What is the real key to losing weight?

Hey Everybody,

Here is an article from world renowned personal trainer Michael Boyle. Michael contributes regularly to Men's health magazine and he is one of many personal trainers that I look up to. Mike wrote an article that seems so simple at first to grasp but yet people often miss the boat on this one concept. Enjoy!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT
In one article. Right here. Right now.
By Michael Boyle

I think we've given everyone a bum steer. Nutritionists are always saying stuff like, "Eat five small meals a day" etc., etc. (I actually read an article once called Want to Lose Weight? Eat More.) The premise is that a lack of caloric intake will slow down the metabolism. I think all of this might be great advice for an athlete looking to lose weight. I also think it is great advice for a person serious about weight loss. For most everyone else trying to lose weight, it's probably a lot simpler. Eat less and you will not be so fat.There. I said it. I used the F word.I've been in line getting coffee and listened to these people order. Large iced coffee, extra milk, extra sugar. Sausage, egg, and cheese on a croissant. Are you kidding me? Once again, we have lapsed into societal political correctness. Don't tell anyone the truth. Don't hurt anyone's feelings. It's like pitching underhand. You do it for little kids. Adults need high fastballs -- right at the head. Here it is. High carb/low fat was a disaster. As I have often said, high carb/low fat was actually the prescription for turning juvenile onset diabetes into type 2 diabetes. Our nutrition solution gave an adult disease to kids and we simply reacted by changing the name. The real key to weight loss and probably to health in general is caloric restriction. If someone wanted to lose a lot of weight, I think I might actually tell them to try to starve themselves. Why, when I know it goes against everything we have been taught? Because so few people could actually do it. Dieting is hard work. Dieting and lifestyle change is all about will power and deprivation. I'd love to be five pounds lighter. Truth is I can't do it because I am not willing to make the sacrifice. I eat 3-5 small meals a day. I increase my protein but, the next step is the hard step. Really buckling down. Giving up dessert. Giving up alcohol. Weight loss is not as much about nutritional knowledge as it is about willpower. I'll give you a simple plan.Eat five times a day. Ideally every three hours. Don't eat five small meals a day. When people think meal, they think meal. Stop using the word meal. We are talking about taking in calories five times a day -- but not five meals. It's more like five high-protein snacks a day. Each "feeding" can be as little as a protein shake or a protein bar. Ideally, whole foods are better, but have you ever tried to get good quality vegetables or proteins at 7-Eleven? When in doubt, a high-protein bar is a good place to start. Nuts or beef jerky work also. Another note. Don't worry about eating too much protein; it's actually extremely hard to do without carrying around cans of tuna. That's another old wives tale. Try eating 200 grams of protein a day. It's like having a second job. Remember: forget meals, think feedings

Michael Boyle
If you are looking for healthy weight loss try this calculation: Your body weight x 12 = your total calories you should be taking in. Now you would subtract either 500 calories or 20% of your total caloric intake. Let's use mine as an example:

If I want to lose weight:

185 lbs X 12 = 2220 calories per day

2220 - 500 = 1720 calories
or
2220 - 20% (444 calories) = 1776 calories

Either number would be quite fine to go by if I want to lose weight.

Now say we have a 140 pound female who wants to lose weight:

140 X 12 = 1680 calories

1680 - 500 = 1180 calories
or
1680 - 20% (336) = 1344 calories

In this case I would choose to minus 20% instead of 500 calories because 1344 calories is a lot easier to maintain (and keep sane) than taking in only 1180 calories. Try it for yourself and see which number makes sense to you.

Regardless of numbers the one key to losing weight is to generally eat less. It's called the law of thermodynamics but what it really should be called is plain common sense.

Have a great week everybody! If you want to learn more click here