It's The Little Things...

So you've journaled your food, worked out til you wanted to punch yourself in the face, said no to the bread at restaurants countless times, and make it a habit to ALWAYS order salad. And the scale. Won't. Budge. WTF, right?! Sometimes it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference.

1. Salad Dressing.
Most salad dressing is filled with chemicals, garbage, sodium, and sugar. I always ask for olive oil and vinegar on the side, and most restaurants will provide you with this. Sometimes I even use guacamole as salad dressing. Really watch out for those creamy dressings--they're filled with calories and trans fats. Also, be careful with dressings like balsamic vinagrette--it's not just oil and vinegar mixed together--most often it has sugars and other crap mixed in as well.

2. Your daily java habit.
At least when you make coffee at home you know exactly what you are putting into it and can avoid lots of added sugar and creamer that's filled with junk. I love Starbucks, don't get me wrong, but they add syrup-y shit to almost everything. Even the sugar free version is filled with fake sugars which can negatively affect your insulin levels, leaving you craving sweets all day long.

3. Your weekly booze night with the girls (or guys!)
It starts out the same way. "Oh I'm just going to have two drinks!" Two turns into 7, and soon you find yourself chowing down on nachos and drinking super sugary margaritas. Actually limit yourself to a couple drinks. Drinking a glass of water between each drink can be really helpful, and it can also help keep you hydrated.

4. Low fat ANYTHING.Just say no. It's filled with other shit to replace the taste...usually sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Fat is not your enemy, sugar is.

5. Skipping meals.
Do I even really need to go over this one? It messes with your metabolism and blood sugar levels. One of the most important things you can do when trying to lose weight is keeping your blood sugar levels as stable as possible. Try to eat every 3-4 hours. Not necessarily a big meal, but in between meals, try not to go more than 4 hours without a little snack of something like almonds or an apple.

6. Sauces
I love hot sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, you name it. Unfortunately, they are SO sugary and salty. Check the labels, and when in doubt ask for the sauce on the side and use as little as possible. Your chicken doesn't need to be drenched in BBQ sauce for it to taste good. Experiment with making your own sauces as well! I've made ketchup and BBQ sauce before with success.