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In the previous article in the Simple Guide to Getting into Shape, we discussed the importance of proper planning, goal setting, and how to execute a plan. Now we’re going to start getting into more specifics. This article is going to focus on fast weight loss and the importance of the acronym, K.I.S.S. or Keep it Simple, Stupid.

Jennifer’s Weight Loss Journey

Jennifer was 200 pounds overweight, and decided that it was time she turn her life around and go on a serious diet. She researched diets intensively, read multiple books on the differences between different kinds of diets, learned about the exact nutrition value that should be in her foods, which fats were more important than other fats, which foods most effected metabolism, and so on.

This was all well and good, and surely Jennifer now knew more about dieting than most other people. The only problem was that Jennifer, 2 weeks into her diet, was overburdened by the complexity of her diet and could no longer keep it up. At only 2 weeks, she gave up.

Where Jennifer Went Wrong

Jennifer’s problem was that she turned fast weight loss, something that should be simple, into something extremely complicated. She went about her diet by way of complex formulas, calculating metabolic values of different foods, and other over the top methods of weight loss rather than just counting calories.

[Jennifer knew that blackberries were a source of polyphenol antioxidants, but she forgot that she was supposed to eat less of them!]

If Jennifer had focused on decreasing her calorie input without worrying about the specifics, she wouldn’t have been overwhelmed and very likely would have reached her weight loss goals.

Fast Weight Loss...Made Easy

The secret to losing weight quickly isn’t analyzing every individual food and it’s sodium content (this is a joke), but rather on focusing 100% on calorie reduction. If you reduce your calorie input, you’ll lose weight.

For one or two days, track your food intake and carefully calculate how many calories you generally consume for one day. Then when you go on your diet, subtract calories from your diet to lose weight. By subtracting only 500 calories a day from your diet, you’ll lose 1 pound of fat a week!

Jennifer Tries Again...and Succeeds!

After talking it over with her friends and finding some good tips on the internet, Jennifer decided to try her diet again. This time, she decided to keep it simple and only count calories.

Every day, she made sure that she was eating at least 500 less calories than usual, and made sure to eat plenty of vegetables (like tomatoes and carrots) that were low calorie and high in nutrients. After only a month, she lost 6 pounds of fat!

K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple, Stupid.

The reason for Jennifer’s success in her second attempt at losing weight was that she kept her diet simple. Keeping your diet and workout plans simple is one of the most effective ways to make sure that you’re able to succeed and reach your set fitness goals.

[This is a little off topic, but Richard Feynman, one of the greatest scientists in history, was amazing at explaining science in a really easy to understand manner. I love his analogy here of how scientists are apes trying to put two sticks together to reach the banana, and most of the time it's terribly frustrating but ocassionally there's a tremendous amount of enjoyment of figuring out how to put the sticks together and reaching the banana.]

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