THE ULTIMATE NO-BS GUIDE TO LOSING WEIGHT

(FROM A GUY WHO LOST 110 LBS)

By Chad Burton | Updated March 29, 2025

Intro – My story

I was fat. Notice the was.

That picture changed everything. You can tell which one I was… I take up two spaces. When I saw this picture, I immediately decided to change.

It came after a 3-year period where I worked 16-18 hour days paying off debt from a small business loan that nearly killed me. The government sued me 8 times in 3 years. I had several panic attacks. I ate my feelings… and I ate cheap.

When I finally paid off the $75,000 I owed, I looked in the mirror and realized I had let myself go. I was 27, single, and I was 110 lbs overweight. Many of you will be bigger than that, and that’s okay. You can relate to the moment.

The bathroom scale intimidated me. It stared me down every time I saw it. I was so scared to step on it and accept where I was. But without accepting where I was, I could never become who I wanted to be. I had to change.

So I bit the bullet. I stepped on a scale. Between trembling fingers, I looked down and took in the weight. I weighed in at a whopping 320 lbs. As a former high-school basketball star, I knew I was at my physical peak at 210-220 lbs (I’m 6’5”).

If you’re above that weight, don’t be discouraged. I made a change. You can too. But here’s what happened 1-year later:

Here I am, 1 year later with my girlfriend at the time. I barely look the same. I lost 110 lbs in one year, and five years later, I’ve kept it off.

Losing weight isn’t easy, but the formula is simple. The problem is you have to learn HOW to lose weight before you can succeed at it. I tried in my early 20s to lose the extra pound or two and I always failed. It wasn’t until I was plunged into a 320 lb desperation that I studied weight loss. Hard.

I became a weight-loss junkie. I read every book and blog I could. I now own every episode of “Extreme Weight Loss” on Amazon Prime… and I’ve seen them all 3 times. It took me the entire year to learn enough to be knowledgeable enough to lose that weight. I want to share what I’ve learned so YOU can succeed as well. Without the knowledge, you’ll fail like I did in my first few attempts.

If you follow the tips below, you will lose weight. YOU CAN DO IT! I did it, and I’m excited for you.

No-BS Weight Loss:

The Ultimate 10-Step Guide

Everyone is going to tell you you’re doing it wrong🙄😡

Everyone, and I mean everyone, thinks they know more than you about weight loss and health.
I initially tried a few different diet plans. Everyone scolded me and told me I was doing it in an unhealthy way. So I’d switch plans, until I was again scolded. I realized no matter which plan I chose, people would chastise me.

Guess what: people just like to look like the expert… especially at weight loss. People who have never had problems with staying in shape think they have “the answer” to weight loss. Skinny jerks. As if THEIR answer wasn’t being born with a faster metabolism and slower brain function. (Okay kidding, but it was really annoying).

Why do I put this tip first?

Because people WILL antagonize you about losing weight. I don’t know why, but your family will tell you “Just be fat and happy.” Your friends will tell you KETO is the only way, then others will tell you KETO is dumb. Some will preach intermittent fasting, and others will scoff at you and tell you you’re going to fail.

You’ll be surprised at the pushback. Fat humans are like crabs in a bucket, and skinny humans don’t believe you can change.

Don’t listen to the haters. You can do this. EVERY DIET WORKS. Choose the one that is easiest for you and attack it with FULL FORCE. Don’t just do it passively. Track it. Blow up big posters about weight loss and put them on your wall. Read books about it. Hang your weight goal on your ceiling so you see it when you wake up. Tattoo it on the back of your eyelids (metaphorically, that sounds painful).

You can do it. Haters can’t, that’s why they hate it. So DO IT. I promise you can.

Tip Summary: Don’t let people talk you out of your weight loss plan. Find a diet option that works for you and stick with it. Guess what, all diets work. Just use the one that works best for you.

Calorie Defecit is 👑

Losing weight isn’t easy, but the formula is simple. Consume fewer calories than you burn. Literally, for weight loss it all comes down to calories.

Someone who eats 1500 calories a day of cake frosting will lose the same amount of weight as someone who eats 1500 calories of lettuce.

Here’s how it breaks down. It’s a simple math equation. 1 pound is 3500 calories. So let’s do an example.

