What's the secret to weight loss? Is it fad diets? Pricey diet pills? Fat burners?? NOPE ❌ The answer is simple - a CALORIC DEFICIT! ✔ More specifically, in both males and females, one pound of weight lost is equivalent to a deficit of about 3500 calories. ~~~~~~ the formula ~~~~~~ CALORIC DEFICIT = CALORIES IN - CALORIES OUT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So if you're burning 2500 calories a day (calories out), and eating 2000 calories a day (calories in), it will take 7 days to accrue a deficit of 3500 calories (500 calorie deficit per day x 7 days) and thus lose 1 pound. What role does diet and exercise play? 👀 1. Diet - this is the "calories in" part of the formula. The goal is to pick a diet that is sustainable, so that a small daily caloric deficit accrues overtime 📈 into pounds of weight loss. 2. Exercise - this is the "calories out" part of the formula. We can divide this into cardio ⛹, which burns calories in the short-term, and strength training 🏋, which raises the basal metabolic rate long-term, through adding more muscle (muscle burns more calories than fat) 💪. It's no secret that losing excess fat has tremendous benefits to our health - increasing insulin sensitivity, lowering blood pressure, and improving the cholesterol profile (not to mention looking and feeling great!) ☀️😊