Your weight loss reality check

Welcome to food4thought with James Fell. Me. Los Angeles Times fitness columnist guy.

Here we go.

I've got some news for you, and whether you decide it's good news or bad is up to you. I'm in the lifestyle overhaul business, and food4thought is an important tool in helping you change what you eat and become more active. I don't do mythical miracle cures for weight loss or promise quick and easy fixes for your fitness woes. I deal in reality. Things are about to get real.

I want you to view this as good news, because this isn't about enduring ten weeks of horrific exercise punishment and dietary deprivation to starve yourself into skinny clothes for a high school reunion. This is about embracing an awesome and righteous lifestyle to kick serious butt from now until the day you dirt nap. I'm a former fat guy and I know what I'm talking about.

Why weight loss?

First, lets talk about those numbers on the scale and whether or not they actually matter. The fact is: they might not. food4thought tracks weight for a couple of reasons: it's easy to measure, most of the population IS overweight, and a lot of people like tracking this number.

I'm not saying weighing yourself is bad, but there are things you need to consider. Read this article of mine and you'll see what I mean. Quite simply, understand that weight loss isn't always the ultimate goal, and there are many other benefits derived from a healthier lifestyle that aren't represented by the scale. Also, know that scales can lie, as gaining muscle can offset lost pounds of fat.

How to weigh yourself

You've got to get an accurate representation where you can't make excuses, so make sure you always do it in the same circumstances, because bodyweight can fluctuate significantly during the day. My recommendation is first thing in the morning, buck naked, after going to the bathroom. That provides zero excuses and a good baseline to measure against.

Why exercise?

I believe that burning calories is the least important thing that exercise does. Far more important is that it enhances the health and performance of your body from head to toe – even at the cellular level. A close second is that exercise is a proven gateway behavior to healthier eating. People who engage in regular exercise gain the power to make healthier food choices. Here is a short article on the subject of how exercise promotes healthier eating. I also did a much longer piece in two parts about the exercise-eating connection. A warning that this was for a men's lifestyle website, so it's got a bit of locker-room writing in it: Read Part 1. Read Part 2.

Metabolic fact and fiction

If you're serious about losing weight and getting fit, knowledge is power. The more you know about the way your body works then, the better armored you'll be to resist the temptation to waste time and money on mythical weight loss methods. I've written a lengthy and in-depth metabolism report that fills you in on what you need to know about how weight loss works, and you can download it as a PDF file for free from my website.

Expanding your knowledge base

I've written a lot about fitness and weight loss. I have a few books worth of fitness articles published in major media such as the Los Angeles Times, Chatelaine.com, AskMen.com and AOL.

I've put together a selection of articles that I think are most relevant to users of food4thought to help you get motivated to exercise and eat healthy and achieve lofty fitness goals. Go here to start getting better educated about your fitness, and good luck!

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James Fell's Fitness Articles

Below are a selection of James Fell's fitness articles to help you - in conjunction with your use of food4thought - on your weight loss journey.

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