Why are we fat?

To lose weight you need to increase activity and decrease calories. Theoretical equations sound so easy, don't they? But if losing weight really were this simple, why does the collective girth of the United States continue to grow? According to a Harris phone survey from March 1998, a whopping 76 percent of adults older than age 25 were found to be heavier than the recommended weight for their height and body frame. The percentage of the population in the "obese" category (weighing 20 percent or more above recommended weight) was 28 percent. However, the National Institutes of Health puts the rate of overweight adults at 55 percent.

What's behind this growth?

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How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off

Successful weight-loss strategies that work.

It’s the 20- or 40- or even 60-pound question. How do you lose weight and keep it off?

A team of researchers created the National Weight Control Registry to find out. Using newspaper and magazine advertisements, they identified about 5,000 people who had successfully lost weight and kept it off. Study participants lost an average of 72 pounds. Although some gained back some weight, all maintained at least a 30-pound loss.

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10 Steps for Weight Loss

By: Russell Davies

1) Calculate how many calories you body needs to consume to maintain your existing weight. This is called you maintenance calories.(Search google with "calorie needs" and you will find a few different calculators to help you with this)

2) Initially deduct 10%(to a maximum of 500Kcal)off the total maintenance calories. Drastically reducing your calories will result in muscle and water loss - not fat loss.

3)Divide you calories over 5 or 6 meals rather then 2 or 3. You should aim to eat every 3-4 hours.

4)Cut out all simple carbohydrates (except straight after exercise, eat whole grain, high fibre foods.)

5) Exercise at least 3 times a week, doing 30 minutes of cardio to a reasonable level of intensity. This will help to create the calorie defecit and encourage your body to lose fat.

6)Make simple replacements in your diet, Sweetner in place of sugar, diet drinks in place of full sugar drinks, use leaner cuts of meat etc. At first these changes may be difficult but you will get used to them and make vital calorie savings every day.

7) Drink plenty of water - at least 2 litres of water every day - if you are dehydrated you body will be less efficient and will make fat loss more difficult.

8) Try to eat low carb(complex only!), low fat and moderate protein. From my experience the South Beach Diet is excellent.

9)Keep a food diary to monitor how many calories you are consuming - it is very easy to over eat.

10) Supplementing you diet can make fat loss easier. A diet high in protein can help preserve muscle (more muscle means an increase in metabolism). There are also some fat loss supplements available which help boost your metabolism, this is useful as your metabolism may slow during extended periods of dieting.

This article is written from my own experiences. I have lost 20lbs of fat and gained 20lbs of muscle. My body fat is 11%. Please consult a doctor for proper medical advice

I am a fitness enthusiast and write about my experience of fat loss and exercise. I have recently opened my own supplement website. http://www.thesupplementsite.co.uk