Are you in a caloric deficit but not losing weight? Are your measurements the same? Does your body look and feel like it hasn’t changed in a while?

If so, the reason you’re not losing weight could be that you’re not truly in a caloric deficit.

After coaching clients for over six years, I’ve realized three of the biggest mistakes people make when losing weight. These three mistakes typically cause them to believe they’re in a deficit but not actually be in one.

The three mistakes most people are making are:

• Eating Out
• Estimating
• BLT’s

Let’s look at each one in more depth.

Eating Out

Even though many restaurants now provide the nutritional information for many of their menu options, they’re not always accurate. And, for restaurants that do not have their nutrition facts, well, we have to just make an educated guess. And that’s okay. When it’s 1-3 times per week. But if it becomes daily or even multiple times daily, the lack of accuracy begins to affect your results. We honestly don’t know if the chef overpoured the oil, added an extra scoop of rice, or shorted our steak. When possible, prepare your own meals because only then do you have 100% control over what’s included.

Estimations

I know that sometimes measuring your food with a food scale is impossible. Traveling, eating out, or dining with friends in their homes makes this pretty tricky. And I also understand that sometimes, measuring, even at home, is just plain ol’ time-consuming. But guess what? Too much estimating can lead to unintentional overeating which can pull us further and further away from actually being in a caloric deficit. What looks to our eyes like 4ox may actually be 6oz. Multiply that times several meals and the calories start to quickly pile up.

BLTs

Bites, Licks, Tastes. Ever cook pasta for the family and taste one or two to see if they’re ready? How often do you lick the spatula after making some delicious chocolate chip cookie batter with the kids? Moms, have you ever snatched the last couple of Cheetos from your kid’s plate before tossing the remainder in the bin? If we don’t track these little BLTs they can really add up. A couple of cookies from the pantry, a few times a day, over the course of a week can easily add up to 1,000 or more unintentional calories.

I myself am guilty of eating a few Triscuits here and there while I’m cooking to ‘hold me over’ until the meal is ready. We all do it, it’s nothing to be ashamed of or punish yourself for. Just be aware of what’s happening, then make a course correction. Nothing is set in stone and everything can be changed once you decide to change it.

The only way to remedy these three things is to commit to being accurate. Eat out less, measure the majority of your meals, and avoid taking BLTs (unless you log them first). Tracking your meal makes you more aware of portions and calories. Overlooking these three important puzzle pieces could be just the thing that’s holding you back from achieving your results.