Q: Mike, I seem 'scared' to lose weight. When I say scared, I mean that: It seems like once you want to try to lose weight, eat better or exercise, it is very strict and very much of a hassle. Its like, eating right and exercising can be very dull and mind boggling. I don't think I can do it.

A: I wouldn't say you have to be very strict about it. It all depends on what your goals are. If you want to have a six-pack and a muscular body, then yes, most people would have to follow quiet a strict regimen to achieve that. But if your goal is to simply lose a few pounds and perhaps go from 'overweight' to 'normal' weight, then it does not have to be strict or long-term at all. A good 4-6 months of weight training combined with a clean healthy diet will achieve that for you AND, more importantly, set you up with higher metabolism and higher muscle mass then before which will make sure that the weight does not come back when you stop the program! That last part is what's so important and is what totally missing from all the popular diets out there -- they simply care about losing weight now instead of preparing the body to keep the weight off for good.

The advice I give on this site is the best, most effective way to lose fat AND keep it off. But it doesn't mean that you have to follow it to the letter or for the rest of your life. If you want, adopt some parts of it for a few months and see the difference it'll make! After that if you don't feel like continuing, just drop it and you'll still be far better off than when you started.