The holidays are coming and anybody who has some sort of fitness goal definitely has food on their mind. They either love it, or they're worried about their fitness and all the progress they made up to this point going down the drain. During the holidays, this is probably an unhealthy attitude to have. The holidays are for enjoying the time you spend with your family and friends; not worrying about your food intake.

Still, it's hard to escape the fact that most of us want to be lean and to lose weight. So let me tell you something you may not like to hear. Losing weight is as hard, and as simple as you think.

It’s the truth. What actually matters when it comes to weight loss, or even maintenance, is that you need to be in a caloric deficit or around a caloric equivalent to your total expenditure. That means the amount that you eat in terms of calories needs to be either less than or equal to the amount you expend during the day. The most accurate way to figure out how many calories you should eat starts with finding out what your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is, which you can do here at Apex Human Performance. RMR depends on a lot of factors like age, weight, and gender.

If you start some sort of diet, and find that it works for you, fits with your lifestyle, and doesn't cause you much hassle or worry, then DO IT. Diets need to be consistent.  They need to work for you, your goals, and most importantly, your life. It needs to be a lifestyle. Something that you enjoy and something that you have a healthy relationship with.

One key thing to look at when working on your nutrition is the macronutrient content of the calories you're taking in. Protein is the most important one to track. You need at least 0.8 to 1 gram per lb of body weight. If you hit that, you should be good. You can typically split the difference with your carbs and fats as long as you stay within your specific calorie range.

So, with the holidays coming up, understand the simple but tough truth about losing weight. Your caloric intake probably matters the most, and you need to be in either a caloric deficit or around a caloric equivalent to your total expenditure in order to lose weight. Be conscious of the food choices you make, but not at the expense of your enjoyment of the holidays. Develop a diet that is sustainable and that you have a great relationship with. As long as you're within the appropriate range of calories and macros, you'll be good to go.