​How much you think you eat versus how much you actually eat!

I love the iceberg analogy about how much we eat. Most people think they eat a lot less than they actually eat! There is what we see (or what we want to see) – what’s above the surface, versus what we actually do eat (which is below the surface in the iceberg).
This really comes to light when a client says they want to lose weight. When you ask them to describe a typical day or week, they often say they are eating a lot of the right things, and give the impression they are eating the right amount of the right things. But then you work with them for a few weeks and their weight isn’t coming down. You then ask them to do a food diary (this can be very easy and basic, like a paper log of what you eat, or you can use an App like “MyFitnessPal”). Next time you met them, 9 out of 10 times there will be comments like:
“I didn’t realise I eat so much”
“I forgot to tell you about …….. (usually snacks, or crisps)”
“My portion size was bigger than I expected”
“I didn’t know there were so many calories in …….. (usually beer or snacks)”
“I never thought I ate so much ….. (often processed food)”
“I eat great Monday to Friday, it’s the weekends that get me”
“That was really fascinating”
 
If you are on a weight loss journey, the first step is being honest with yourself. Then you can take the right steps to improve the situation.