I am often asked questions regarding diet and exercise and thought it might help to share some of the most common mistakes and problems that I see. You may be ruining your chances at weight loss or jeopardizing your health without even knowing it.

1. Drinking Calories. Studies have shown that people who drink high calorie drinks do not "recognize" the calories. In other words, your appetite stays the same even though you have taken in calories that, if eaten as solid food, would have made you feel full or less hungry. Soda/Pop on a daily basis is a HUGE contributor to weight gain. A can of pop has over 200 calories. The average person only needs 1800-2200 calories per day. There is no room for the pop! The same goes for Gatorade, sugary coffee drinks, juice and alcoholic beverages. Juice has a high sugar content, natural or artificial. It should not be consumed in high quantities on a daily basis. Watering it down may help with this too, especially if it is a favorite for your child.

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) consumption. This goes back to the body's "recognition" of calories. HFCS does not affect insulin levels in the body, even though it should. In other words, your body doesn't recognize the calories and transfer that information into a feeling of "full". Unfortunately for us, it is a lot CHEAPER than actual sugar. This means that food manufacturers use it more often. This stuff is poison to your body's regulatory mechanisms and should be avoided whenever possible. This takes some label reading, but there are products out there that don't have it. For example, Roman Meal bread makes 2 varieties without HFCS. Schwebels makes one too. Not all of their products are HFCS free, so read the label!

3. MSG consumption. I am sounding like a broken record, but it also affects your feeling of "full". Bottom line, if you don't feel the caloric content of your food, you are going to eat more. This chemical is also a MAJOR problem for migraine sufferers. Read your labels. This has been publicized enough that you can usually find several product brands that do not have it. Big culprits: Canned soup, salad dressing and pre-packaged food.

4. Trans Fats. This has been in the news a lot and companies are getting away from trans fat use, so hopefully this will get better with time. However, this is a biggie when it comes to heart disease. Your body doesn't break this stuff down. It just starts clogging vessels! You should also note that due to an issue with FDA rules, companies were allowed to put trans fat free on their labels even if it wasn't necessarily true. This is changing, so keep reading the labels. Don't just assume it isn't there.

5. Not Eating Your Veggies. Wonder why you get sick all the time? It may be a lack of vegetables and fruits in your diet. It is recommended that you get 5-8 servings A DAY. A lot of people don't get that in a week! Constipation problems? Revisit your vegetable and fruit consumption. The natural fiber you consume will keep you regular. The fiber will also help you feel full longer, a great tip for those trying to lose weight. By the way, french fries don't count!

6. Water Consumption. Dehydration gets turned into an urge to drink and EAT. Staying hydrated will help you to know when you are actually hungry. Start with the basic 8. That's 8- 8 oz. glasses per day. You will need more if you consume a lot of caffeinated beverages, as caffeine is a diuretic (draws water out of your body).

That's all for now. I am sure you are feeling bad enough about your diet by now. If not, GOOD JOB! It all comes down to changing habits. You need to make changes and give yourself time to get used to it. You WILL see and feel the difference, and it WILL stop feeling like work! Not sure what else to do, ask me. I love to answer questions about nutrition.