Eating to Lose Weight

Or maybe none of them were even successful. Many people will try many different techniques to lose weight besides diets, to again find they continue to struggle to achieve that ‘elusive’ goal. With the New Year, this is a perfect time to address what works, what doesn't work, and how you can get on the right track from the very beginning.

In a recent study, thousands of people stated that they were following their doctor’s orders to eat healthfully and exercise vigorously. However, their weight was still going up and they usually gave up, deciding that the ‘diet gurus’ must have the right answer. When researchers evaluated the calorie intake of these people, they found that most people ate an average of 400 calories more per day than they thought. In a week, this is 2800 calories, which can result in almost a pound a week of weight gain.

This post will discuss some diet and eating methods that are ineffective, or just wrong, and then give suggestions on how to really make changes that will produce weight loss results.

Too much of a good thing

If you have improved your food choices, good for you! If you’re still not losing weight, however, look at your serving sizes. Too much of even a good thing can pack on the pounds if the result is more calories taken in than burned off. If you eat well but still can’t lose weight, try keeping a food diary for 3-5 days to discover just how much of a good thing you are eating. Don’t just list the foods you eat, weigh and measure your foods to become very clear on how many calories each serving is providing you with. After weighing and measuring your foods for a week, you will have a much clearer picture of what makes a serving and how many calories you are realistically eating each day.

“Lite” fare can add up

Another mistake people make is thinking that foods that are labeled as ‘fat free ’, ‘low fat or ‘reduced fat’ means they can eat more without guilt. However, one thing to keep in mind, is that the taste has to come from something.  So if a food is lower in fat, it may be higher in sugar, which means the calorie level remains the same, if not higher. As a consequence, you eat more and find yourself slowly gaining weight on your weight loss journey.

These lower fat choices can be good ones, but continue to make these foods an occasional treat and eat the same amount as you would if they were the full-fat versions. Depending on the taste, you may want to stick with your higher-fat version and just eat it less often or eat a smaller amount.

We can drink our calories

A regular soda, a sweetened tea, a smoothie, etc, all provide calories. It is estimated that approximately 20% of the calories we consume each day come from the liquids we drink. Research has shown that calories from these sources don’t satisfy hunger, either. Experts say that just one regular soda a day, every day, can add 15 pounds to your body in a year.

What do you drink on a regular basis? I love the Starbuck Frappuccino®, but I know that if I drank one every day I would be adding around 300 calories a day to my food intake! In one week, that would result in 2100 calories. It takes 3500 calories to equal a pound.