Sex: Male
Age: 33
Height: 5’9 Inches
Weight: 205
Calories burned a day: 2000 (as an example)
Calories consumed a day: 1500

How many days would it take him to lose 1 pound? I’ll show you the simple math.

2000-1500 = 500 – that’s his daily calorie deficit.
3500/500 = 7 days to lose a pound.

It will take him seven days. Really, it’s basically that simple. People try to find the magic pill or the secret sauce for weight loss. Guess what? That’s it. Consume fewer calories than you burn.

There are only a few mitigating factors:

Minimum calorie intake – Don’t eat too few calories. It could be dangerous. A general rule of thumb (but ask your doctor if you’re worried):
- Biological males – 1500 is the LOWEST you should go.
- Biological females – 1200 is the LOWEST you should go.
Exercise – exercise is a good way to increase your calorie deficit. If you consume 1800 calories in a day, then burn an additional 400 through running, your deficit goes from 400 to 800 calories a day. That’s awesome.
Metabolism & Plateaus – As you diet, your body adapts and gets accustomed to fewer calories. So the number of calories you burn naturally will decrease slightly after dieting for a while. Don’t worry, I discuss strategies for overcoming plataus in tip 6. Just know that even though it is just math, there will be some variability in your daily and weekly weight loss.

The Point

The Point here is simple: calories are the only things that matter when you’re talking strictly weight loss. Break it down to its simplest form and that’s how you lose weight.

It doesn’t matter where the calories come from. In fact, this man ate only junk food to prove it and lost thirty pounds!

Every diet works, so if you’re doing intermittent fasting, calorie counting, cutting out carbs, KETO, etc. you will lose weight… but you lose weight BECAUSE those diets give you a mechanism for reducing your calorie intake.

Tip Summary: Losing weight really comes down to a calorie deficit. Consume fewer calories than you burn and you WILL lose weight.

How Many Calories Should I Consume?

So if losing weight is all about cutting calories, how many calories should you consume?

Well, that depends on two questions: 1. How many calories do you burn daily before exercise? And 2. How fast do you want to lose weight?

1. How many calories do you burn daily before exercise?

If you want to be 100% accurate here, there are machines that measure your exact daily calorie burn. Go to a local gym or just Google a local business that does it. However, those things cost money, and we can approximate it for free.

In fact, I made this handy calculator tool you can use to determine approximately how many calories you burn a day. It’s based on your weight, gender, height, and age. There’s a lot of math that puts that number together, but it will be approximately accurate.

When you know how many calories you burn naturally a day, you can determine how many calories you need to eat to have a healthy weight-loss velocity.

2. How fast do you want to lose weight?

This is an important question. Healthy weight-loss velocity usually is 2 lbs per week maximum. You can end up losing anywhere between 1-3 pounds per week depending on your starting weight and how aggressive you want to be.

Again, the only minimum rule you must follow for safety purposes is 1200 calories/day minimum for women, 1500 calories/day minimum for men. But after that, do the math. Use the calculator to determine approximately how many calories you burn a day. Choose a deficit amount, then divide 3500 calories (which is one pound) by that to see how long it will take you to lose a pound.

This is the formula.

How many days it takes you to lose a pound (D)= 3500/(how many calories you burn a day(B)- how many calories you consume a day(C)).

D=3500/(B-C).

Play with that formula and decide how quickly you want to lose weight.

Additionally, you can increase velocity by increasing exercise. If you burn 400 calories running, you can add that to a deficit and you’ll lose weight faster.

⚠️CAUTION⚠️

Exercise isn’t a license to pig out. I will repeat this, but I would never recommend anyone exercise so they can eat more. For example, if your smart watch says you burned 500 calories playing basketball, I wouldn’t recommend you add 500 calories to your diet.

Unless you’re training for a marathon (or something else with that level of intensity), the most I would add to your diet if you exercise is 200-300 calories, and make it flat. Don’t increase beyond that if you increase your exercise. It’s just a game you don’t want to play (I will add more to that later).

The Number of Calories I Recommend

You always want to start with a higher calorie intake at the beginning so you have room to decrease it at plateaus. From there, it depends how overweight you are. If you are just trying to shed an extra 5-10 pounds, you should probably start at or near the minimum, 1200 calories/day for women, 1500 calories/day for men (add 200 calories if you’re just losing a few extra pounds).

