Eating Right and Not Losing Weight?

Here's a quote I hear fairly often:

"I'm eating right and I'm still not losing any weight. How can this be?"

Well, it's usually pretty simple. By 'eating right', most people mean they aren't eating junk food, they're staying away from sugar, eating plenty of fruits and veggies, eating frequently, etc.

That's great.

That doesn't mean you'll automatically lose weight though.

As an example, I just had a routine physical exam. I get one every 2 years and my weight this year was within a pound of where it was 2 years ago. And I'd say that I eat right (well, most of the time anyway).

But, what you need to realize is that if your goal is to lose weight, simply 'eating right' is usually not enough. The bottom line is you need to be disciplined, making sure that in addition to making the good choices listed above, you are also eating such that you are creating a caloric deficit (calories in has to be less than calories out).

Now, that doesn't mean starving yourself. You still need to make good choices, eat frequently, etc. But, you also need to make sure you're following a proper exercise program designed to burn fat and build muscle, so that you are burning more calories every day.

Eating right is a good thing. It can help lower blood pressure, control diabetes, lower your bad cholesterol, and any number of other healthy benefits. But, by itself, it is often not going to be enough to get you the weight loss results you want.

~Dave