Simplest approach to weight loss?

[Black Landlord]

A friend would like to drop about 20 lbs in the next few months, but doesn't have a huge amount of self control or structure to their eating habits. Which of the following would you pick as the best option, if they were going to pick one thing and stick to it?

[volcs0]

calories out > calories in = weight loss

can't get much simpler than that.

[Black Landlord]

volcs0 wrote:
calories out > calories in = weight loss

can't get much simpler than that.

Well, maybe, yeah, no, not quite.
There's that whole "metabolism" thing.
The above forumula would suggest that you could lose weight by exercising more while not changing your diet.
I used to listen to Loveline with Dr. Drew, who was pretty darned right about most (not all) things-- one of his frequently harped-upon convictions was that exercise alone doesn't cut it-- you have to change your diet if you want to lose weight.
You wouldn't argue with Dr. Drew, would you?
(my friend is waiting on the answer here, please hurry)

[M>B>]

diet & exercise

can't get much simpler than that.

[Black Landlord]

M>B> wrote:
diet & exercise

can't get much simpler than that.

*slaps friend's forehead*

[M>B>]

I was responding to VolcsO's post and you jumped in the middle, but that is OKAY!

[Racer X]

volcs0 wrote:
calories out > calories in = weight loss

can't get much simpler than that.

It's math. That is all it is. Now, everyone's burn rate for calories is different, but yeah, you are 100% correct.

when I injured my back, my "calories out" dropped off, but my "calories in" dropped even further, so I lost weight. it's math.

[dmann]

Smaller portions, smaller portions, smaller portions (once someone learns what a real portion size really is, the amount of food served in restaurants and homes looks gargantuan, because it is)
Good, fiber filled breakfast. Add some protein to keep the full feeling longer.
Journal every single thing that goes into his mouth
Feel hungry? Drink a glass of water and see if the feeling passes
Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator
Park as far away from the door as possible
Try to get in some form of activity, break it down into 10 minute blocks if needed.

DM (who is in a constant battle with her weight)

[SDGuy]

Diet and exercise*

* The right kind of diet, and the right kind of exercise.
As I mentioned before I inadvertently discovered that a low-glycemic diet combined with cardio workouts results in body fat disappearing. This was a side-effect of trying to avoid diabetes medicine. The best part - no starving. I'm still eating as much, if not more, than I used to (including a big scoop of ice cream every night) and never go hungry.

Edit - looks like M>B> beat me to it while I was typing this up.

[mikebw]

For many people, simply reducing calories will result in their bodies adapting by slowing down it's metabolism. This is not helpful. In order to increase metabolism you must also increase the amount of activity- exercise.

Of course the body is so smart that it will quickly learn how to become very efficient at whatever activity you choose to do, making weight loss even harder. So you must also do a variety of activities, keep your body guessing, keep the metabolism up.

You must eat. Eat healthy foods, not junk. Don't eat a lot at one time. Small portions will keep the stomach and appetite small. Once you get that far it will be physically difficult to eat too much making weight gain equally difficult.