Level Obstacles: Lose Weight, Target Fat! (EASY!!)

This post is designed to level the obstacles between you and weight loss. The obstacles are confusing data, unnecessary details, etc. Folks with excess body fat can easily lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. No fad diets, obscure research, or sales pitches; just practical, proven advice.

Important Background Information
Fat is energy, and calories measure energy. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you burn 3500 more calories than you eat, you will lose a pound of fat. That can't be done in a day, so we do it over time.

For instance, if you eat 500 fewer calories than you burn each day, you have a calorie deficit of 3500 at the end of a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calorie deficit).

How Much Do I Burn in a Day?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories you burn in a day - by circulating blood, brushing your teeth, looking at funny cat gifs, working out, etc. If you eat less than you burn, you lose weight.

Calculate your TDEE here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html Just enter your height, weight, age, gender and daily activity level. This will give you a good approximation of how much you burn in an average day.

How Much Less Should I Eat?
Like weight gain, weight loss doesn't happen fast. If your deficit is too small, you will lose weight slowly. But! Surprisingly, if your deficit is too large, you also lose weight slowly.

This may seem illogical, but if you under-eat by much for too long, you'll be more prone to binge-eating and more likely to experience health issues related to malnutrition. Believe it or not, under-eating is the most common problem on MFP.[1]

So what is the right deficit? A good calorie deficit is around 20% less than your TDEE depending on how much fat you have to lose. If you've got over 75 pounds to lose, go as high as 30% deficit. If you've got less than 15lbs to lose, go down around 10%.

Review:
1. Go find your TDEE here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
2. Eat about 20% less than that number each day. Bigger deficit if you have more pounds to lose. Lower deficit if you have less pounds to lose.
3. Log everything you eat accurately - measure it with a scale (they're cheap!). Research has shown that most people eat more than they think.

Example:
You're lightly active, 26 year old, 190lb, 5'6" female. Your TDEE from the calculator is 2,300 calories per day.

According to the Leveling Obstacles approach, you would eat 20% less than 2300 (2300 x .80), or 1,830 calories per day. Stay relatively consistent in your logging and activity level, and you will lose approximately one pound a week.

Final Thoughts:
+ MyFitnessPal is great for tracking calories, but it is not great for setting targets. Regardless of how much or little you have to lose, it will let you say "lose 2lbs/week!" and drop you down to 1200 cals. That value is most likely not right for you.
+ Patience, you must have it. Give this time. Like a month at least.
+ Your weight can change several pounds from one day to the next. Two pounds in a day is water weight. Don’t weigh in daily, you’ll drive yourself nuts.
+ Food isn't evil. Clowns and authors of young adult fiction are evil. But not food! Eat healthy and indulge in treats as long as it’s within a few % of your calorie goal.
+ Try to hit your calorie goal. Going way under every day will not help you. 100 cals over or under on a given day is not going to hurt you. Take it easy, don’t sweat it.
+ Right now, don't focus on details like macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein) or how much sodium and sugar is in your diet. First step is accurately measuring and tracking your food and hitting your calorie targets. When you are comfortable, there is an awesome thread about how to set optimal calorie and macro targets [2]
+ Cardiovascular exercise (running, stairs, aerobics, cat juggling) can help burn fat. Resistance training (lifting weights) will improve your physique and increase your body's resting metabolic rate (calorie burn).
+ I didn't create this information. This information existed before I learned it. I learned it from others here. Literally and figuratively this was written by other people. I'm just posting it.


FOOTNOTES
[1] A few examples of under-eating being problematic can be seen at this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919346-still-think-your-1200-or-less-diet-is-a-good-idea
[2] This is a great thread about how to configure your macros. Once you’ve mastered measuring, tracking, and have a reasonable top-level goal, go here. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

edited to add/reiterate/clarify: I didn't do this by myself, it is the compilation of direct collaboration of ihad, davpul, angelamberl, loraf83, winnervictorious, codergal, zoelifts, serpwidgets, allonsytothetardis, cmriverside, sjohnny, jofjltncb6, lacurandera1 and others. It is also the product of indirect collaboration - i.e. learning by observation - from sidesteel, acg67, and a hundred other fabulous members who do the research and share the results.