By now, you’ve just about had it.You’ve been exercising and eating healthy for ages, but haven’t met your weight loss goal.It’s an issue that every whole-grain-veggie-and-lean-meat-eating health seeker faces at some point in his or her fitness journey.Until you come face-to-face with this one problem, you’ll always be stuck in limbo: eating healthy and not having the stunning body to show for it.Once you conquer this last issue, you’ll quickly achieve your ultimate goal and will slide into the ongoing maintenance phase.Here’s your problem: You eat too many calories.Master this problem and you’ll quickly and easily achieve the body of your dreams.”But I only eat healthy calories, so quantity doesn’t really matter,” you’re thinking.While I applaud you for eating healthy calories, you’re fooling yourself if you think quantity isn’t an issue.Calorie counting worksHave you heard of the professor from Kansas State University, Mark Haub, and his famous junk food diet?As an experiment for his nutrition class, Haub put himself on a diet of almost exclusively candy bars, packaged cakes and processed snacks. The catch was that he only ate 1800 calories each day ñ his previous diet of normal and healthy foods was about 2600 calories each day.Within two months, Haub had lost 30 pounds and his BMI dropped from the overweight category down to normal.While I would never recommend eating junk food, this is quite a dramatic demonstration of how reduced calorie intake works for weight loss.How many calories do you eat each day?If you don’t know the answer, then get excited because this one weight loss tool will change everything for you.Start your food journalFood journaling used to be a cumbersome act that 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.Not anymore.Today, food journaling has gone digital. Tracking calories takes only seconds of your time.Download a food journal application to your smart phone; and, at the touch of your fingers, you’ll be able to look up food items and instantly see your running calorie tally.Meet with your doctor to determine a daily calorie count that will allow for safe weight loss and diligently maintain that number. Eat healthy, fresh foods and when you decide to indulge, do so within your target calorie range.This one small, proactive step will give you structure and clarity 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.To meet your weight loss goal quicker, pair your calorie-specific eating with a consistent and challenging exercise routine.Your digital food journalIf you have a smart phone, then doing your food journaling digitally is a no-brainer. The process is quick and painless. Here are 2 top-rated apps:My Fitness Pal: This app is free and works on the Web, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows phones.My Net Diary: This app costs $5/month and works on the Web, Iphone, Ipad, Android or Blackberry.Try out different food journal apps until you find one that is easy for you to use, works well with your phone and makes tracking your calories simple and fun.Once you decide which app works for you, it’s time to get journaling!Stay within your target calorie range and watch as the pounds drop.RECIPE OF THE MONTHRoasted & stuffed eggplantRoasted veggies are low in calories and high in fiber, making them the perfect diet food. This dish will fill you up without adding too many calories to your daily tally. Add a side of lean protein for a complete meal.Servings: 6Here’s what you need:3 medium eggplants1 teaspoon olive oil2 medium onions, diced2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved1/4 cup walnuts, chopped2 teaspoons ground cinnamon2 teaspoons dried oregano1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese1. Cut the eggplants in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/2 inch on the shell. Chop the scooped-out flesh into 1/2 inch cubes and set in a colander. Sprinkle the eggplant cubes and the inside of the eggplant shells with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Drop the eggplant shells in the water and simmer for 7 minutes. Shells should be barely tender when poked with a fork. Drain and pat dry.3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. SautÈ the onions for 5 minutes. Add the chopped eggplant, tomatoes, walnuts, cinnamon, oregano and 1/4 cup filtered water. Cook for 8 minutes, until softened and browned.4. Preheat oven to broil. Place eggplant shells on a greased baking sheet. Broil for 5 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F.5. Fill each eggplant shell with the veggies, sprinkle with the feta. Bake for 35 minutes, or until browned on top.Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 153 calories, 4.7g fat, 86mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate, 11g fiber, and 6g protein.
