When we take a slower approach to shedding bodyfat it has longer lasting results. I never recommend taking in less calories than your BMR, (basal metabolic rate). In fact, it is one of the worst way to lose weight because it will lower your metabolism and prepare your body for famine, this is when the body stores nutrients for future famine, especially bodyfat. This is also why most people gain even more weight after fad diets. Instead, learn how to eat healthy balanced meals, raise your metabolism, and increase your activity effectively to burn away bodyfat.

The rule is simple; eat less calories than you expend. Even though you now understand that this does not mean having to go on a crash diet, how many of you probably read that statement to mean, "eat less...". That is dead wrong, more accurately it should read, "eat more and spend even more". For example, you can literally lose bodyfat and build muscle eating a whopping 4,000 kcals, so long as you expend 4,500 or more kcals, get the picture. Most of us don't have enough time in the day to expend that many kcals through activities and exercise or the metabolism of a teenager, so determining the exact amount that works for you may take some work and usually the help of a nutritionist.

The best way to proceed is simple.....feed the machine with a moderate amount of the most nutrient dense foods that you enjoy and increase your caloric expenditure just by moving it. After all, isn't this how most people live. Hit or miss, this will provide you with limited results. Now we can begin to see the importance of counting calories.

If bodyfat were the savings in your bank account, most of us would have no problem dwindling our savings account by finding something to spend it on. When your withdrawals (through exercise and activities), exceed your deposits (eating), your savings will obviously dwindle. Bodyfat is really nothing more than stored savings (energy).

How much should you expect to lose? Nobody can answer that concisely. That is a tough one because so many factors account for individual loss such as how long has one been "dieting", how much effort are they putting into their exercises, (too much or too little), how strict are their choices of nutrition, how old they are, gender, supplements, and even choices of clothing (one factor affecting thermogenises). There are a myriad of factors that will determine the body's ability to metabolize the stored adipose tissue (bodyfat) and dictate the rate of that loss.

Better yet is to ask yourself, how long did it take to put this excess bodyfat on? Perhaps 6 months, 5 years or maybe 20 years. Don't expect to undo your personal life history in a fraction of that time. A good rule of thumb is that it can take you about as long to shed as it did to gain or about .5 to 1.5 lbs. of bodyfat per week. Anything more than that is most likely to be water and LBM (lean body mass) or worse, it could indicate metabolic problems. This is important to understand, that slower is better, it is safer and has a longer lasting effect. Consulting with your trainer or nutritionist can help you understand and set realistic goals here.

Don't need to loose 10 lbs? Try strapping a 10 lb. dumbbell to your ...... and see how fast you can run. Think about that extra 10 lbs. you are always carrying around and don't have the luxury of setting it down. Even advanced level athletes need to control bodyfat levels. Think of the disadvantage even five pounds would be at a time trial. If only 1 lb. of bodyfat is roughly 3,500 kcals, then 10 lbs. of bodyfat is a whopping 35,000 kcals of stored energy! So start spending your savings.

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