The secret to weight loss, and a healthier life...

CALORIES!!!!

See ya!

Lol. Okay, enter the inevitable eye rolls and yells at the computer – please refrain from throwing objects. Buuuut, it really is math. MATH. Now, if you’re still reading, you’re offering me excuses as to why it’s not the calories for you. You’re mumbling, “I’ve tried that, *expletive*!” OR, “Just wait till you turn 30!” Yes, yes, I’ve heard I should expect wonderful things when I hit the big 3-0; I’m waiting with baited breath. However, it is simply black and white, non-opinionated, proven fact, that you must burn more or as many calories as you take in, to lose or maintain your weight. If you eat more calories than you need, you will gain weight. End. Of. Story. It is the FIRST step to any weight loss, or healthy initiative – the FIRST. And it is essential.

Now, there are VERY FEW exceptions. Yes, I know, you all fall under the “exceptions”category. Well, guess what, most of the exceptions, have solutions – HA!

1. Have your Thyroid checked – it’s a simple blood test. If your MD (not an Herbalist!) finds there are problems, insist on a medication regimen with close following. A strict medication regimen should result in a normalized metabolism.

2. So, your Thyroid’s fine -- Visit a facility that offers an instrument for measuring REE (Resting Energy Expenditure) its called Indirect Calorimetry and usually involves a breathing apparatus. Not a contraption you stand on or a calculation at your local gym. This will give you a more accurate representation of the calories your body is burning at rest – AKA THE GOAL. For most – its between 1100 and 1500. I’ve seen ONE patient with a metabolism close to 900 – and she had a diagnosed metabolic disorder from birth! She was also average weight – how bout’ them apples.

3. Not in denial? Simply jump in. Try 1200, 1500 or 1800 calories. Not real scientific I know, but even if I do the math specifically for you, I will place you in the closest of these categories. Start low and move up as needed.

(Now, I won’t begin to ignore medications and disease states that may cause water retention – edema – steroids and the like, that cause weight gain or excessive hunger. Please discuss changing these medications with your MD if weight gain is an issue for you. However, limiting your calories can still help dramatically in these cases).

The math. 3500 calories is equal to 1 lb. The trick is finding a way to cut these calories from your days, without putting yourself into starvation. This is harder for shorter ladies, aiming for 1100-1300 calories a day for WL, where this may only be a deficit of 200-300 calories from your normal 1300-1600 calorie day, resulting in 1 lb per 2 weeks. Tall men might be able to handle a deficit of 1000 calories a day without too much restriction - this is about 2 lbs loss per week. Obnoxious? Yes. Healthy? Afraid so. Consuming fewer calories than your REE or BMR will result in starvation -- limited early weight loss with plateau or gain thereafter, and inevitably… Cranky. Pants. Wow. Do us all a favor and eat.

Your challenge. Find a non-cumbersome way to STRICTLY track your calories - STRICTLY! Food journals are rarely maintained long-term. If its not easy, you won’t do it. I get that. Here’s what we do. Jordan, my favorite, and hottest client, aims for 1500 calories a day, most days of the week. He writes NOTHING down. Why? Because he lives by the “cash system” for calories. He has 300 calories to spend for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner. This just works well with his schedule. Occasionally he borrows from lunch for his coffee concoction, and from dinner, for his frozen custard concoction – but still sticks to his calorie “cash.” No credit here, well, because credit = love handles.

We use these phone apps to stay within our “calorie cash allotment,” they are my favorite! Calorie King and Eat This Not That.

I don’t care WHAT you order or bring for lunch, remember, this is step ONE, without mastering this step you DO NOT go on, and without losing excess weight, you will be defeating the purpose of ALL healthy dietary modifications. I want your calories, snacks, nut-bowl-trips, fancy coffees, desk-drawer chocolates and “juice with meds,” to fit within your calorie allotment. We can talk about the quality of your calories later. Get to work.