Weight Loss Secrets Revealed...Well, Sort Of, Anyway.

In case you didn't know, I lost 40 pounds over a 6-month period. The change was so drastic that people who hadn't seen me in a while didn't recognize me. The most common question I get asked even now is, "how did you lose all that weight?"

Are you ready to find out my proven secret? It's so simple, I guarantee anyone can do it. Do you really want to learn my simple mathematical formula for weight loss? Here it is:

Decreased Input + Increased Output = Success.

Well gee, that's great, Tim, but what does that mean?

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but the truth is that there is no magic bullet when it come to losing weight. It takes a change in perspective, and it takes real commitment.

The first step toward shedding the pounds is to decrease your caloric intake. In other words, for you Gator fans, this means EAT LESS. Okay, I'm sorry, that Gator snipe was uncalled for. I apologize. Florida Gator fans are not unintelligent people. They're just misguided. Where was I? Right. Eating less. If you want to lose weight, start counting calories. It doesn't really matter how you count them - you can join a program like Weight Watchers, which uses a points system to simplify the process, or you can read the labels of everything you put in your mouth.

There are a number of websites and services available to help you count your calories. Right now, I use "MyNet Diary." They have a free app you can download to your smartphone, and it connects to a database that has virtually everything you might think to eat. Simply input your meals and snacks and it will tell you the total calories. It will also track your daily calorie intake and, using weight and height information input by you, it will tell you how many calories you need to eat in order to continue your progress.

The app is also very good about telling you when you are not eating enough. It will tell you how long it will take to reach your goal if you stay with the plan, and it's quite accurate.

MyNet Diary is just one of many apps and programs available. I use it because i found it worked very well and, well frankly, it was free.

The next step is to increase your caloric output. This is the hard part. It starts with you getting up off the couch, right now, and strapping on a pair of decent running shoes and pounding some pavement. Don't worry about going too far or too fast. Not yet, anyway. Just worry about moving your body and burning off those calories.

Remember, food is fuel. Fuel is full of energy. If you take in excess energy, your body stores it as fat. Your fat is kind of like a battery. Have you ever left a cell phone on a charger for too long? What happens? Over time, the battery life begins to decrease. It will even become bloated. Our bodies respond similarly. If we take in more energy than we need, we become bloated as we store all of that extra energy we didn't use. The difference between us and a battery is that we can reverse the process. We simply need to put our extra energy to use.

I know this isn't the news you wanted to hear, but the fact is there really is no hidden secret to weight loss and healthier living. You simply need to just get out there and do it. The good news is that, in the end, you'll feel better about yourself and you'll inspire others, as well.