You've heard it a million times, Eat Less, Move More.

You’ve may have also heard that that ELMM = Eat Less Move More is a failed strategy for weight loss. The rationale is something like one, or more, of the following:

• A calorie is not a calorie, because two people who eat the same amount won't weigh the same, or gain or lose the same amount of weight.

• The 3500 cal/pound fat figure is wrong because with deliberate overfeeding
or caloric restriction, people don't gain or lose exactly as this formula would predict.

• If you eat less your metabolism will just slow down to compensate.

• If you move more deliberately, aka exercise, you'll just move less later in the day
and/or be so hungry you'll compensate by eating more.

A study of body composition of small children as related to total body fat and physical activity level published in 2012 indicates that non-exercise activity thermogenesis is genetically hardwired. This means that naturally more active babies put on less body fat than the naturally less active ones because they naturally expend more energy.

There are many studies which show that there’s a wide variation between the resting energy expenditures of different individuals. A study of Thermogenesis after cold and overfeeding published in 2007 indicates that thermogenic responses are genetically hardwired.

Although it appears possible that both non-exercise exercise activity and thermogenesis is genetically hardwired, there are many gurus and diet book authors who say that eating this or that macronutrient, taking this or that supplement, exercising or not exercising this or that way, or adopting their particular food and/or exercise plan holds the magic answer.

Maybe I’m a pessimist, but I don’t believe there’s a whole lot that we can do about our genetic hardwiring. Personally I prefer to manage calories-out in a manner I know there is some control over, rather than chase after false promises of boosting metabolism through various other, largely untested/unsubstantiated, and often expensive, means.

I'm not aware of any clinical evidence that supports the notion
that a person can't lose weight eating less total calories of whatever.
*How* a person prefers to eat less is individual.
Different diets or food plans seem to really be merely variations of the same general theme. The amount an individual need to eat or the amount they need to exercise to accomplish weight-loss is different from person-to-person.

Calories-in is just a shorthand way to describe the amount of food we put into the body.
Calories-out is just a shorthand way to describe the amount of energy the body uses.
Calories-in/Calories-out is merely a shorthand way to generally describe how energy in the body works. That's it. That's all it means. 

However, what’s true is that those calories numbers are often different for different people
…even for those people who have the same height, weight, age, and activity level.
The bodies of different Individuals are genetically different, and EVERYONE doesn’t have a body that uses the same exact amount of energy. Some types of food might provide different energy for different bodies. Some people have to take less calories in, because their body simply doesn’t use as many calories.

There are scientific studies that show people successfully losing weight simply by cutting portion sizes and making no other change. Again, someone might argue whether this is sustainable, but that argument could apply to any type of diet, way of eating, or lifestyle program, including one that changes macronutrient content.

It seems to me that Consistent Adherence to a Diet, or Way of Eating, is the most important predictor of success...not the macronutrient content. If changing macronutrient content helps a person to consistently adhere better to that diet or way of eating, then great. But if it doesn't, that person won't have any more success with it, than with any other approach.

I’m thinking that what matters is getting one’s individual Diet, or Way of Eating, to support the lifestyle that one wishes to have. We don’t need to get caught up in whether or not the lifestyles of other people match the Diet or Way of Eating that we’ve chosen.

Carbs make you sluggish?

Reduce them.

LOW carbs make you a miserable nonfunctional wreck?

Eat more of them.

Hate physical exercise?

Do only the amount of exercise necessary to keep your body functional for your normal activities.

Running makes your body feel good?

Run.

Obese or overweight and want to weigh less?

Adjust your calorie intake…. of whatever foods you choose to eat within your personal lifestyle …DOWN, and eat only the calorie amount …of whatever foods you choose to eat within your personal lifestyle….that your body needs to sustain the weight you want it to be. Ignore the advice of experts that contradicts your own experience.  If averaging 1200 calories daily causes your body to be overweight or obese, eat less than 1200 calories in a way that meets your body's basic need for protein, vitamins and minerals.

Want a different body type so you will look like a slender, shapely magazine model?

Too bad. (Except maybe in some future life, if you believe in reincarnation.)

I

t's Monday morning and I'm feeling out-of-sorts.
My weight is up today to a number that I find unacceptable,
and yet the only plan I have is to eat less and move more.

I'm having a very hard time making even the slightest commitment
to any particular food plan that limits or restricts what I eat.
For Today, the only thing I'm willing to do is to
record all my food, and work to limit my calories.

This may not be a great encouragement to others,
but it's my best for today … at least … for right this moment.

Part of my lifestyle is working to maintain my large weight-loss.
I'm now in my 7th year … which I've lived one-day-at-a-time.
Today is one more of those days. 

When we think about establishing Habits,
most of us focus on the later stage of the process
where things start to become natural,
instead of those difficult early days
where there seem to be more failures than successes.

At the beginning stage, we need to focus
on building the foundations of a new habit 
before expecting a long string of successes.  

It is important to start out with small steps.
Be specific about the exact behavior desired.
A list, or chart, or reward system can help support habit building,
but keep it simple.

