This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

This Fat Loss Tip Works

You are completely fed up...and I don't blame you.

For ages you've been eating healthy and exercising, and yet still haven't met your fat loss goal.

What's the deal?

This is a quandary that all dedicated fat-loss-seekers find themselves facing, sooner or later.

Why won't the weight come off? You are doing everything you can think of to make it happen.

It's time to come face-to-face with an ugly truth about yourself...and until you do you'll always be stuck in this place where healthy eating and exercise do not get you that amazing body you want.

There's one simple thing standing between you and a slimmed down, amazingly fit body. One. Simple. Thing.

And here it is...You eat too many calories.

That's it.

Solve this problem and your dream body will quickly and easily become reality.

Wait, don't give me the excuse that, "I only eat healthy calories." That's great, but even healthy calories add up to extra pounds when we let them go unchecked.

Back to Basics: Why Calorie Counting Works
You may have heard about the professor from Kansas State University, Mark Haub, who performed a famous junk food diet. Professor Haub proved a powerful lesson for anyone who still has weight to lose, so let's listen up.

In a demonstrative experiment for his nutrition class, Professor Haub ate a diet of pure junk food for 2 months. I'm talking candy bars and packaged snacks ˆ thee kinds of things you find in a snack machine.

You'd expect him to gain weight, right? Well, there was one catch. He was only allowed to eat 1800 calories each day. Yes, those calories were pure junk, but the limit was firmly put at 1800 calories.

Before the experiment, Professor Haub's typical calorie intake was closer to 2600 calories. So his junk food diet put him at an 800 calorie per day deficit.

Boy did that calorie deficit pay off. Within 2 months he had dropped 30 pounds, bringing his BMI from overweight down to normal.

No, I'm NOT recommending a junk food diet as your answer for fat loss. What I am pointing out is how powerful a reduction in calories is when it comes to lowering your body weight.

Do you know how many calories you eat each day?

If you're not sure, don't worry. You're about to learn the one fat loss tool that will change everything for you. First we need to get to the bottom of how many calories you're eating each day.

Yes, even those healthy calories.

Before you start whining, let me explain. Food journaling doesn't involved lugging around a journal, writing down each food item throughout the day then looking everything up at the end of the day to manually tally calories like it used to.

These days food journaling has gone digital, and tracking your calories only takes seconds of your time.

Here's what I need you to do:

#1: Download a food journal application to your smart phone. At the touch of your fingers you'll be able to look up food items and instantly see your running calorie tally.

#2: Meet with your doctor or nutritionist to find a daily calorie count that will allow for safe weight loss and then diligently maintain that number. Eat healthy, fresh foods and when you decide to indulge, make sure to do so within your target calorie range.

#3: Meet with me for a consistent and challenging exercise routine. Our exercise programs at CrossFit Reach are specifically crafted to get you into amazing shape as quickly as possible.

These three, simple steps will give you structure and clarity that you need when it comes to making food choices and will quickly result in pounds lost and goals achieved.

Once your goal weight is met, your target calorie range will be adjusted for maintenance.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Acton