But here’s how I would scale that:

If you want to lose 20-50 lbs, I’d start at 1700 for women and 1900 for men.
If you want to lose 50-75 pounds, I’d start at 1750 calories for women, and 2000 for men.
If you want to lose 75-200 pounds, I’d start at 1600-1700 for women and 2100-2400 for men.

If you want to lose more than 200 pounds, I’d go in and see someone. If that’s you: there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact I’m proud of you for wanting to make a change… you CAN climb that mountain. But I want you to be healthy enough to start this and do it in a strategic way… so please go see professionals.

Tip Summary: Find out approximately how many calories you burn a day using this calculator. Determine how fast you want to lose weight, and eat the appropriate number of calories. Never go below 1500 calories for men and 1200 calories for women.

What kind of food should I eat?

When I said calories are all that matter for weight loss: that’s true.

However: You won’t stick to a diet if you eat crap all day (crap’s not that nutritious anyway). You will lose the same weight if you eat 1500 calories of cookies or carrots, but you will be so tired hungry by day 3 of eating cookies you’ll quit your diet and be frustrated.

You need to know this: I don’t feel hungry when I diet. I don’t feel sad or tempted to eat everything when I diet. After the first 2 weeks of cravings (more on that later), I feel normal. Dieting is a breeze if you eat the right things.

So what should you eat?

Veggies – I recommend 100-200 of your daily calories are veggies (at least). I suck at eating vegtables… But do it and find a way to make it easier.

For example, that bag of veggies in the image: it’s $1 at Walmart. I buy 20 of those at a time, throw them in the freezer, and eat 1-2 a day. The bag has 100 calories, and if you microwave it it comes out steamed and soft. It helps me hit my minimum veggie intake.

If you hate veggies by the way, try to make them tastier. Sometimes, I add ¼ cup of marinara sauce (~25 calories depending on the brand) and 5 grams of parmesan cheese (~20 calories). It adds some calories, but it makes me more likely to get enough veggies; so it’s a net positive.
Macros – You’ve heard people talk about macros, what are they? Basically, there are micronutrients, like vitamin A or C, and macronutrients, like protein, carbs, and fat (which are made up of micronutrients). For macros, there are different breakdowns you could try for your diet. For weight loss,I recommend the approximate split in the pie chart above: 20-35% Fat, 25-45% Carb, and 35-50% Protein. It will make you feel the most full.However, if this is complicated for you, don’t start here. Just focus on eating meat, veggies, whole-wheat bread, eggs, fruit, and the like. Just eat healthy and prioritize healthy things… always counting the calories. A bigger focus on macros can come after you’re educated… but start simple. This blog post explains macros in detail if you want to learn more.

Protein – As you can see, you really need to focus on protein. Eggs and meat will become your favorite meals. Try lighter meats like chicken or turkey. Butterball makes a ground turkey that tastes almost identical to ground beef but lowers the calories per ounce by almost 40%.
Whole-Wheat Bread and More Fiber – You’ll learn that whole-wheat bread is actually slightly higher in calories than white bread. However, whole-wheat bread is higher in fiber. Fiber takes longer for your body to digest, so it makes you feel full longer. It’s usually worth the extra few calories to get whole-wheat bread. And, in general, try to find higher-fiber foods. It will make you feel fuller longer.
Sarah Lee 45 – I love this bread. It’s 45 calories per slice. And to be clear, they just cut regular thick bread in half. It’s just thin bread. But it’s a mental game: it really makes me feel like I’m eating the same amount of food for fewer calories. It’s mind games, but they actually help.
Eating Out – Surprise: You CAN eat out. Most national chains even have their nutritional information readily available on their menus. Just make sure you count it. Steak, pork, chicken, and rice are fewer calories than you’d guess.

