How to Keep the Weight Off

I wrote this for my tumblr but I thought I would post it here too:

I see so many misconceptions around when it comes to diets & how to successfully lose & maintain weight. For this reason I've decided to write this short essay regarding how a diet should work & how to keep weight off when you reach your goal.

First & foremost the only way you will lose weight is to create a calorie deficit. Yes that's right--- not by eating no carbs or downing ridiculous green drinks--- just by creating a calorie deficit (most modern diets will claim this isn't the case but will trick you into doing it anyway). A calorie is a unit of energy that will either be stored as fat or used in physical activity throughout the day. If your calorie usage is greater than your calorie intake then you will begin to lose fat as your body will convert your stored fat into kinetic energy. You can create a calorie deficit by both reducing calories in (eat less/eat healthier options) and increasing calories out (exercising more). 

So how many calories should you be taking in? Well that's actually remarkably simple to work out. The first thing you have to do is to work out your BMR. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate---- aka the amount of calories you will burn in one day while remaining idle. There are plenty of BMR calculators online that will allow you to calculate this number. It's this number plus the calories you burn during exercise that equals your calorie intake for the day. Therefore, in order to lose weight you must consume less calories than this number. However keep in mind that you will still need a certain amount of calories to maintain your body functions. Women should not consume less than 1200 calories & men should not consume less than 1800 calories. It is important to try & eat as nutritiously as possible while dieting as well as to consume 2-3L of water per day. There's absolutely no doubt that you will lose weight using this method, unless there is something medically preventing you from doing so

Secondly lets look at maintaining your new weight. This is an area in which most people have trouble---- I'll now explain why. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) falls as you lose weight as your body requires less energy to maintain itself. When you eventually stop losing weight or reach a plateau you have in fact reached a point at which your calories in equal your calories out. This means that you are perfectly balanced at this weight. However, most people now think that since they've lost all that weight they can return to their previous eating habits or let unhealthy foods sneak back into their life---- If you'd like to keep the weight off this is wrong. If you return to your original eating habits you will create a calorie surplus (BMI + exercise < calories in) & the body will start to once again store the extra calories as fat. Your body will eventually return to your original weight & all your hard work will be undone. In order to maintain your new body you must in fact eat your new 'diet' of calories for life. You may be able to add in extra calories if you find yourself to be dropping below goal weight but you will need to remain vigilant for the rest of your life. In order to succeed in your diet it must become a permanent lifestyle change.