One key to maintaining a healthy weight is to balance the calories you eat with the calories you burn.  But that’s sometimes easier said than done.

Balancing your calories sounds deceptively simple.  Eat more calories than you burn and you’ll gain weight. Take in fewer calories than you burn and you’ll shed some pounds. Keep your “calories in” and “calories out” about the same, and your weight should stay pretty stable.  So why is it that hardly a week goes by that someone doesn’t complain to me that they’re “exercising like a madman, but not losing any weight” or, “eating like a bird but the scale won’t budge”?  It simply boils down to this: when it comes to counting calories accurately – the ones you eat and the one you spend – there are so many ways it can go wrong.

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April 1^st in the US is a day when people play practical jokes on family and friends.  Those who fall victim are called April Fools.  But there’s no reason to be fooled when it comes to nutrition.  Whenever I talk to someone about food or their diet, I often have to spend a little time debunking a myth or two.  Here are a few of the most common nutrition myths I’ve heard.  Have they fooled you, too? 

Sugar makes you hyper. Here’s the fact about sugar… I know that I will never convince firm believers, but there is no scientific evidence that sugar makes people hyper.  Kids get hyper at parties not because of the sugary soda and birthday cake – they’re cranked up because they’re excited.  Adults often consume their sugar with caffeine – like sodas or coffee drinks – so it’s usually the caffeine, not the sugar, that’s gotten them wound up.

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