Heck, most burger places will do the burger “protein style,” which takes out the bread and makes it much less calorie dense. My favorite fast food on a diet:
- Subway – A footlong ham sandwich with no cheese or mayo is 500 calories. I add honey mustard to make it taste good, then load it up with delicious veggies. It’s a good way to force yourself to eat veggies.
- Arby’s – Their classic roast beef sandwich is 320 calories.
- Panda Express – Panda is one of my favorite places to get a lot of veggies but make it delicious. My exact order there every time is a plate with half fried rice (310 calories) and half super greens (65 calories, black pepper sirloin steak (180 calroies), and string bean chicken breast (210 calories). It’s delicoius, filling, and a total of 765 calories. Not to mention it gives you a TON of veggies.
- Taco Bell – Several of their classic tacos are low in calories.
- Local Places – The only problem with local places is they don’t typically have nutritional information. You can eat there, but I recommend being a nerd and bringing a food scale so you know EXACTLY how many calories you eat (yes, I HAVE brought a food scale to a local fast food place. Yes, it was weird, but screw it… I lost weight).

Drinks – As a general rule, I don’t drink my calories. Cut out regular soda right NOW. CONFESSION: I love diet soda, so I still drink it.

The argument against diet soda is simple. It doesn’t add any calories to your day. You can drink 15 2-liters of diet soda a day and not gain a single pound. However, because there’s no sugar but it tastes like there is sugar, many have theorized it increases cravings. Basically, your body thinks it’s eating sugar. When it doesn’t receive sugar, it craves sugar… so your cravings increase.

That’s fine. I like Dr. Pepper too much to give up the zero version. I drink it all I want. Stop me, skinny haters.

I do conceed though: water makes you feel more full. If you drink only water, you will feel better. I just like Dr. Pepper Zero strawberries & cream so much I don’t care.

The only calories you should drink are protein shakes or low-calorie smoothies with veggies. Drinking them is optional, but I like them as craving killers. I also felt like if I drank one of those in the morning and one for a snack I’d feel fuller throughout the day. But that’s up to you. They range from 130 calories to 200 calories per container, and the powser gives you more flexibility. I prefer the lower calorie count per bottle, it’s just a mental game for me. The key is: Get as much protein as you can for as few calories as possible.

My favorite is brand of protein shake is the pre-made Orgain shakes (pictured above). It’s delicious, low in calories, and high in protein with some bonus fiber.

**Count EVERYTHING You Put in Your Mouth**

A lot of diets fail for one simple reason.

You think you’ve eaten fewer than 1900 calories. You promise you only ate (calorie counts are approx.):

Breakfast – 3 eggs (225 calories), 2 pieces of toast (150 calories), and veggies (100 calories).
Lunch – 1 ham sandwiches (230 calories), a banana (100 calories), and a protein shake (140 Calories).
Dinner – Pork chop (400 calories), a baked potato with salt and light sour cream (450 calories), and veggies (100 calories).

In total, you think you only ate 1895. Your goal was between 1865-1900 calories a day. But after 3 weeks, you found you GAINED weight. Why?

Because you didn’t count:

The butter you glopped heavily on your bread to make toast (150 calories)
The handful of grapes you ate as you left the house (50 calories).
The “small taste” of chocolate cake you had at work (100 calories).
The glass of milk you had after work (200 calories).
The soda you had at your desk (260 calories).
The handful of popcorn you had while watching TV (100 calories).

That might FEEL normal to you, but you added 860 calories to your day! Sorry, but you want those “tastes” more than you want to lose weight. So you’re going to stay fat.

Do you feel attacked? Good. Stop it. DON’T EAT ANYTHING YOU DON’T COUNT.

“But but but what if it’s my birthday… then can I not count something…?”

NO! You count EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

“But it was just a small handful of nuts.”

I DON’T CARE! COUNT IT.

You have to even count:

The butter you add to toast. Weigh it before and after the butter.
The mayo you add to your sandwich (pro tip: light mayo tastes about the same as normal mayo and is way less calorie-dense).
The parmesan cheese you add.
Barbecue sauce (more dense with calories than you think).
Sour cream (another time the light version tastes the same but drastically cuts calories).
Etc.

How To Track It

Personally, I track my daily calorie intake on a calculator on my phone. I also record weekly calorie averages in a spreadsheet.

It doesn’t matter how you track your calories throughout the day, even paper and pen will suffice. Just choose what’s MOST convenient for you and use it. There are many apps that help you track for free and they are great tools if it’s something you’d like. The two most popular calorie-tracking apps I’ve found are:

Functionally, there’s little difference between the two. Both are available on Andriod and iPhone. Choose the UI that is easiest for you and go for it! I have used both those apps in the past, but for me it has become simpler to use a calculator. Whatever works for you is what’s best, it’s all preference.

