieved by leaving the car at home more often and by walking to certain places, such as my children's school. I will also take the children to play sports like football and tennis, as often as I can.

Fight the demons in my head who constantly tempt me into eating.

These are the things I must not do:

Snack in between meals.

Eat too many take-aways, I will basically allow myself one a week.

Lie to other people or even myself about what I have eaten.


This sounds so simple and is very easy to follow. I have to admit that it is not that easy to carry off, especially not being able to snack between meals. With determination you can succeed and the sense of happiness and pride you will feel when you reach a weight you are happy with, will make it all worthwhile.