The secret to weight loss is no secret

It is exhausting isn't it?  Trying to figure out how to lose weight, which diet, for how long, then it is boring, so you quit... what is the secret to weigh loss?  Well, it is no secret.  You have to expend more calories than you consume, period.  Really, it is that simple.  But, that isn't simple, because from hour to hour who knows how many calories you have burned and how many you have consumed, right?  It would be like walking up to someone and saying, "hey what is your heart rate right now?"  Who knows? 

I tell clients all the time, you have to own your numbers.  You have to track (for at least 2-4 weeks, if not longer - we'll come back to this) how many calories you are eating/drinking and how many calories you are burning with daily activity and exercise.  There are website and smart phone apps that have been revolutionary in helping clients track calories in and calories out so that weight loss is successful.  A website I love is 411fit.com.  This site is simple to use and gives you daily scores.  You can store meals that you eat often so that you don't have to enter them each time.  There is a library of foods and recipes, you can create accountability groups and the site allows your trainer to log in, with your permission, and view how you are doing. 

A smart phone app that is similar yet more simple is Lose It.  The phone app is nice because most of us have our phones wherever we are and we can log instantly or even look before we bite.  Lose It also allows you to enter your food, drink and exercise for the day and has a nice visual graph line of how many calories you have left for the day.

Logging your calories in and calories out will be a learning experience.  Some people have made significant changes within 2-4 weeks and no longer have to log their food on a daily basis.  Others find that logging daily keeps them accountable.  Do what works best for you.  Try to log your food, drink and exercise in advance, because what use is it to know at the end of the day that you blew it!  Log and plan in advance, again, not for the rest of your life, but for a few weeks so that you learn how many calories you burn when you walk or jog on the treadmill for 30 minutes, how many calories in a tablespoon of peanut butter?  When you can answer these types of questions - you have succeeded!