Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice. Before starting dietary changes, and/or exercise, please consult your physician.

When it comes to weight loss, the best approach is to go “Back to Basics.”

We are living in the era of “enlightenment,” and are constantly flooded with data on this or that. Weight loss happens to be one of those areas where there is literally an abundance of data. Sadly, an abundance of information and little time to sift through it leaves us sometimes bewildered.

One then asks, “who do I believe?” “What do I do?” “What course must I follow?” To this, there is no straightforward answer. But, do not despair. One thing that I have found in my personal journey is that the “Back to Basics” approach is a tried and tested one. Yes, there might be a little tweaking here and there necessary. The reason for this is that one size does not fit all in this case.

What are the basics? Well, we all know that. With few exceptions, it is as simple as energy balance. If energy consumed equals energy used, then everything remains the same. Taking this premise, we can conclude that if energy used is greater than energy consumed, then a deficit is created and, therefore, weight loss will follow (as mentioned above, there are few exceptions to this rule).

Now, many will go the wrong way, and opt out for energy deprivation. Not good. You can only sustain this approach for so long, and we all know the potential consequences (health related issues, regaining all the weight soon after, and so on). This is not the safest way to lose weight if you want to keep it off.

Now, the more sane approach. You can combine healthy eating with a good exercise regime. Yep, no way around this. If you are truly looking to make a long lasting impact, you MUST add exercise. Now, it can be as simple as walking three to five times a week for half an hour. There are scores of things you can do to exercise. I won’t beat that old horse here, but I cannot overemphasize the necessity of exercising.

So, to lose one pound, you need to burn (create an energy deficit) 3,500 calories. You don’t need to start accounting for every calorie you consume unless you want to do that. You do need to consume less calorie dense foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, etc. These kinds of foods should compose the bulk of what you eat. Beware of processed and refined foods.

I personally have found that a combination of light aerobic exercise and strength training works really well. One will help you lose weight while the other will assist in weight loss and tone your body. To me, this is a win-win combination.

What I have shared comes out of my empirical experience. May this info be of help to you.

I would like to leave you with the following quote:

“No one climbs the ladder of success with their hands in their pocket.” —Nido Qubein

With kind regards,

Edward Lara