My 'secret' is still the same. Calories in vs calories out. If I let my intake go up a bit, I gain some weight and when I reduce it back down, I lose it again.
It's not difficult.
Fads are just that, fads. Fasting works because it reduces your calorie intake. Low carb works because it effectively reduces your calorie intake -
this is a really good read.
Calories, calories, it's all about calories.
To be fair, I think most people know that to lose weight, you eat less calories, to gain weight you consume more calories, I don’t think there’s any confusion over that.
However the fact I like to highlight, is that most people aren’t always clear on
why they end up consuming more calories than they need,
why they overeat and become overweight,
why they end up in the position they’re in and crucially - end up in it so easily.
For example, saying “eat fewer calories” will treat obesity the same way saying “drink less alcohol” will cure alcoholism, however neither “treatment” will deal with the root cause, because the root cause can be a lot more complicated.
The question is - why do people overeat? And crucially -
how do they overeat, how is it possible to keep eating food in excess, more than what you need, to the point where you’re badly overweight or obese - and still keep on overeating? Why can people carry on doing it until they literally kill themselves with food? Why don’t their bodies try and stop them?
The answer is, their bodies do try and stop them, unfortunately with junk food - it’s mostly engineered on purpose to defeat the bodies natural satisfaction mechanisms, so you can consume 3000 calories of junk that provides no dietary satisfaction at all, so people just keep eating and eating.
For a normal person to eat 3500 calories of fruit, veg, lean meat and whole grains in one day is absolutely miserable, so people don’t do it, people who eat very healthy diets don’t overeat - because it’s almost impossible to pull off, the body prevents it from happening, because all the hormonal signals that prevent overeating kick in and work properly.
Most people however, have no problem sitting in front of the TV and eating a large pepperoni pizza, with cheesecake and a bottle of coke. (3500cal give or take)
This is why when it comes to weight gain, a calorie is absolutely not a calorie, its one of the main reasons people go back to old habits and regain weight, they don’t understand the importance of eating healthily, they think that the only thing that matters is the number of calories they consume. Its one of the reasons why more than 50% of people who lose weight, regain it all back, and more within a 12-24 months.