The billions spent annually on get-fit-quick schemes provide proof that people are looking for a pill or plan that will magically peel off the pounds.

Actually, there is a secret to losing weight and keeping it off, but it’s not magic—it’s science.

It all boils down to calories in and calories out.

To gain a pound, you have to eat 3,500 extra calories beyond what your body needs to function.

To lose a pound, you have to burn 3,500 extra calories.

The problem?

It’s a whole lot easier to eat calories than it is to burn them off.

For example, it only takes minutes to munch a 240-calorie candy bar, but you’ll have to walk two-and-one half miles to burn it off. So it’s really the combination of limiting your calories intake and turning up your exercise program.

Have you noticed a weight gain instead of a loss since starting an exercise plan?

Don’t panic.

The explanation is that your increased activity is building muscle. That’s actually good news. While additional muscle mass can cause you to weigh more, it looks like less. Muscle tissue also uses more energy than fat, meaning you’ll be burning more calories even when you’re not exercising.

In fact, two women or men can weigh the same and, based on their fat-to-muscle ratio, look totally different.

Remember that even if you’re gaining muscle weight, you’re increasing your fat-burning potential and reshaping your figure at the same time. Muscle burns fat, so you want to tone your muscles.

You are looking great and feeling better.

People don’t realize that exercise helps the mood also. Exercise gives you energy. It is hard to find the time to exercise, but when it is over, you will feel much better and have even more energy.

Give exercise a fair chance.

Tell yourself you will do it fora month before you decide whether or not you like it. By then, you will start to notice how great you feel and you won’t want to stop. Go ahead and schedule workouts into your day. By joining a class, you will not only exercise on a regular basis, you will make new friends who are also committed to fitness.

There are three types of exercise you need to do. You need to do some kind of cardio to strengthen the heart and burn calories. You also need to do some kind of conditioning to tone the muscles since muscle is what burns fat, and also you need to do stretching for flexibility.