The Magic Weightloss Pill? Seriously?

Ever notice how ALL diet pills state that they are to be used with a sensible diet and exercise plan? If you started eating better and working out better than you did before you started taking the pills, you would lose weight and get healthier anyway, without the possible side affect of the pill. Think about it.

Now that I am down 11.5 pounds, my weight loss is noticeable to more than just those who haven't seen me in a long time. Because of this I have had several people ask me how I've been doing it. What surprises me the most about their reactions is their disappointment when they find out that I don't have a magic pill. It gets even worse when they realize that the website and app I've been using is just a calorie tracking sight and the other secret to my successes is actual physical effort.

There is no magic pill, like everything worth achieving in life it only comes from hard work and dedication. I know the media, diet pill companies, and other weight loss companies would like you believe that it could be as simple as just take this pill or eat our food or do this simple activity for 5 minutes a day. My favorite claim is  "eat as much as you want and still lose weight" (which by the way is something everyone can do if you just eat certain foods. - I'll have more on this claim on my nutrition blog next week.)

You can play the dieting game  in which you eliminate and entire food group from you diet or only eat certain kinds of foods or foods that don't have a particular ingredient it in, but the long and short of it is, these diets work because they force you to eat healthier lower calorie foods. And all weight loss regardless of which fad diet you follow is based on one simple principle: You lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. Yes, I know there's all these complicated strategies that say if you eat certain foods it helps you burn more fat because it helps you build more muscle or the types of food you eat some how work with your body chemistry to help you burn more fat for some reason or another, but again, it all comes down to that one simple fact.

The simplest way to make sure you are burning more calories than you consume is to track your caloric intake to be sure you are taking in less than you are burning (I strongly recommend using a calorie tracking website or smartphone app to help keep you on track - it makes calorie tracking quicker and easier) Keep in mind, the nutritional information you see on food labels are based on a 2000 calorie diet. This amount is based on a 5'8" 150lb male. So, if you are not 5'8' or and you don't want to weight 150 lbs and/or you are not male. You're caloric necessities will be different. This is where the benefit of calorie tracking website and apps come in handy. They help determine the appropriate amount of calories for you to consume on a daily basis based on your height, weight, gender, and daily activity level.

The simplest way to burn more calories is to get active. If you want a little boost from muscle make sure your activity includes resitance or weight lifting of some sort.

There it is, that's the real magic to losing weight.