Food Scale

In order to count everything, you almost need a food scale. They’re not that expensive. We sell one for $13.53.

With a food scale, you NEVER have to guess how many calories are in the food you’re eating. Read the label, it will say how many calories are in a food item. Then look at the serving size. Usually it will say a certain number of grams, ounces, or similar. You can set your food scale to the correct unit of measure, weigh the food, and viola! You know EXACTLY how many calories you ate.

Additionally, you can google how many calories are in each element. If your in-laws cook steak, google “how many calories are in 1 oz of cooked steak.” It’ll give you an answer. If you’re at a Rodizio restaurant, google each meat’s calorie/ounce (make sure it says cooked) and weigh it! You never have to “guess” how many calories you eat when you have a food scale.

And again, you count EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. Do not eat or drink anything that you don’t count. Don’t forget to count the butter you add (It will kill your diet.

Cheat Days🙂And Plateaus 🙁

Are cheat days good?

100% yes. Like I said earlier, as you diet your metabolism will slow down. Your body will begin to naturally burn fewer calories, so it will become harder and harder to lose weight.

One way to prevent this and to reset everything is to do a cheat day about once every 3.5-6 weeks (don’t you dare go more frequent than that). A cheat day doesn’t mean eat everything in sight. But you should increase your calorie intake that day by about 1000-1500 calories. I recommend most of those extra calories are carbs.

Have fun with it. Schedule it on a birthday or anniversary. Go out to a nice dinner. Enjoy it. It will reset your metabolism and help your diet overall.

Beating Plateaus

It’s going to happen. You’ll be eating right and exercising, but at some point your body will just stop losing weight. Don’t panic, there are several ways to break through a plateau.

I define a plateau as not losing any weight for more than 2 weeks. Be honest with yourself. Have you been following the diet? If so, and you’re not losing weight, then you are in a plateau. I guarantee this will happen.

In a plateau, I recommend doing the following things in order:

Workout Intensity – Increase the intensity of your workout. Instead of running 1 mile in 10 minutes, run 2 miles. Instead of 20 pushups, do 2 sets of 20, and so on.
Cheat Day – You should do this anyway. But if you are plateauing, do an emergency cheat day. Increase your calorie count by 1000-1500 for a day. Then, weigh in after the cheat day; you probably will gain 3-7 lbs (mostly water weight). Then track it for another 1.5 weeks. The weight should start coming off again. (Note: if you do an emergency cheat day, your next one should reset and be AT LEAST 3-6 weeks away from this one).
Lower your calorie count – You never should START your diet at your lowest possible calorie count. When I weighed 320 pounds, I started my daily calorie count at 2200/day plus exercise. When you start higher, then you have room to reduce at plateaus. So, if you’re in a plateau and steps 1-2 didn’t work, try lowering your caloire count by 100-200 calories a day. This will always get you back on track after a few days. But remember, males shouldn’t drop below 1500 calories, and females shouldn’t drop below 1200.
Patience – Be patient. Eventually the plateau will end. If you’ve increased workout intensity as much as you can, you’ve tried a cheat day, and you can’t lower your calorie count any more: just be patient. It may take weeks, but the weight will suddenly drop again. Physics always work. If you’re in a calorie defecit, you will lose weight.

Don’t get discouraged, you’ll bounce back from it.

Motivation: Write Down Your Progress and More.

Just as important as feeding your body correctly is feeding your brain correctly. I always tell everyone: losing weight is 99% knowledge… but part of knowledge is knowing how to motivate yourself.
There are a few things you have to do:

