Super Truths: The Realities Why You're Not Losing Weight

5 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

Here are 5 simple explanations why your latest endeavors to shed the pounds have been met with disappointment:

1. You gorge on healthy food

Healthy doesn't mean 0 calories. Keep portions in check even when you're eating food chock full of nutrients.

2. You're surrounded by unhealthy eaters

Nothing is worse for someone on a diet than watching someone not on a diet chow down on pizza, pasta, cookies and more. And while we don't advise dropping all of your unhealthy friends for new ones, try focusing your group get togethers on activities. Watch a game together, try karaoke, bike riding, or even throw a dance party.

3. You drown your food in sauces/condiments/dressings

Add on the add ons. The calories in ketchup, cheese sauces, and thousand island dressing add up. In small doses, these add on's are fine, but if you're pouring them on to give bland foods flavor you might as well have something a little more indulgent that requires less additional flavorings.

For more condiment advice, check out our earlier blog post devoted to these delicious add ons.

4. You're always on a diet

Having a constant mentality of being on a diet sets you up for failure. If you slip up, you'll end up going all in and splurging because "you already broke your diet." Commit to being healthy and exploring a healthier lifestyle instead of restricting yourself to only certain foods. 

For more about all or nothing dieting, check out our earlier blog post devoted to this dieting personality.

5. You LOVE eating out

Walking into a restaurant is like walking into a calorie minefield: you have no idea which dishes will be total explosions and which will be okay. Calorie counts can be off the charts with restaurants using oil everywhere, butter and margarine whenever and saucing everything. If you don't want to give up a night on the town, split a meal, stick with healthier options like grilled chicken, and sip water.

Super Summer Feasts: The BBQ Guide

BBQ’s are a summer staple but if you’re not careful, the night could turn ugly when you pile up your plate with calorie laden items. Try these simple tips to stay healthy and enjoy the best of the hot season’s delectable treats:

#1: Vegetate

When we say vegetate, we don’t mean sit and be lazy. We’re talking about vegetables! Set up the fire, spoon a pinch of salt, garlic and pepper on to your favorite veggies and grill them. Pile your plate high with these. Our favorites include colorful peppers, asparagus, zucchinis and carrots.

For more on brightening up your plate, check out our earlier blog post about color coding your diet.

#2: Steer clear of ANY dressed salads

Dressed salads are your worst nightmare. While they may stack up more nutritionally, these salads can pack more calories in a small serving than a burger or deep fried fries (and who wouldn't want to have those instead?!!?).

Tip: If you really must have your potato salad or cole slaw, drain out most of the liquid to save on calories and fat
#3: Go bunless

How about just digging into your meats? Use a fork and knife like you would at a nice restaurant. This will not only save you calories on the bun, but you'll also slow your eating down. You could also try wrapping your burger, hot dog or chicken in a lettuce wrap (it's surprisingly really refreshing) or just opt for one side of the bun (hot dog buns are generally lower in calories so opt for those).

#4 Portion Contortion

A good sized burger and chicken breast is about the size of your palm. Stick with the average sized hot dogs (brontosaurus, foot longs, and any other varieties that sound like Jurassic Park are probably best left off your plate). Try to limit yourself to 1 side and keep the portions to the size of your phone. Your best bet is a knish with just 170 calories.

#5 Condiments

Swap sliced avocado for mayo, use ketchup sparingly, step away from bbq sauce and slather on the mustard.

For more condiment advice, check out our earlier blog post devoted to these delicious add ons.
#6 Walk around

Do a full lap around the table of food options before digging in. This allows you to assess the situation and prepare to make healthy choices as you begin to put things on your plate.

Final Note: Enjoy yourself! You're at a bbq not just for the food but for the company as well. Engage in conversation, throw around a football with your friends and family, and even offer to help the host and hostess move things along (set up, serving, cleaning etc.).

Super Seasonings: Decoding Condiments

Burgers, fries, hot dogs, pasta, etc. just wouldn’t be complete without some flavorful condiments. But some of these add on’s add up to a boat load of calories.

Here’s a roundup of 3 favorite condiments:

Ketchup
Serving Size: 1 tbsp Calories: 15

Ketchup seems pretty reasonable at only 15 cals per 1 tbsp. Considering that a tablespoon is about the size of your thumb and most people eat about 4-5x that just with an order of fries, you’re looking at factoring in an additional 60 to 75 calories to your calorie tally. Don’t forget that most ketchups contain high fructose corn syrup ( = BAD ).

Try ketchup’s superior relative – Salsa.

Salsa

Serving size: 1 tbsp Calories: 4

Salsa has an added fiber and protein bonus

Make your own healthy salsas

Mayonnaise
Serving Size: 1 tbsp Calories: 90

Ten grams of fat. Period.  And again, the likelihood of using just a single serving size is slim.

For the same creamy texture, try light mayonnaise, low fat mayonnaise or even mashed avocado.

Light Mayonnaise

Serving Size: 1 tbsp Calories: 35

Low Fat Mayonnaise

Serving Size:1 tbsp Calories: 15

Avocado

Serving Size: 1/4 of avocado Calories: 70

Click here for some healthy avocado recipes

Sour Cream
Serving Size: 1 tbsp Calories: 30

Try dolloping plain Greek yogurt on potatoes for the same tart and tangy taste but fewer calories and a higher protein count.

Plain Greek Yogurt

Serving Size: 1 tbsp Calories: 8

Learn why yogurt is an awesome ingredient in these recipes