Throwing off those extra pounds you believe are holding you back from getting that self-satisfied feeling you long for may seem to be a simple task at first. You ask a friend for advice, or look up the Internet and the range of diets you find to choose from is wider than the selection of appetizers on a self-service bar at a high budget cocktail party.

Still, instead of getting lost among the endless “sure to lose weight” dieting methods making your head buzz by the time you scan through the first few pages of web search results, the simplest rule to keep to is the one all diets have in common: consume less energy than you use up. In other words, if your energy usage is greater than your energy intake, you will lose weight. That is the reason behind statements claiming a healthy diet to be more essential to weight loss than exercise. It’s way easier to eat less in the first place than work several hours to burn away extra calories, especially if you don’t have the time to go to a fitness gym or the courage to get up for a workout on your own. The best, naturally, is to combine the two: a healthy diet plus regular exercise, particularly if your goal of weight loss is paired with the desire to tone your body.

(more…)