I was catching up on some blog reading the other day — this is always very motivating to me when I’m lagging in my good eating and/or exercise habits — and I noticed some people getting back on track with weight loss attempts.  Some just do what they know to do, but many are writing about the new program they are trying to get the weight off “this time”. 

It makes me think, because I know exactly how they feel.  When I’m feeling pudgy, or have fallen off the weight loss wagon I tend to go looking for a “new” eating program that may be what I need to get back to losing weight.  Somehow I think that I stopped losing weight, or started putting on some because what I was doing wasn’t working.  

But that’s not true.  Not for me anyway.

When I’m completely honest with myself I know that the reason my weight loss, or in this case maintenance, is off kilter it’s because I haven’t been doing what I know works.  Basically, it really does come down to calories in versus calories out.  Yes, better food choices are vital to maintaining a healthy weight, but more importantly I still have to burn more calories than I’m taking in to lose; or burn as many as I’m taking in to maintain. 

It’s pretty simple and it’s what I’ve been reminding myself this week.  There is no magic plan for weight loss.  For me, I need to get back to tracking my food and getting in regular exercise, I need to remember that when my stomach tells me it’s satisfied I need to listen to it and I need to remember that quick fix diets don’t work.  

I lost 70 pounds by eating less and moving more and I’m going to continue doing it to get this six pounds back off before it becomes ten or fifteen or twenty.  It’s what I know, and I know it works.