Getting lean depends on one thing, and that one thing is consistently staying in a calorie deficit. Yes there are “good foods” and “bad foods”, but calories are the biggest influence on how much you weigh and how you look. Now obviously, 100 calories of soda and chips won’t provide the same nutrition as 100 calories of green leafy vegetables or fresh fruit. Different foods affect your hunger levels because different foods either turn on or turn off your internal hunger switch. I can choose to eat a fresh green salad with carrots, spinach, artichoke hearts, jicama, corn, cucumbers, red bell peppers, heaerts of palm, OR I can choose a small bag of chips with dip. Both meals would have around 350 calories, but both meals would not have the same affect on my hunger. I am satisfied for a longer period of time after eating the salad for sure. My body is nourished and tells my brain that I’m full. Chips and dip on the other hand only leave me hunger for something else. It didn’t nourish my cells. My brain is still telling me to eat something so I can be satisfied. I will probably crave something sweet to offset the salt from the chips so a soda would sound good. Do you see where this is going?

Most people don’t know how many calories they’re consuming in a day. They are really easy to track. You can go to Livestrong.com/myplate or MyFitnessPal.com. Both are free and easy to use. When you become aware of the calories going in and the calories being burned off, you will be well on your way to success. Track your daily results and adjust based on your results. This may be the one thing that will make all the difference for you. It may be as easy as creating a 100 calorie deficit per day. You could lose 1 to 2 pounds in 30 days. Now this might not seem like a lot to you, but when is the last time you lost 1 or 2 pounds? And if you did, how fast did you gain it back. By putting these habits in place, you’ll lose it and keep it off and It won’t seem like you’re depriving yourself either. Add to this some exercise and you’ll really see results!

Here are some 100 calorie foods that you probably won’t miss: two Oreos, one-third of a Snickers bar, two-thirds of a Twinkie, half of a glazed donut and a Two-Bite Brownie, 20 roasted peanuts, half of a small apple with 2 tsp. of peanut butter, 12 Quaker Cheddar Cheese Rice Snacks, a mini bag of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn or 60 Goldfish crackers.You may not eat these types of foods, but you get the picture. 100 calories over time can make a huge difference. You get to chose what type of difference it will make on your body.