5 Tips to NOT UNDERESTIMATE How Much You Eat

How much do you eat every day? Have you ever journalized what you eat in a day? If not, you may be underestimating your daily caloric intake. Research shows that people will underestimate the amount of calories they eat for various reasons.


According to the True Results Health Honesty Survey, 46 percent of those surveyed are not honest with family members and 32 percent admit to lying to doctors. True Results is a team of leading weight loss experts based in Texas.

"Lying about your health and fitness, if even only a few times per year, can signify a fundamental issue in your ability to achieve your health goals," said Jessica Diaz, nutritionist and exercise physiologist for True Results. "Numerous studies have shown, the key to achieving any health or fitness goal is support from those around you and that cannot happen if you're not honest with yourself or others."

Its a good idea to journal your eating habits until you have a handle on what, when and how much to eat. Although you don't need to strictly count calories, you need to have a good handle on how many calories you are eating and burning every day. Even if you eat whole, natural foods, you cannot eat as much as you want. You will gain weight if you consistently maintain daily caloric surpluses (eat more calories than you burn).

Those who have succeeded at transforming their bodies from fat to lean have health and fitness practices that they do on most days. It becomes a lifestyle. It really is that simple. You become what you habitually do, whether good or bad. So, you need to establish what works for you to stay lean and keep the weight off.

Here are 5 tips to eat smarter:

1. Get your snacking under control. I am a snacker and always have been. That can be good or bad depending on the type of snacks I eat and how much. Its good to eat small meals every 3-4 hours but you still have to eat the right foods.

See:  15 Delicious Weekend Fat-Burning Snacks

2. Don't eat empty calories. Loading up on sugary drinks or foods are not very nutritious and they leave you wanting to eat more in just a short time. They also spike your blood sugar levels and encourage your body to store fat.

According to government data, sweetened soft drinks add about 10 percent of the calories in the typical American's diet.

Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, who is widely cited by obesity researchers, says that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain. "Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages," said Ludwig, who runs the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

The increase in soda consumption mirrors this nation's obesity epidemic. At the midpoint of the 20th century, Americans drank four times as much milk as sodas. Today, this trend is almost totally reversed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

3. Drink more water to help you eat less. Drink daily about a half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight (150 pound person would drink 75 ounces). Since your muscles are comprised of about 70% water, don't dehydrate yourself. During exercise, drink about a cup of water for every 15 minutes of exercise.

Water-based foods such as fruits and vegetables count toward water consumed. When you don't drink water, try beverages such as unsweetened tea.

4. Eat a balanced diet based on the macronutrients (healthy fats, carbohydrates, protein) before progressing to more advanced eating strategies like carb cycling. Eat enough to burn fat and build muscle. This will eliminate starvation diets.

See:  30-Day Weight Loss Starvation Diets Are Misery

For instance, you should eat protein with every meal. Protein is critical for rebuilding muscle tissues after strength workouts. Protein also helps you control calorie intake because you stay fuller for longer.

5. Get 7-8 hours of deep sleep each night so your body's metabolism will work properly. Researchers have found that the less sleep the test subjects got, the higher their body mass index. The shorter sleep time altered the subjects hormone levels, energy decreased and appetite increased.

According to Rehan Jalali:

"90% of Growth Hormone (GH) secretion occurs at night. The circadian rhythms help determine the regulation of hormone released in the body. Growth hormone levels need to be maximized during sleep to help rebuild muscle tissue and increase lean body mass. In resistance trained individuals, GH release was lower during the first half of sleep and higher in the second half, whereas it was opposite in non-training individuals." 
"It’s very important to get deep sleep, according to one detailed study; because if you don’t, it could mean a major decline in GH output, which is bad news for muscle building. The same study showed that GH secretion was majorly associated with slow wave sleep and that when REM sleep declined, evening cortisol levels increased. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that can break down muscle tissue."

BONUS TIP: Have an active lifestyle. This is a critical step to help you lose and manage your weight. Keep your fat-burning enzymes working during the day by standing and walking as much as possible. All movement burns calories.

Consistency is the key to maintaining your lean and healthy body.

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About Mark

Hi, I'm Mark Dilworth, Nutritionist, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Nutrition for Metabolic Health Specialist and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist. Since 2006, I have helped thousands of clients and readers make lifestyle habit changes which includes body transformation and ideal body weight.