Weight loss doesn't have to be complicated

Weight loss can easily be achieved by following some simple steps.

» Once you've lost weight, keeping it off actually gets easier with time, according to a new study that details the six secrets of successful long-term weight loss.

» About one in five overweight people who try to lose weight are successful at losing at least 10% of their body weight and maintaining the weight loss for at least a year.

» By studying these so-called "successful losers," researchers say they've identified six commonsense weight loss strategies critical to long-term weight loss success.

» In the study, researchers analyzed the weight loss strategies of the more than 4,000 members of the National Weight Loss Registry who lost an average of 73 pounds and kept it off for an average of five years.

» A little more than half lost the weight with some help from a commercial weight loss program, doctor, or nutritionist.

» The other half did it on their own.

» Nine in 10 of them lost weight through a combination of diet and exercise, and only 10% did it through cutting calories alone.

» In maintaining their weight loss, researchers say the successful losers shared six major strategies.

» Men and women who have kept the weight off report a high level of physical activity.

» The most popular form of exercise is walking, followed by cycling, weight lifting, and aerobics.

» Women reported burning off an average of 2,545 calories a week in physical activity.

» Men reported an average of 3,293 calories per week.

» This is equivalent to about an hour a day of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking.

» Higher intensity activities can burn calories faster.

How to Translate BMI into Pounds: Finally, a Body Mass Index Calculator for the Rest of Us

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most important diagnostic tool that the medical profession uses to quickly classify you into the weight categories "normal", "overweight", or "obese". However, few people know what a BMI of say 26 means. Are you normal? Overweight? Even if you know that a 26 puts you into the "overweight" category, do you know how many pounds you are away from "obese"? How many pounds are you over the "normal" threshold?