How to lose weight

I'm not a fitness expert and nobody would disagree with me on that point. But after seven months' work and managing to shed over two stone and - more importantly - keep it off, I feel somewhat qualified to discuss the topic of weight loss and give out pointers to anyone that might be struggling. Brace yourselves, because I'm about to blow the lid off the entire weight loss industry. Yes, the whole thing - diet pills, fitness gurus, gyms, weight loss books, everything. THIS IS THE SECRET TO LOSING WEIGHT:

Calorie deficit.

Shocked? You should be.

That's it. That's all you need to do in to shed the pounds. The calories you consume during the day must be less than the calories you burn. In doing so, you create a calorie deficit in your body. To compensate for this, your body reaches into its backup unit of stored-up calories (which most of us call fat) and uses what's already on hand, thus depleting a tiny fraction of available body weight. If you can achieve this four or five times in a week - congratulations, you've lost weight!

Every single fad diet in human history falls under the umbrella of creating a calorie deficit. Atkins? Calorie deficit. Keto? Calorie deficit. Rabbit food? Calorie deficit.

You don't need to go vegan or follow a new fad, either!

Actually, that last sarcastic barb reminds me of something crucially important. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO EAT 'RABBIT FOOD' TO LOSE WEIGHT. You can eat what you like, but the key is to make sure you consume less than you burn. So long as you're being active (or active enough to burn whatever excesss calories remain), you can eat whatever you like. People keep making stupid statements like 'McDonalds is unhealthy', but that's not entirely true. McDonalds has a higher calories count than a burger you make at home, but it's your lifestyle that ultimately determines whether a meal is healthy or unhealthy. Don't believe me? Okay, how about a few different links to back up my claims?

No, you don't need to hop on the latest celebrity foodie bandwagon, or shop exclusively for avacados and green beans. You might not even need to make a drastic change to your overall lifestyle. All you need to do is take notice of what you're absorbing every day.

This guy chose to get buff, but he's got a good point.

You're burning calories every minute of every day. The only difference is how fast you burn them. If you spend all day sitting at a desk, then drive home and sit in front of the computer, you're burning the minimal number of calories, so you may need to adjust your food intake more than someone who lives a more active lifestyle. If, however, you eat absurdly good, 'healthy' foods every day and can't seem to shift any weight, you might want to consider taking up a activity to get extra exercise and give your body encouragement to burn off those stored-up calories. Even a brisk, thirty-minute walk every day will make a hell of a difference.


This is why strenuous cardio - such as running in preparation for a marathon - is great for losing weight. Your body is forced to burn off those extra calories as quickly as possible, and it will kick-start your own metabolism, too. The more you force your body to burn off calories, the faster you'll be able to burn fat.

(Side note: if your goal is to gain muscle, then cardio won't be much good to you. You rarely see muscular guys on the gym treadmills, because they have almost no body fat leftover to burn.)

Never forget leg day. Make every day leg day.

Here's the most important thing to remember. You weight is not going to change overnight. I was running (well, hobbling and wheezing) for about three months before anyone commented on my weight loss. It was another two months before I noticed it myself. The point is this - don't expect immediate results. Don't kick yourself if the scales aren't reflecting all hard work and changes you've made. Your body will reach into the fat storage and withdraw some calories, but it takes time. Everything takes time. But it's so, so, so worth it in the end.

One final point - please, for the love of all that is good and holy, do not weigh yourself every day. That will not help you. It will only make you doubt yourself and all the work you're doing. The best thing to do is weigh yourself at the start of every week and creating a monthly average. That will help avoid the dreaded moment you step on the scales, plus give a more accurate and realistic week-on-week total.


Oh, and for the record - you might as well use those diet pills and food supplements as suppositories. That's all they're good for. The only tablets you need are multivitamins and iron, to make sure your body gets the minimum nutrients it needs.


I don't know if this is ever going to help anyone, but it's helped me. It's going to continue helping me. Nobody gains weight without good cause, but nobody ever loses weight without a little effort, either.

Good luck!