The Secret to Losing Weight

As I read through the blogs on this site, I am reminded of the multi-million dollar industry devoted to weight loss. When you stop and really think about it, it’s really amazing. Nearly every American has tried a fad diet at one point or another. I am no exception.

However, when it boils down to it, weight loss is a simple formula. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, the answer is simple. The secret to weight loss is consuming less calories/fat than we use up throughout the course of the day. Why is this so hard for us?

In all honesty, if you cut out sodas, sugar, pasta, and white bread, then you’ll lose tons of weight. Add that with lean, grilled, baked, or broiled meat, and you’ve got tasty meals that won’t leave you feeling like you’re starving all the time. Then, if you add 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 days a week, then you’d probably be as healthy as a fitness competitor.

So why is that so difficult for us? I’m not being judgmental. I know the secret to weight loss, but I don’t execute it every day. I think the reasons for our fitness demise vary. It’s so much easier to go pick up some burgers from McDonalds than cook a healthy meal of baked chicken, steamed broccoli, and a fruit salad for dessert. Time is one of our biggest enemies because we are so dang busy. As mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve gotten where I drink a protein shake for lunch simply because I can’t find the time to eat.

As I’m reading over this post, I am getting angry at myself. Is it about self-control? We don’t need pills and cabbage diets. We don’t need celebrity DVDs or how-to books. We’ve just go to use the information that we already know.

I’m an advocate of strength training because the benefits are limitless; and I do believe that instruction in that area is necessary and beneficial, but we’ve got to change our lifestyle before we even get to that point. But spending our hard earned money on all these miracle fixes is simply ludicrous. Why can’t we just do that which we know will be successful? Why is so difficult?