Drum roll please: brrrrrrllllrrrlllrllrlllrllrllllrlllrllllrlrlrrrrrlllll…..

Low carb? Low fat? High protein? Atkins? South Beach? Hollywood? Cocaine? Uh…guess again.

How about…cutting calories. Ta-Dah! That’s right, cutting calories (translate: eating less) is the only, and I mean the only, way to lose weight (along with increasing exercise). I’ve said again and again in this blog: It’s simple physiology. Take in more calories than you burn–gain weight. Burn more calories than you take in–lose weight. Simple as that.

But if for any reason you didn’t believe me, here’s the proof: A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research in Louisiana found that diets which modify the amounts of fats, carbs and proteins mattered not at all; the only factor that made a difference in whether participants lost weight was cutting calories.

If you are trying to lose weight, cutting calories probably is least attractive notion in that endeavor; but, without a doubt, it’ll get you to where you are going. Substituting activities for eating and drinking is of mega-importance: feel like eating, go to the gym, drink tons of water, and engage in something mentally like reading, problem solving or writing–anything that’ll get your mind off the food. Hate to make it sound so simple, but, well…it is. It’s just getting over the incessant mind trip that plagues everybody who has ever had to practice discipline–I know, I’ve been addicted to just about everything. And I’ve quit it all (with the exception of coffee), so I know how frickin’ tough it is, but it can be done.

So, again, the only way to lose weight is by cutting calories and stepping up the exercise. Sorry to be such a bummer and tell it like it is.