I’ve seen many, many diets over the years. When it comes to those people wanting to lose weight, there are several mistakes their diets usually have in common. Here are the top 5 things I see most frequently.

1) Too many calories – This one goes without saying. If you’re consuming too many calories you’re not going to lose weight. The problem here is that the individual sometimes isn’t aware unless they’re tracking their diets.

2) Not eating enough protein – I would say 99% of the diets I view don’t contain enough protein. If you’re not in the range of 0.7-1.0g/pound of bodyweight, you need to increase your protein intake. Lean meat, fish, poultry are good sources. If you’re having a hard time getting enough protein, consider adding a protein supplement.

3) Not eating frequently enough – While studies show that meal frequency has little effect on weight loss if total calories consumed each day are equal, I find it’s much easier to control calories if I’m eating throughout the day and not gorging at night. It can help stabilize blood sugar levels, which can ward off cravings and binges.

4) Skipping breakfast – Breakfast is important. Those who skip breakfast tend to consume more calories daily than those who do not. After fasting for 6-8 hours overnight, your body is need of nutrients first thing in the morning. Consume a complete breakfast with plenty of protein, carbs, and fat.

5) Not eating prior to exercising – While some may think they’re going to burn more fat if they exercise on an empty stomach, the fact is you won’t. For better, more effective workouts, consume a combination of carbs and protein about 90 minutes prior to exercise.

Bonus: Not drinking enough water – By now I think everyone knows the importance of water and the effects dehydration can have. You should consume around 0.6oz per pound of bodyweight.

When my clients are interested in losing weight I always recommend they track their diets. Here are the top 5 benefits of doing so.

1) Awareness – I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “My diet is fine, I just need help with exercise”. I would say 99% of the time this changes after the individual starts tracking their diet. If you aren’t aware of what you’re doing you have no idea that a change is even necessary.

2) Education – You would be surprised how much you learn from logging your food intake. It opens up a whole new world when it comes to nutritional content of food and food selection, especially when eating out. Plus, the education you get lasts forever. Should you happen to fall off the wagon you have the knowledge to get back on track.

3) Adjustments – If you’re tracking your diet it’s easy to figure out what adjustments need to be made to continue progressing. If not, it’s a best guess scenario that probably won’t lead to the results you’re looking for.

4) Accountability – Tracking your diet keeps you accountable, whether to yourself to a third party. It makes you stop and think prior to eating, “Do I really want to add this to my log?”, and changes the way you eat.

5) Results – By far, those who track their diets see better results than those who don’t. If you’re in a situation where weight loss is not occurring, start tracking your diet and see how quickly things change.

There are many tools available to track your diet. Personally, I prefer MyFitnessPal. It’s functionality is great and once you get your meals and common foods set it’s easy to input your intake. It also has a mobile app available which allows you to input your diet on the go.

As part of my boot camp program, I recommend all my clients track their nutrition intake using an online tracker or mobile app. Aside from the obvious benefits of knowing how many calories you’re consuming etc., the knowledge and understanding of nutrition you gain from doing so is invaluable. It’s a tedious thing to do, no doubt. But it is well worth the effort.

So what about tracking caloric expenditure of exercise?

Most online diet logs that I’ve seen also give you the ability to track your exercise and provide you some estimate of caloric expenditure of the exercise performed. In a lot of cases, they will figure these calories into your daily recommendations and allow you to eat more on the days you exercise. While I think the intentions behind this are good, I think the end result will be counter productive.

The more variables you enter into an equation to more likely you are to make a mistake. Given the fact that diet weighs more than exercise when it comes to producing body composition changes, I like to treat exercise as a constant. Also, people tend to overestimate the intensity of exercise which results in an inflated caloric expenditure numbers. Combine this with the fact that people tend to underestimate their food consumption and you can easily see the issues that arise.

I recommend ignoring the expenditure side of the equation of focusing solely on diet. It’s usually the more difficult aspect of a program to get right and the one people struggle with the most. If you are able to fine-tune your diet you will more than likely will experience the results you are seeking.

For the longest time I have seen trainers, RDs etc. recommend absolute changes in caloric intake. The most popular recommendation by far being to increase/decrease calories by 250 per day. However, 250 calories means different things for different people and I think it’s the wrong approach to take.

Suppose you have someone who weighs 250lbs and is consuming 2500 calories/day in order to lose weight. Reducing intake by 250 calories per day represents a 10% decrease in daily calories. What if the person weighs only 150lbs and is consuming 1500 calories per day in order to lose weight? Reducing calories by 250 per day would equal a 17% decrease in daily calories. This is a pretty sharp drop in intake at once and could have counterproductive results.

A better way to go about it would be to adjust caloric intake by percentage instead of absolute numbers. This way adjustments are relative to the individual and you avoid making adjustments that are too high for some or too low for others. Personally, I always start with a 10% change in calories, regardless of whether someone is looking to lose weight or gain muscle. It’s typically enough to get the person rolling again without any adverse effects that could result from too big a change.

