Losing weight isn't as complicated as the media, gyms, and weight loss products make it out to be. If you can do basic algebra, you can lose weight!  The hardest part about losing weight is breaking old, unhealthy habits and replacing them with healthy ones.

Most people are probably aware that eating too much food will make you fat, but many of the same people have trouble understanding the other side of the equation: losing weight.  Its pretty simple: the human body has a basic need for energy and needs to get it from somewhere. If you eat enough food the need will be filled, if you don't eat enough the body can make up the difference from reserves (fat, and to a lesser extent, other tissues) in your body.  The human body is also an incredibly efficient machine, storing any excess energy in reserves.

Think of it like you would paying your bills every month. If your income doesn't cover the amount of the bills, you will draw from your checking account to make up the difference. Likewise, if you have extra money, it goes to the bank for later use.

You can control both parts of the weightloss equation: energy expenditure and energy intake.  A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so eating 500 less calories than you burn every day for a week would cause you to lose a pound.

Weight Gained or Lost=Calories Burned minus Calories Consumed

Energy Expenditure

How much energy you use is determined by your metabolism and your activity level.  Genetics play a large part in determining how much energy you burn by, well, just sitting around. Some people have naturally very high metabolisms, making it hard for them to gain weight, while others have slower metabolisms making it easier to gain weight.  While there is nothing you can do about your genetics, there are other factors that also contribute to your metabolic rate: