Did you know that BLT’s can cause a 10 pound weight gain per year?! No, I am not talking about a sandwich. I am talking about the BLTs (bites, licks, and tastes) that we “forget” about during the day. It’s the 15 calories in each cough drop, the 15-30 calories in the little coffee creamers, a 20 calorie “sip” of a high calorie drink, or the 75 calories from finishing off the last bite of your kids lunch, and much more can easily lead to consuming 100 or more calories everyday!
Those of us who have ever tracked calories know just how difficult it is to make sure you didn’t forget anything and entered all your nutrition properly. If you’re like me, and you don’t enjoy tracking everything, you may try and keep track in your head. Just imagine how many calories we consume each day that aren’t accounted for. So for 1 week I started writing down JUST the extras, a stick of gum, a bite of my son’s popsicle, a pretzel (yes just one), licking the spoon when making peanut butter sandwiches, the small piece of chocolate from my mother-in-law’s house, a taste of my husband’s meal, etc. Now, I am pretty good about not snacking and planning out my days so I was pretty shocked to see that I had consumed a whopping 450 extra calories for the week! That equals over 6.5 lbs in a year! All that during a week that I knew I would be adding it up, so what happens on the weeks that I am not paying attention? I dare each of you to track your BLT’s for the next week, and add up the calories for a very eye opening experience!
For those who are trying to maintain or lose weight, being aware of this statistic can save you and help you bust through plateaus and keep you from back sliding! Take the time to think about what you are eating and why. Here are 3 questions that can help you from making an impulsive or unconscious decision.
- Am I hungry or is another emotion driving me to eat?
- Will this help me reach my long term goal or just provide immediate satisfaction?
- Is this food going to aid my body in anyway?
