Weight loss and gain is controlled by the difference between how many calories you use every day and how many calories you eat every day.

The modern diet is grossly deficient in hundreds of important plant-derived immunity-building compounds which makes us highly vulnerable to viruses, infections and disease.

- Joel Fuhrman

Most beginners have one or more of the above basic goals and all of these goals are achieved the same way, by losing fat and building muscle. The only difference between these three goals is the degree to which each applies. Improving the way you look is 80% about diet. To lose fat, gain muscle, or "tone up", you have to eat correctly. This should be your first priority and your only priority for a period of time. Getting your diet in check is of the highest importance.

Correcting your diet means being conscious of what and the amount you eat. The best way to do this is to keep track of the calories you eat over the course of the day. Use a calorie tracking application such as MyFitnessPal or your brain, a pen and paper. A food scale makes for much more accurate assessments. To get an estimate on how much you should be eating, you'll need to figure out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). It's best to remain conservative and stay within 500 calories above or below, for gains or losses respectively.

Once you have your diet in check, it's time to add exercise into the mix. Which variety of exercise you choose is dependent on your goals and your activity levels during your free time. The most important thing is that you find something that you either like doing or want to do. Don't choose a certain type of exercise you hate with a burning passion because it's what you feel you're supposed to do. There are many choices. If you find one thing boring, then try something else! We are looking for activity's that raise the heart rate and features some form of resistance. Exercise can be broken down into four main categories: