I'm not a rocket scientist!

When it comes to the topic of weight loss, I realize everyBODY is different and what works for some does not work for others!


I totally understand losing weight is not easy!  Everyone's body is different.  And then you have to take into consideration outside factors such as metabolism, medical conditions, medications, stress, environment, what you're eating, when you eat, what you're not eating macronutient percentages, and even water intake.  Not to mention your genetics plays a huge role in losing fat.   
I think the human body is a very intricate machine and there's LOTS of hard to understand science behind how the body gains and loses fat and muscle.
However, I'm going to say this even though I will have some who want to argue this point... "WEIGHT LOSS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE",,, okay maybe it is, but we don't have to make it so difficult!
It is very simple... Diet and exercise! If you want to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you need to sustain your body.  It's the simple math of input/output!  The bigger the person you are the more calories your body needs to maintain itself with proper body function etc.  For example, I don't need to consume as many calories as my "big man" of a husband!  
First, you need to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate which is what your body needs to maintain itself on a daily basis (if you did NOTHING all day).  Use this formula:
A Woman's Basal Metabolic rate (BMR) = 655 + (4.35 x Weight) + (4.7 x Height in Inches) - (4.7 x Age in yrs)
A Man's BMR = 66 + (6.23 x W) + (12.7 x H) - (6.8 x A)
So when you get your BMR that is the number of calories you need to maintain if you do nothing at all!  Which is surely NOT the case! 
(My BMR is 1,186! ohhh, that's not very many daily calories!)


So finish with the Harris Benedict Formula:

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor. (see below):
•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) :  BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) :  BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : BMR x 1.9
For the record I said I was moderately active and that bumps me up to 1839!  That's more like it!
So now if you decrease your calories and/or add in exercise (or keep exercising if you already are) you are going to create a caloric deficit.  Obviously, you can do both, decrease calories and add exercise, for a more effective weight loss plan.
To decrease calories just subtract 200-600 calories daily to force your body to start using it's reserve fat stores.  To me, this is the tricky part!!!  Most people think "more is better."  For example, "if I drop my calories by 1000 I should lose weight really fast!"  That may be true but that's also called a "Crash Diet" and weight doesn't stay off with "Crash Diets"( Amanda Adams- crash diets )Here's another point for some of you to argue... I believe if you go too low your body goes into  "Starvation Mode" and it will slow down your metabolic rate therefore slowing down your progress!  However, you would eventually lose weight if you continue to starve yourself to death,,, literally! Furthermore, as soon as you start eating again you will gain it back, and probably some extra because your body is smart and it wants some reserve if you decide to starve it again! 

Losing weight may become a process of trial and error, but it is not Rocket Science and I know this because I've figured it out with my own body and I'm not a Rocket Scientist!  Even though it's not rocket science I might add, you do need to have a bit of knowledge of how to count calories.  I use sparkpeople.com  to help me keep track of my calories and macros.  
AND  just for the record, I can lose weight by keeping my calories between 1200-1400. 
Oh and one other thing you need::: DETERMINATION to stay on track and NOT CHEAT!
GOOD LUCK!
For more reading check out this article about how to get certain body parts leaned down!  Again, you might be surprised but it's NOT rocket science!