 Check out how much you eat
Clients often say to me: “I think the reason I can’t lose weight is because I don’t eat enough.” They profess up, down and sideways that they “hardly eat anything at all.” When they give me a summary of a typical day, it will usually add up to 800 – 1000 calories. The likelihood of a significantly overweight person not being able to lose weight because they eat “too little” is very slim. When you eat less than your body uses, you lose weight – and if you “eat hardly anything at all” your body physically cannot maintain an overweight status.
If this sounds all too familiar to you, you are probably eating a lot of extra calories without even realizing it. The key is to educate yourself on what you are actually eating. Let’s look at some common ways that extra calories can sneak in.
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“All I have for lunch is a salad.” What kind of salad? One you made yourself, or one pre-made in a restaurant? A Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad at Macaroni Grill will add 920 calories to your daily consumption. A P.F. Chang’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Vinaigrette will set you back 900 calories. And that’s not even counting the fortune cookie! Of course, a lot of those calories are in the dressing which can add up to 120 calories per two tablespoons. Your best bet is to bring your own dressing. If that’s not possible, get your dressing on the side and dip your fork in the dressing before each bite.
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“I don’t even have breakfast, just coffee in the morning.” Aside from the fact that skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do, let’s define “coffee.” Are we talking about a simple mug of black coffee, or a Starbucks’ breakfast dessert? The typical morning treat runs 200 – 300 calories and Frappuccinos can run up to 500 calories.
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“I just had a little bit of _____.” The two most important tools I use in my weight loss and maintenance are my food scale and my measuring spoons and cups. I have been living the life of portion control for nearly five years. I use them whenever possible, sometimes even at restaurants.
If you think you have weighed and measured enough in your lifetime to be able to expertly “eyeball” portion sizes, think again. If you’ve never done it, now is a good time to start. Weigh and measure everything that isn’t already packaged in pre-portioned sizes for a couple of weeks and you may just see that bathroom scale start to move again.
Whether you are honest with yourself or not, your body knows exactly the number of calories you put into it. If you take some time and do a little research on what you are actually consuming each day, you may uncover the reason that all of your hard work just doesn’t seem to be working.
Until next time, stay healthy and be happy. |
