At the heart of all weight loss is the metabolism. The metabolism is the rate at which the body burns the calories we eat for food. The common misconception that metabolism can be raised with a pill is one that many people try each and every day. The truth of the matter is, the body is a well oiled machine. It will only burn the amount of calories it needs to function, in order to lose weight you need to change the bodies mind.

In order to lose weight effectively, the body needs to burn more calories than it is taking in. This means we need to eat less and move more. Now, that has to be one of the most cliche lines of all time, but it is really true. To explain in more detail, let's look at how the body uses energy.

Weight loss will occur is the body does not have enough calories coming in to maintain the daily activities being performed. For the person wanting to lose weight, this lack of calories is a good thing. If the body normally burns 2500 calories per day and you eat 1500 calories per day, that will cause a negative of 1000 calories per day adding up to a loss of 2 pounds per week. Fantastic!

But, many people want to eat more than 1500 calories a day, or they want a little room just in case they are counting low on those meals every day. So, that is where an increase in metabolism comes in. You need to teach your body that it needs more calories for energy and the only way to do that is to break a habit.

It takes 21 days to break a habit and that goes for a habit of the body too! For 21 days, you need to exercise. Exercise just enough to burn an extra 200 calories a day or 1000 calories a week. Over those 21 days, the metabolism, which speeds up when you exercise and for a period of time thereafter, will learn that your body will need these extra 1000 calories every week and it will burn just enough to keep you going. The weight loss moves from 2 to 4 pounds a week.

But, don't take stock in the fact that the weight loss levels are so high for long. The less the body weighs, the less calories it will need to work and move every day and the cycle will start again. A small drop in caloric intake and a small increase in exercise and boom, the scale is moving again.

Weight loss is really not that hard if you are patient and you know how the body works. There is no sense in taking a ton of pills that swear they will REV up your metabolism. They are only increasing your heart rate and that can be done with a simply walk to and from the mailbox a couple of times.

Losing weight is not a short term affair. Take the time to learn about your own body and the your caloric needs. Creating a negative calorie effect of 1000 calories and burning and extra 1000 per week means 4 pounds are gone and you are on the way to teaching your body some new metabolic tricks.