Everyone knows that losing weight is difficult.

The greatest challenge, however, is keeping that weight off.

We assume some overlap in those three groups.

Over eight weeks, that’s 16 pounds.

That’s not what happened.

Lots of calories were burned off through a previously unnamed process Dr. Levine called non-exercise-activity thermogenesis, or NEAT.

NEAT can be any throw in of movement, conscious or unconscious, including thrashing around in your sleep.

Because of NEAT, volunteers gained an average of just 10 pounds.

And that’s still only half the story.

The NEAT range was enormous.

One volunteer burned 692 more calories while overeating.

He turned into a hummingbird.

His body did everything short of spontaneous liposuction to maintain his original weight.

There’s a good chance you’re a NEAT freak.

Another volunteer burned 98 fewer calories.

So how does NEAT relate to dieting?

Lou explains that it’s related to the pitfalls of the conventional way that people approach dieting.

Nor does he have a firm target weight in mind.

He just wants to lose weightthe faster the better.

The pounds seem to fly off Dan’s body at first24 pounds in just six weeks.

His wife jokes that he loses a pound every time he takes a shower.

But there’s something Dan doesn’t know: his diet has already failed him.

Because he’s hungry all the time, his adherence gets a little worse every day.

And because he’s been over 200 pounds his entire adult life, Dan’s metabolism fights back.

That’s what happens when you toss a firecracker into the hornet’s nest of homeostasis.

Eating like you’re at your target body weight means that your diet is automatically sustainable.

As we’ve mentioned before,sustainability is the key to success.

And suppose he started with a diet plan precisely calculated to maintain that target weight once he achieved it.

But once he reached 216 pounds, there’s a great chance he’d stay there.

His metabolism would adjust to the target weight as he approaches it.

Would Dan be happy at 216 pounds?

A 10 percent drop is a very big deal.

And there’s nothing that prevents him from losing more weight down the road.

First, figure out your target body weight and target body fat percentage.

Plug those numbers intothe calculator hereto determine what your maintenance calories would be at your new body weight.

Now, determine a realistic timeframe to get there.

Images byAlan Cleaver,Mike Atkinsonandpeterned.