If you often wonder how you can possibly be struggling with weightloss when your calorie intake is perfect then get ready to learn the ugly truth about why the scale won’t budge. It’s not because you’re putting on muscle, or because your metabolism is damaged or because your genetically predisposed to hang on to more fat than your best friend. Those are all little white lies we tell ourselves just to feel better. Trust me I’ve been there and the faster you accept these 3 truths about calories the faster you can get on with losing that “stubborn fat”.

Truth #1 About Calories & Weightloss: Just because you’re lifting weights or doing circuit training doesn’t mean you get to eat like a bodybuilder. Eating 5-6 meals a day is a good way to keep your appetite under control and your metabolism high but those meals still need to be very small. When in doubt journal your calories and try to keep each meal at about 250 calories (that’s 1500 calories per day if you’re eating 6 times a day). It’s a lot less food than I ever imagined but I had no clue until I started journaling and counting those calories. Get serious about this and you’ll get serious weightloss results in less than a month! **For some women even 1500 calories may still be too much. Be sure to create an adequate calorie deficit to lose (not too much not too little).

Truth #2 About Calories & Weightloss: Calories from wine, beer, coffee, your kids dinner plate, or those little candies at work do count and they add up big time. Sure it's easier to find excuses for your stubborn fat than it is to take responsibility for your actions. Saying that your hardcore strength workouts are causing you to put on muscle and muscle weighs more than fat sounds nicer than admitting you’re sneaking extra portions or junk food. Saying you have a slow metabolism or that you’re genetically pre-disposed to store extra fat isn’t nearly as harsh as admitting that you’ve got food issues. I personally failed to admit this for 4 months and often wondered why I just couldn’t lose those last 12 pounds. It turns out that two or four bites of mac and cheese from my son’s plate, a couple of Hershey’s kisses at work, that bi-weekly starbucks, and a couple of beers on weekends = tons of empty calories that my body wasn’t using to “put on muscle". When in doubt start tracking your treats and keep track of your bodyfat. The pen and some calipers will reveal the truth and help you get on track. Lose the weight faster by tracking your food intake and your bodyfat with the Tanita BF-683W Body Fat/Body Water Feature, White

Truth #3 About Calories & Weightloss: The type of calories you’re putting in your body matters just as much as calories needed per day. Simply cutting calories from carbs or fat or entire food groups isn’t going to result in massive weightloss because you’re body can not lose weight and keep it off when it isn't healthy and health is 100% dependent on giving your body all the nutrients it needs to function optimally. So the whole eat less exercise more mantra that the diet industry so desperately wants you to fall for is only partly true. You can not get away with eating nutrient deficient low calorie diet foods for long. The weight might come off but it will return with a vengeance. Besides eating real food that's good for you virtually eliminates the need to count calories (virtually) and it also reduces cravings for junk and other unhealthy foods too. Be sure to be honest with yourself about calories if you are serious about losing weight fast and forever!