[Rachel]

What’s Slowing You Down?
You snack on fruit, count calories, follow a weight loss program, and get some form of exercise most days. So when you step on that scale and the needle stays put, you wonder what the heck you're doing wrong. Even with such healthy eating and fitness habits, you may be making a few small mistakes that can lead to a plateau and derail your results. Here, how to upgrade your already-healthy habits and mindset so you can finally reach your get-slim goal.
1. If you count calories
Determine the right intake for you
You already know this: Take in fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight and you will drop pounds. But only 11% of Americans correctly estimate their ideal daily calorie requirements, according to one survey. The rest of us tend to overestimate, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Let's say you assume that consuming 2,000 calories per day will allow you to reach your target weight, but it really takes 1,800: Those extra 200 are enough to keep an additional 20 pounds on your frame.

Do it better: Go to prevention.com/caloriecalculator and plug in the weight you want to be (as well as your height, age, and activity level) to get your daily allowance of calories. Then set limits on your meals and snacks. If 1,800 calories is your max, split it into three 500-calorie meals and one 300-calorie snack.

2. If you're consistently active
Rev your routine
When you spend a few hours running errands, it feels like you've worked off some serious weight. But despite all those aisle laps at the mall, hauling around shopping bags, and loading and unloading the car, you burned only about 400 calories—that's about 1/10 of a pound.

Do it better: Short bursts of intense activity burn more calories—and up to 36% more fat, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Strolling around the mall or a park for an hour works off about 150 calories; pick up the pace 1 minute out of every 5 to burn over one-third more calories (try a similar method if you bike). Swimmers can switch from freestyle or breaststroke to a more challenging crawl every few laps, or just go a little faster.
3. If you choose nutritious foods
Keep portions in check
What you put on your plate is important, but healthy eating is also about being mindful of how much you consume. For example, your husband has pancakes with butter and syrup for breakfast, your son grabs a doughnut, and you opt for a cup of oatmeal with a handful of walnuts, a sliced banana, and a large glass of organic blueberry juice. You may win on nutrients, but when it comes to calories, you're dead last: That healthy-sounding meal adds up to almost 700 calories, more than a third of your allotment for the day.

Do it better: The best way to know if you're eating too much is to write it down. "Even if you note it on a napkin and then throw it away, that's okay. Just the act of writing makes you more aware," says Taub-Dix. Portion control cues help too: a baseball-size serving for chopped veggies and fruits; a golf ball for nuts and shredded cheese; a fist for rice and pasta; and a deck of cards for lean meats. (Test your serving-size savvy: take our Portion Control Pop Quiz!)

Also, swap higher-calorie healthy eating foods for high-fiber, lower-cal varieties like these:

Vegetables: Per 1 cup, raw spinach has 7 calories and boiled eggplant contains 35 calories; mashed sweet potato, however, has 249.

Fruit: A 1/2-cup serving of strawberries has 23 calories, while a medium banana has more than 100. An orange has almost half the calories of a glass of orange juice. More low-cal picks include melon and blueberries.

Whole grains: Two full cups of air-popped popcorn (a whole grain) has about the same number of calories as three little whole wheat crackers.


4. If you order the "healthiest" menu item
Do your dining out research in advance
Choose the turkey sandwich over pizza and you think you're being good, but again, looks can be deceiving. A turkey sandwich at Panera Bread comes on focaccia with cheese and mayo and delivers 970 calories. Two slices of pepperoni pan pizza from Pizza Hut total 520 calories. Put your sandwich in a spinach wrap instead of regular bread? It's the same difference, says Tara Gidus, RD, a former spokesperson for the ADA "My clients think they get more nutrients and save on calories with 'healthy bread,' but often that's not the case."

Do it better: Look up fast-food nutrition facts before you eat there. Many restaurants offer nutrition information, from Taco Bell to Subway. See if your favorite eatery has nutrition facts online or in the store—you may be surprised at what you see. We were when we checked out Baskin Robbins: A medium strawberry-banana smoothie has 80 more calories than a strawberry milk shake!

5. If you satisfy cravings with "diet" treats
Eat the real thing, but downsize your portion
When you want something sweet, all those fat-free, sugar-free options seem like a smart choice for weight loss. But researchers at Cornell University found that overweight people who choose low-fat versions of snack foods rather than the regular kinds consume, on average, twice as many calories. "The terms fat-free or sugar-free can create a green light effect, triggering people to eat more," says dietitian Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD. But many fat-free foods have about the same number of calories (or more) as their full-fat counterparts. One variety of oatmeal-raisin cookie has 107 calories and 9 g of sugar, and the
fat-free version of the same brand has 106 calories plus 14 g of sugar.

Do it better: Go for reasonable amounts of the real thing. If you love ice cream, have a small scoop of premium. "You won't stick to a diet that doesn't include your favorites," says David Grotto, RD, author of 101 Foods That Could Change Your Life. Bottom line: Life's too short for forbidden foods.

6. If you’re a crunches queen
Don’t forget your cardio
One of the biggest mistakes women make when trying to lose belly fat: too many crunches, too little cardio. No matter how toned your abs are, your belly won't look flat until you get rid of the layer of fat on top of them, says Jessica Smith, a certified personal trainer, wellness coach, and star of fitness DVDs. For that, you need to rev your calorie burn. Interval training, in which you alternate high-intensity bursts of activity with easier bouts, has been shown to zap more belly fat than steady-paced moderate workouts.

Do it better: Visit prevention.com/intervals for routines. Each week, aim for three interval sessions and two or three moderate, steady-paced workouts of 30 to 60 minutes each—along with ab exercises—for best results.

7. If you eat snacks to quell cravings
Be more mindful of your intake
You may think you're vigilant about watching what you eat. But research shows that stolen bites and tastes (such as handfuls of a friend's popcorn at the movies or tasting the dough while baking cookies) can rack up a few hundred uncounted calories, which can put on pounds fast.

Eating while distracted can cause mindless eating too. When women who normally watched their portions had lunch in different situations, they ate 15% more (72 additional calories) while listening to a detective story, compared with when they ate alone and free of any distractions, found a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Do it better: Avoid eating when your mind's elsewhere (while on the computer, for example), and eliminate unnecessary distractions (turn off the radio; set aside the book). Tend to graze while you cook dinner? Chew gum. You have to take it out every time you sample your cooking, so you realize what you're doing.

[Rachel]

I got this from the prevention site. There is a lot of good pointers here. I know it tells you in different places to go to prevention.com for some more ideas. I do like their sites for healthy advice, but I'm not promoting their site. I sound wishy, washy, don't I? lol

[SilverDragonBud]

Thanks Rachel, I don't like the people at Prevention. A few years back they threw me out of their main office because I was lifting weights in the workout room. Sure the sign on the door said "KEEP OUT" but I didn't think they meant me.

[Rachel]

Bud, you are so funny. Thanks, I needed that.

[Issibell]

Thank you Rachel those are great

[Issibell]

Bud you crack me up

[superfood]

Thanks Rachel for sharing this,i want to read some more article related to this topic!

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[Rachel]

Superfood, I think I'm the worst about not knowing how many calories I take in, in a days time. I never keep track. If it's a celery stalk I just think it doesn't count. After all, they say you burn more calories from eating celery then from the calories in it. But seriously, I do think I eat less when I am writing down every thing I eat.

[kaykaymcpretty]

Great article, Rachel. I love the Prevention site.

[Rachel]

Thanks, it's the only one that emails me with health tips.