Write it down

Ok so you know your number (weight lose is simple math) now we need to stick to it. You can help accomplish this by keeping a journal of EVERYTHING you put into your body in a day. This includes gum, sports drinks, condiments, EVERYTHING. Here’s why: Exercise will make you hungry. Yep, that’s right, the more you exercise the more you will want to eat. Do you think it’s a coincidence the McDonalds has play grounds? You have to think, if a kid plays five minutes and burns 50 calories, he might then go inside and consume 500 calories or even 1,000. The same applies to us.

After we exercise, we often crave sugary calories like those in muffins or in "sports" drinks like Gatorade. A standard 20-oz. bottle of Gatorade contains 130 calories. If you're hot and thirsty after a 20-minute run in summer heat, it's easy to guzzle that bottle in 20 seconds, in which case the caloric expenditure and the caloric intake are probably a wash. From a weight-loss perspective, you would have been better off sitting on the sofa knitting.

So find your balance. Use your number. Compare it to your journal. Know where you are and how many calories you have remaining in your day, and don’t forget the math

Your number – 500 calories = 1 pound a week in weight lose

It doesn’t matter if those 500 calories are from exercise or a lower caloric intake.

Fact of the day: A pound of muscle burns approximately six calories a day in a resting body, compared with the two calories that a pound of fat burns. So get those knitting needles out and let’s start converting.