It's just a fact - your body burns a certain amount of energy every day. Food is energy, measured in kcals, better known as calories. Eat more food than your body burns and you gain weight. Eat less and you lose. One thing all the fad diets have in common is that, no matter the approach, they have you eating fewer calories than you are burning. One of the main reasons people have problems losing weight is that they are miscalculating the amount of calories they are consuming. A heaping plate of pasta is not one serving - more likely it's at least two or three (if you're eating a restaurant meal, it's likely three or even more). How many servings of bread are in a sandwich? Two - each bread slice counts as a serving. And every calorie counts, including the cream you put in your coffee (even if it's not cream, but nonfat milk), that Girl Scout cookie you had this afternoon (and admit it, you actually ate three, not just one), and the mayonnaise and ketchup on that sandwich. All those little extras add up - they're also the easiest to reduce or eliminate from your diet. So be more aware of what - and how much - you are actually eating.

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