The very concept of losing weight is really very simple – just do the opposite of what made you gain weight in the first place. Consuming fewer calories than you expend should be straight forward enough for all to grasp, yet when it comes to losing weight, most people over complicate the process and will not find success in meeting their goal.

Cutting calories is a must!

Your level of body fat is  directly proportional to the amount of calories you consume as opposed to the amount of calories you burn each day. This is a universal truth for everyone, no one is special in this regard. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories and in order to burn off that one pound of fat in a weeks time, you must cut your daily caloric intake by 500 calories.

Pretty simple concept, right?

Yes, the concept is quite simple, yet the execution of it seems to be impossible for most people to accomplish over the long term. The reality behind why so many people struggle to keep their caloric intake down is because they are still attempting to keep the foods in their diet which got them fat in the first place. They are still trying to eat foods with added sugars and other unhealthy ingredients, all while expecting a change that is not going to happen for them. The best and easiest way to not consuming more calories than your body can burn is to commit to only eating whole, healthy foods that provide your body with actual nutrition with each bite you take. You must quit eating low nutrition, high calorie foods if you want to permanently lose weight. If you want a fit, trim and healthy body, then you must only eat foods that will sustain this. You cannot continue to eat processed foods and or foods that are full of added sugars, unhealthy fats, high levels of sodium and preservatives. Anyone who tells you different is steering you wrong. We truly are what we eat! Instead of giving you a list of 20 ways to cut calories, I will tell you all you need to know – do not eat sugar and  or processed foods and you will find the calories will take care of themselves.

Should I practice Intermittent Fasting?

With the exception of people with medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, we advocate Intermittent Fasting on the 16:8 protocol simply because it is a manner of more disciplined eating. While there is a lot of information which can be found all over the internet regarding Intermittent Fasting as if it is a new found weight loss gimmick, it is really nothing new. Intermittent Fasting used to be the norm in America even though it did not have a name. For example, when I was a child we used to get up in the morning and have breakfast, lunch and then dinner. Once the dinner dishes were cleaned up and put away, we did not eat again until the next morning’s breakfast. If your mother caught you eating after the dinner dishes had been put away, you might get a little reprimanding for not eating either all of your dinner, or not enough. Intermittent Fasting was just a normal part of American life before this era of our obesity epidemic. By practicing Intermittent fasting, you will consume all the calories you require for the day in order to lose or maintain your weight, and then you are done eating until tomorrow. This eliminates grazing in the kitchen which always leads to the consumption of excessive calories beyond what you require.

Daily weighing is not helpful!

If you’re tracking progress, you might be tempted to hop on the scale on a daily basis — just stop this madness. There is no reason to weigh yourself more than once a week. With daily water fluctuations, body weight can change drastically on a day-to-day basis. Watching these daily fluctuations each day are actually doing very little for you, but it will keep you stressed. It is only long term trends you need to concern yourself with when it comes to weight loss and weight management. Be consistent when you weigh yourself. Weigh yourself at the same time. If you go to the bathroom before you jump on the scale, go before you do it again next time. Weighing yourself without clothes? Keep it that way, or try wearing the same clothes week to week. If you want the number on the scale to have a significant meaning, then have to be consistent in your methods.

Do not get hung up on what internet models and bodybuilders say they do for weight loss!

Face it, if you are overweight, the methods being used by Instagram models and professional bodybuilders are not anything remotely close to what you need to be concerning yourself with. Their methods do not apply to you, and in most cases, they should not apply to anyone. Some of these people achieve their looks through extreme dieting, the use of performance enhancing drugs, laxatives and diuretics.

At David’s Way to Health and Fitness, instead of trying to hit a certain weight, what we would like to see you concentrate on, is getting your body to a healthy body fat percentage – no more, no less.

The American Council on Exercise Body Fat Categorization

I would encourage you to aim for a body fat percentage that falls into the Fitness category as this is achievable and maintainable for most people. By concentrating on a healthy body fat percentage over body weight, it takes off some of the stress and anxiety that comes with fluctuations on the bathroom scale. Less stress, combined with good nutrition and exercise results in healthy body fat levels!

Save your hard earned money and follow us here at David’s Way to Health and Fitness. We are free of charge to everyone as we truly want to help you to successfully lose those unwanted pounds and for you to keep them off. We can also now be found on Facebook @ David’s Way to Health and Fitness, Sugar Free Living! Stop by and give us a like and a follow!