Why Eating Healthy Is Not Enough By Itself To Lose Weight

I know you're thinking Shaneka what are you talking about?!...stay with me I'm going somewhere. Okay, so you've made the decision you want to lose weight, you want to be fit and healthy, so you clear out the junk in your cabinets and fridge to make room for more healthy options, like whole grains, vegetables, unprocessed foods, lean meats, and low-fat diary. All thing which are absolutely good for you and would be found in any health conscious persons pantry.

So the first week goes by and you lose weight maybe even as much as 5 pounds, the next week comes and you lose more weight and you may stay on this roll for a few weeks, then all of sudden it just stops! You're doing everything you've been doing eating healthy foods but now no results...why does this happen?

Here's the deal eating healthy is one thing losing weight is a whole other thing that takes at little more focused effort and an attention to the details. Basically, it's science. We lose weight based mainly on calories coming in versus calories going out. If at anytime you're consistently taking in more than your burning during regular daily activity and exercise or breaking even, losing weight won't happen. This is why it's possible to eat healthy, even exercise and still not a drop a pound. In the beginning you will lose weight because a lot of healthy foods are less in calories but in order to get consistent results you have to create a calorie deficit and know how many calories are coming in and how many are going out- this is how weight loss week after week is guaranteed.

So if you're someone who has turned over a new leaf and has started eating better, congratulations that's the first step in losing weight and creating the body you want, but know that the next steps is actually pin pointing the amount calories specific to your body type that you need to take in every day to achieve results week-after-week. The is called your daily calorie allowance. Once you know this number, you can make magic happen. To learn your number and to start keeping track of the calories you consume day to day try using MyFitnessPal , which is an awesome site that gives you all the tools to track and count your calories.

Now let me quickly speak to the flip side of this, a lot of people don't want to or don't feel like they can track their calories and I call bull sh*t on that because anything you really want to do you can, it just make take a little more effort to get it done. Know that it's okay to have to work for what you want, that there are some challenges that you will have to take on to get exactly what you want. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "If it were easy everyone would be doing it." We'll that's exactly true. You really have to choose to stop struggling and choose the actions that lead to the life and body you want. Will you have to count calories for the rest of your life?... absolutely not! I haven't had to in years I've remained the same weight for over 8 years, but it's because in the beginning I did the hard stuff like figuring out what healthy eating looked like and what 100 and 200 calories of my favorite foods looked like. The pattern for healthy eating get's established in the beginning of your journey where you have to look at the calories you have to track it because it's all new to you, once you figure what is and what's not, then you have your blueprint for success and you're free to run it how you like. But it all starts with learning your body, learning what types of foods fill you up but are low in calorie so you get more bang for your buck so to speak- it's about finding your balance with food and that only really happens when you have keen awareness of what you're actually putting into your body.

Having the body, energy, and healthy you want is within your grasp but you have to have all the pieces to make it work. So if you've been eating healthy great, the next step is to dive a little deeper into this and really get clear with the science of it and the numbers.

If you'd like to speak with Shaneka or have a weight loss or diet question, click the scheduling link above to have a chance to speak with her...