This is one of my all-time favorite smoothie recipes. It’s super simple and delicious!

Add to blender:

12oz skim milk
6 strawberries (frozen or fresh)
1 whole banana (frozen or fresh)
1 scoop of whey protein powder
5 ice cubes

Blend to your desired consistency. Makes for a great post-workout shake!

When it comes to dieting for weight loss you need to get your priorities in order. With so much attention given to carbs these days it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important. So, here you go…dietary requirements prioritized.

1) Calories – If you’re consuming too many calories, it doesn’t matter how much protein, fat, or carbs you’re eating…you’re going to gain weight or at least not lose weight.

2) Protein – If you’re not consuming enough protein while on a calorie restricted diet, you’re going to lose muscle. If you lose muscle, your metabolism will drop. Not as much as some would like to think (just like adding a pound of muscle doesn’t increase your metabolism as much as some would like to think), but every little bit is important.

3) Fat – You need to consume enough good fats for metabolic processes to work properly and to maintain cellular functions.

4) Carbs – If you can survive on 0 grams of carbs per day, putting them last is the only place that makes sense. Besides, if the above are set properly carbs will fall where they need to be.

The above parameters should be set in order. See Nutrition for Weight Loss for the details on setting each of the four variables. To simplify the process, focus on one step at a time. First, set your calories. When you are able to hit your calorie goals on a daily basis, move to step two and focus on protein intake. Once you’re able to hit your goals for both calories and protein, move to step three. Once you get things clicking with steps 1-3 everything should be in working order. Keep in mind, however, when weight loss occurs each parameter will have to be reset in order to maintain progress.

Taking the above approach will simplify the process and have you focusing on one thing at a time. Trying to tackle everything at once can easily become too much. I’ve used these guidelines and approach with many clients and it works. Give it a try and see how it works for you.

No surprise I get a lot of questions about proper nutrition for weight loss. Since many people are obsessed with numbers, here are the numbers I start with when recommending a diet conducive to weight loss:

1) Calories: Body weight x 10 calories
Why? You need to start somewhere and this is as good a place as any.

2) Protein: Body weight x 0.7g
Why? When calorie intake decreases, protein needs increase. Having enough protein in the diet will help maintain your strength and muscle mass. Although most people recommend 1g+ of protein per pound, I’ve found that 0.7g has worked well with my clients.

3) Fat: 25% of total calories
Why? Fats, primarily essential fats (omegas), are important for maintaining healthy cells and metabolic processes.

4) Carbs: Leftover calories
Why? Unless you’re an endurance athlete or have an underlying health condition that requires more attention, I really don’t concern myself with carbs. I’ve found that if you get the first 3 correct, carbs really don’t matter much.

5) Water: Body weight x 0.6
Why? If you’re dehydrated your body will suffer and so will your results. If you aren’t running to the bathroom constantly throughout the day you need to drink more water.

While you will always need to adjust things according to your results, this is a good starting point for most people. The key is to be consistent and patient, giving it enough time before pulling the plug and giving up. I would say give it 2-4 weeks to see some results. If you’re not getting anything by then, you can probably be sure it isn’t water retention and should make some changes.

You never burn off as many calories as you think you should while exercising. You’re always consuming more calories than you think you are. Keep these two things in mind and you’ll do just fine!

I just wanted to post a quick tip on protein intake while on a calorie restricted diet. When calories are reduced (caloric deficit created), your body’s need for protein increases. Therefore, be extra aware of your protein intake during a calorie restriction.  Protein intake should be in the neighborhood of 1.0g/lb of body weight.  This will vary a little according to body fat, etc.  But generally speaking, this is a good place to start.

Reducing the number of calories consumed helps many people lose weight.  No doubt about it.  However, reducing the amount of food you eat also decreases the nutrients your body is receiving.  In an environment where many of the foods consumed are of low nutritional value, reducing the amount taken in increases the chances of nutrient deficiency.  So how do you tackle this issue? Build your diet around whole foods.

Processed foods have a lousy calorie/nutrient ratio.  They contain a lot of calories, but provide very few nutrients.  Therefore, they have to be over-consumed in order to get the nutrients your body needs (and they usually are of poor quality).

Whole foods, on the other hand, contain far fewer calories and are abundant in the nutrients. This will allow you to eat less (fewer calories) while maintaining (more likely increasing) adequate nutrient intake.  The result?  Caloric restriction without the depletion of vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.

If you are unsure of what a whole food is, that’s ok.  Simply ask yourself this question. Would a caveman have had access to this food?  If the answer is no, it’s likely not a whole food.

To help with your search for whole foods while shopping, stick to the perimeter of the supermarket instead of the ailes.  That’s where you will find the majority of the whole foods available.  Start including them in your diet and I’m sure you will appreciate the results.