Losing weight is not hard

This is not some secret science or art that requires years of study and devotion in order to be a black belt ninja in weight loss. It's very simple - you eat less, you move around a little more, and BOOM, weight loss. Not a complicated subject, and it amazes me how much people can spend on super-awesome-lose-weight-fast! diet scams. America, we love shortcuts!

I've lost some weight over the years, and people always asked me how I did it. Well, it's pretty simple. You stop eating like crap all the time, you eat less, and maybe you pick up your feet and run further than your refrigerator. Eventually, you lose weight. "But I've tried EVERYTHING to lose weight and I can't do it!" you say as you jam another french fry down your gullet? Obviously, no, no you have not.

So in case the above wasn't clear enough, here's a handy guide to losing weight, PURPLE IS A FLAVOR style:

1. Food - you eat less bad food, and eat more good food. This is not hard.
• Eat more fresh meals that you make yourself. When you cook for yourself using fresh meats, vegetables, grains, fruits, you know what is going into your meal. And cooking is NOT hard. You can cook 10oz of awesome salmon and a side of your favorite vegetable in 30 minutes or less. And for 20 of those minutes, all you're doing is waiting. Just make sure that you're not eating a small cow as you wait.
• Start writing down what you eat and how much of what you eat. You don't have to do this forever, but it'll a) give you a baseline on how much your eating and 2) highlight exactly what it is you're doing wrong. Count the calories if you want to at first - it's amazing how much clarity you have once you actually know how many calories it is that you're consuming. You'll be able to estimate how many calories you're eating after a week or two. AMAZING!
• Give yourself some cheat meals throughout the week. This is not an excuse to go get a 20pc bucket from Popeye's with every side that they sell to see how much you can eat in a sitting. It's simply a way to reward yourself for your hard work. Staying on a strict diet without any cheat meals is likely guaranteed to fail. Remember, it's a cheat MEAL here and there - not multiple cheat DAYS. 
• Drink more water, less sugary drinks. Cutting out the Coca-Cola that you have with your lunch/dinner alone will have you lose some noticeable weight. Water is your friend.
• You already know what's good for you, so shop smart and buy the things you know you should be eating. That can of Spam? Delicious, indeed. Good for you? Ha.  
2. Exercise
• Really, this is a no-brainer. I shouldn't even have to write anything down here. Walk more. Take the stairs. See how many push-ups you can do, then try to do more the next day. So on and so forth. You can ease into it, but if your goal is to lose weight, you need to actually challenge yourself.
• Join a gym. Better yet, join a gym that offers classes. Usually, these classes are free and are great ways for you to stay motivated and lose weight in a fun (albeit tough) environment. Don't be embarrassed to work out and try something new - sure, somebody might laugh at you if you fall off the treadmill or do something awkward, but chances are, more people will poke fun at you for being fat. Isn't that one of the reasons you wanted to lose weight anyways? So people make fun of you and judge you less?
• Set goals and challenge yourself, but don't overdo it. Give your body time to rest, but make sure you're doing something that a reasonable person would qualify as exercise at least 4 times a week.

Losing weight is pretty much all mental. If you think to yourself that you don't have the motivation to exercise and eat better...then sorry friend, but you really don't want to lose weight. If you really want to lose weight, you will. You just have to remember what you want more - that delicious fried chicken with a side order of french fries and extra stomach roll, or a body that resembles a human being more than the dodgeball that you were  smacked around with in elementary school because you were so fat. Your call.