In the early days of Habit building,
it's usually easier to stick with it,
when we aren't continually reminded
of our up-and-down progress.

Keep the Focus on individual days,
rather than weeks or months.
Because dealing with long time periods can be very discouraging.
Each day I give myself a fresh start. 

 This morning I decided to...again...work to implement
some habits that would be helpful in my weight maintenance.
I prepared a small chart for myself that dealt with a few of my problem areas
and the Habits that might help eliminate them
...similar to the No S Diet's Habitcal idea,...
Except...my chart covers only one individual day,...today...
and even breaks that day into several different time periods.

Then tomorrow, I'll use another, new duplicate chart,
with a new fresh start.

If, in the future, I want to put that information together,
for detailed analysis, it would be easy to do so,
but for now, this very simple one-day-at-a-time focus
is the only way I can manage to get myself to stick with my efforts.

For those of you who are following my YouTube Ask Grandma videos,
you can see the latest one by clicking  HERE,
which is located at DietHobby under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma.

                                
In every aspect of life, including
Weight-loss and maintenance of that weight-loss,
It is not about what is right for others
but it is about what is right for you.

It’s not that I am right and others are wrong
Instead there is no one-size-fits-all approach
to losing weight and getting fit.

The longer I travel this path the more I understand
that there isn’t a generic plan that is right for everyone.
I have discovered that because we are all genetically different,
what works for me may or may not work for you.

Each of us has to write our own owner’s manual to achieve success.

There are general fundamental philosophies of eating and exercise.
It’s valuable to start with those principles.
As we discover how our own body responds to following these,
then we can re-evaluate where we are in this journey
in order to continue on the same path
or to determine ways to change directions.

Some people don’t like the word “diet”
and instead use words like: “eat healthy”.
Other people…such as myself….view dieting as a “hobby”,
and embrace the concept and incorparate it into their lives.

Some people avoid sugar and white flour.
Some avoid or restrict most carbohydrates.
Some avoid all processed food.
Other people eat everything in moderation.

Some people eat small frequent meals..as scheduled or as they become hungry.
Others eat only two or three times a day, and avoid snacking between meals.
Some people use fasting as a weight-loss tool.
Some people count calories; some use food exchanges;
and some even count bites.

 To survive and to live, each of us must eat,
and there are many different foods
and eating patterns available to choose from.
Personally, I find it helpful to track all my food
and this is something I find valuable as part of my own plan.

Sometimes people ask what I did to lose the weight,
and I’m happy to tell them.
But that doesn’t mean they can expect the same results,
within the same time frame.
And the way I choose to eat and to live my life
might not be a good fit for them.

The Journey is much longer than many people can imagine
The reality is that it is a life-long journey with no clear destination
except to have a healthy and fulfilling life.
During my own journey, I’ve changed directions many times.
I think it’s helpful to read all that you can
so you can better understand the process;
And ask questions.
The only dumb question is the one never asked.
Do not be afraid to fall flat on your face.
I have learned the most in my life through my mistakes.

What I have discovered is that no one approach is better than another.
Don’t run if you hate running,
Don’t eat cottage cheese if you hate cottage cheese.
Know that we are all truly an experiment-of-one
and what works for me may or may not work for you.

Each of us must live in our individual bodies, during the "game" of life.

I find that concentrating on what I can’t do,
tends to limit my choices.
Concentrating on what I can do
tends to expand my choices.

 There’s no law that a person has to exercise
for at least 20 minutes or more to get even the slightest benefit;
or that one must do high intensity exercise;
or that strength training requires the use
of more than one’s own body weight.

In fact, small bouts of fitness add up.
Something is always better than nothing.

Dieting is another thing I can’t do perfectly.
What I can do is make my food choices better quality,
and I can eat smaller food portions of everything I choose to eat.
I can choose to mostly eat foods that make me less hungry,
like those containing more protein or fiber and less sugar.
My goal is to do well, not to be perfect.
I can’t be perfect, but I can do well.

It is easy to get a very black and white view of fit living.
Either you are dieting and exercising or you’re not. 
 There’s another way….a rainbow view.
We can see all sorts of colors and shades in between.
Adopting a “fit” lifestyle is very individualized
and it often includes more than a specific diet and exercise.
What makes one person fit may never work for another.
It could be genetics, environment, health, or just because
our lives run in completely different directions.

There is no on-or-off of the fit living issue.
We are just on the road.

It’s a winding road with mountains, bridges,
detours, vacation spots and a million other things.
We can be positive drivers and enjoy the scenery, 
sing with the radio, have fun with our passengers,
and find ways around the obstacles of the road.
It’s even okay to stop at the vacation spots here and there.

  We can choose not to give away our freedom
by saying: "I can’t."  There are far more choices with "I can."
When we hit a roadblock, we don’t have to say…

"I can’t go on until this clears away.”

Instead" we can say

"What can I do from here, right where I am now?

Today's video is one of the "Ask Grandma" series made specifically for YouTube,
if you are interested, you can see it by clicking the link here 
which is located under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma.