Mikey Moon's health and fitness column: Control of calories is the key

Losing weight is not as difficult as we make it out to be. We all look for a miracle weight loss programme but ignore the basics of eating less and moving more.

All the diets you see advertised have one thing in common – you eat less.

The truth is there is no miracle to this at all – you just need to be in a calorie deficit. How you get into that deficit is entirely up to you.

You don’t have to join a gym or go low-carb or keto – you just have to burn more calories than you consume.

So why do we insist on punishing ourselves with fad diets and strict diets only to be disappointed when we put all the weight we lost back on?

It is because we don’t believe that the process is as simple as it really is.

Manage your calories efficiently and utilise foods that you enjoy.

Save some calories for a treat here and there but don’t go over your weekly allowance and, as if by magic, you will lose weight.

As for your choice of exercise, there is no need to spend hours in the gym or force yourself to run if you hate running.

The definition of exercise is an activity requiring physical effort.

Nowhere in that definition does it say you have to go to a gym four times a week or go running.

You can do anything you want. It might be walking, swimming, football, netball – anything that requires physical exertion is classed as exercise.

Once you stop trying to make it complicated, you’ll appreciate how easy it can be.

Fortitude Fitness is on the Poulton Industrial Estate, Beacon Road. Visit www.fortitudefit.co.uk for more details.