Media – You’ve got to get it in your head that losing weight is what everyone is thinking about. If everyone’s doing something, your brain is more likely to embrace it and want to do it too.
In the that spirit, read our weight loss blog, find weight-loss podcasts, TV shows, or the like. Part of your weight-loss journey is watching a show or listening to a podcast daily or at least a few times a week. That help is invaluable… and it’s really not optional.
I watched an episode of Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell every time I exercised. That daily check in got weight loss in my head, and I found myself thinking about it throughout the day.
Weigh In Daily – For most, weighing in DAILY is essential. Yes, you will have some days that gain a pound or two even if you’re strictly on your diet (fluctuations are normal). But seeing that number every day will remind your brain daily that you are trying to lose weight. Get a scale if you don’t have one.
Write Down Progress – I recommend getting a white board and hanging it up somewhere, or even a paper calendar. I love the visual of writing down your weekly weigh in number and seeing it your wall every week on a white board or a calendar.
If you don’t want to do that, make a spreadsheet. Make sure you’re recording at least weekly weigh-ins. I DO recommend weighing in every day, but weekly is essential.
**A note about weigh-ins: Do it at the same time every day wearing the same clothing. I do it every day after my morning shower before I get dressed. Clothing, time of day, and other things can cause variability. There will still be some fluctuation if you do it at the same time in the same clothes, but it will be less drastic.
Remember Your Why – You will have a reason you’re doing this. If you’re in a tempting situation, remind yourself WHY you want to lose weight. Re-connecting to your why will help.
Parties and Events – Parties and events were my killers early on. I would be following my diet, then I’d go to a party promising myself I’d only eat veggies or stick to 1 steak.

Then, at the party I’d eat everything I could find. Chips, potato “salad”, cake, brownies, cookies… I ate it all. It nearly unseated me. Here’s how I beat that:

Eat a meal before events that are going to tempt you. I usually ate 2 veggie bags (200 calories), 2 eggs (~140 calories), and 1 protein shake (~140-160 calories). Do it right before you leave the door to the party, or on your way.

When you attend the event with a full stomach, it’s much easier to say no to the tempting food. Also, get to know yourself. I know if I tell myself “I’m going to eat just a little bit at a party,” I can’t do it. I’ll overeat for sure. BUT: If I say: “I’m not eating anything at this part,” I do very well.

The First Two Weeks

The first two weeks are going to stretch you. And I don’t mean stretch lines.

You are going to be hungry and distracted those first two weeks. Make sure you’re really focused on your macros so you can be as full as possible. EAT VEGGIES. Those first two weeks are the hardest two weeks of the diet by FAR.

But once you reach about the two-week mark, something beautiful happens. You will feel BETTER and FULLER than you did before you started. Food you used to crave won’t even be appealing. You’ll have more energy even with fewer calories.

Additionally, you’ll lose weight the fastest the first two weeks. Most of the weight you lose early on is water weight, so it can easily be put back on. Let that excitement of losing a ton of weight fast be momentum to carry you through to the next stage of the diet.

Be patient with the first two weeks. You’re building momentum.

Weight Loss Isn’t Linear

Anyone who has tried long-term weight loss can attest to this. You’ll lose weight consistently for 2-3 weeks. Then, without notice, you’ll gain 2 pounds.

It will make you want to quit, but don’t. In the above graph, you’ll see a normal weight loss pattern. If you weigh in daily (which I do), you’ll gain a pound occasionally, and sometimes it will be days before you lose any more weight.

There are several reasons for this.

Bowell Movement – When did you have your last bowell movement? The more recent, the lower weight.
Salt Intake – Was your diet on the saltier side the day before? That’s not necessarily a negative (as long as it’s not in excess), but more salt will make your body hold onto more water, which will make your daily weigh-in higher.
Last Time You Ate – Let’s say you ate at 10 PM the day before because of a busy day. Even if you were within your calorie limit, your morning weight will be higher… but your real weight will still be on track.
What You’re Wearing – I recommend wearing the same thing every time you weigh in to reduce variability, but if you do wear something different, you’ll be surprised at the small variations you’ll see on the scale.
Time of Day – Typically you weigh the least in the morning and the most at night. But even a few hours difference in weigh-in time can mean few pounds different in weight.

Something I do to counteract this: I add my weight every day to a Google Sheet. Then, I have a formula that automatically gets the weekly averages for each week. The weekly average weight is always dropping, even if the daily weigh-ins are all over the board. It helps you see a consistant trend.

One time I dropped 5 pounds in a week because I was sick. My lowest weight that week was 265. The next week, I averaged 268. Two weeks later, I averaged 264. It helped me to see my average was dropping even though my daily weight record was lower than my average (due to illness).

Bottom line here: don’t be discouraged if your weight fluctuates day in and day out. Don’t consider it a plateau unless you really haven’t lost any weight in over 2 weeks. Pay more attention to if you’re sticking to your plan, because that will always work.

Exercise

Notice two things here:

I didn’t skip exercise. So it is important.
I put it last. So it’s not as important as other things.

Exercise is not as important as diet. You will never out-exercise a bad eating plan. Weight loss is mostly about what you eat, not what you do.

However, dieting is passive. Exercise is active. I think the biggest benefit to exercise is the mental game. It makes you feel like you’re actually doing something instead of just waiting for your weight to come off. You get pumped up when you work out. It shapes your body in the ways you want it to be shaped.

Also… it burns more calories. Since you can’t reduce your diet below 1500 calories a day for men and 1200 calories a day for women (have I said that enough times yet?), if you want to lose weight faster, exercise is the only way to increase your deficit.

In general, there are two different kinds of exercise. Some will say cardio is all that matters. Others will say cardio is stupid and only weight training is important. Ignore anyone who makes either of these arguments, because they’re stupid.

Cardio – Cardio burns the most calories the fastest. Running is probably the quickest way to burn off extra calories.

Cardio can also be fun. I play basketball 3 times a week. To me, it barely feels like I’m contributing to weight loss. I just enjoy dunking on people.

Find something fun with cardio. Go to a dance class, ride a bike, go for a walk, or the like. Get your heart pumping, that’s what cardio is all about.

And there ARE health benefits to cardio outside of just burning calories. It reduces stress, increases energy, and the like. It’s so good for mental health. So do it.
Weight Training – Weight training doesn’t burn as many calories during the exercise as cardio, but that doesn’t make it any less important. It does burn more calories after the workout than cardio. Two things about weight training:

- You shape your body through weight lifting. So if you’re losing weight to look better, lifting weights can put your body in a more pleasing shape.
- Bigger muscles mean a higher metabolic resting rate. Meaning: if your muscles are bigger, your body has to work just a bit harder to keep energy in those muscles. That means instead of burning 2200 calories a day at rest, if you weight train frequently and have bigger muscles, you’ll burn 2300 at rest ((approximately… honestly I just made those example numbers up… but the principle is true).

Whatever the reason, I recommend weight training and cardio. No, they’re not as important as diet, but they ARE important. Find something fun and just do it.

There are several YouTube videos that will show you basic weight lifting and good technique. Be careful if you’re inexperienced because you can hurt yourself. I found this handy guide for beginners if you’re a complete weight-lifting novice. But take time, bring someone with you who knows what they’re doing, and go for it.

I recommend working out 3-5 times a week. You can go as many as 6 times a week if you’re crazy, but don’t do 7. Your body needs at least one day off.

So… can I eat more?

I wouldn’t trust your smart watch or anything else to tell you how many calories you burned while exercising. In general, on days with intense workouts, it’s smart to increase your calorie intake by 100-300 calories (so you have the energy to complete your workout). But don’t increase it more than that, even if your watch tells you you’ve burned 500 calories.

If you eat 500 calories more because your watch says you burned 500 calories running, you probably will struggle to lose weight.

EXCEPTION: When I trained for and ran a marathon (after losing the 110 lbs), I HAD to increase my calorie intake. I was running ~40 miles a week. In marathon training, dieting has to change. Any other very intense plan will require more calories so you have energy to burn. But those are the exception for intense workout plans.

Summary

There are the 10 tips. Ignore the haters, consume fewer calories than you burn, eat healthy, count everything, cheat rarely, motivate yourself, the first two weeks are the only ones that suck, don’t expect linear weight loss, and exercise.

But seriously: weight-loss is rewarding and worth it. Dare I say it? Weight loss can even be fun.

I don’t regret it. I don’t even regret my several false starts either. I failed probably 50 times before I succeeded. That’s normal. Don’t let failure discourage you… think of it as steps towards success.

Slowly build momentum. As you start to see the weight come off, you’ll be excited and more motivated. That builds momentum. That momentum will lead to more weight loss, which will further encourage you. And so on.

So I’ll leave you with the immortal advice of Shia LaBeouf: