It's a common problem. You've been on a diet for weeks and aren't losing weight like you thought you would.

It may be because you're consuming more calories than you think.

Keep reading to discover seven sneaky habits that may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

Mistake #1: Forgetting Liquid Calories
It's easy to forget that the things you drink have calories - some more than you'd think. In fact, some beverages have more calories than an entire plate of food.

It is estimated that around 20 percent of your daily calories come from what you drink. So as you drink your juice with breakfast, rehydrate with a sports drink at the gym, or drink a glass of wine at dinner, think about the calories you're adding.

For calories' sake, it's best to avoid all sweetened sodas, sweetened or flavored coffee drinks, sweetened tea, and smoothies. Replace these high-calorie drinks with water, skim milk, and unsweetened herbal tea. Because while they taste great, liquids generally don't satisfy hunger, so they are just empty calories.

Mistake #2 Meal Skipping
Many dieters think they'll cut their calorie intake by skipping a meal, usually breakfast.

But this is a mistake.

Research has shown that those who skip breakfast actually weigh more than those who eat three meals a day. Skipping a meal usually causes you to eat more calories during the day because you will end up eating even more food later in the day because you're so hungry.

So aim to eat three (or more) meals a day. A healthy breakfast that will keep you feeling full all morning contains protein and fiber. An example would be whole-wheat toast and an egg.

Mistake #3: Oversized Portions
Just because restaurants load your plate with a mountain of food doesn't mean you should eat that much at home for a normal meal.

Remember that your stomach, like your heart, is the size of your fist. Don't think you could fit much food into your fist? You're right. And contrary to what mama taught you as a child, you don't have to eat all the food in front of you.

To eat a little less, use smaller plates and eat slower so you know when you're full. Also, remember that portion control also applies to healthy foods, as they, too, contain calories.

Mistake #4: Too Many Extras
A salad is a healthy, low calorie option. At least until you add dressing, bacon, cheese, and croutons.

These add extra calories fast.

One tablespoon of dressing contains 75 to 100 calories. With that in mind, it's no wonder grilled-chicken salads at a fast-food restaurant can have more calories than a hamburger.

Mistake #5: Blaming Your Genes
Many people give up on dieting or think there's no hope when it comes to meeting their goal weight because of their genes.

Just like you may share your father's hair color or your mother's eye color, there is a small chance you also share your parent's body type. However, this is no excuse for doing nothing about trying to lose weight.

Stick to your diet and exercise plan and you should definitely see results.

Mistake #6: Eating Without Thinking
It happens to everyone. You're tired after a long day and you just want to veg in front of the television or read a good book. Unfortunately, mindlessly eating is often involved. You may think that since it's not on a plate it doesn't matter, but every bite you take counts.

When it comes to a successful diet, make rules for appropriate times to eat. And don't always feel the need to eat when relaxing. Try sipping on water or tea, chewing gum, or simply don't put anything in your mouth.

Mistake #7: Eliminating All Treats
Dieters often become overzealous in their plan and completely rid the house of all the food they enjoy, whether chips, sweets, snacks, or any high calorie food.

This commitment may last a few days until you can't tolerate it any longer and you overindulge on what you deprived yourself of.

A better plan is to allow yourself a treat every once in a while.

Remember that everyone makes mistakes, but be smart and don't let these common pitfalls keep your from meeting your weight loss goal!

Reach your fitness potential faster by coupling your good diet with a challenging exercise program. I'm here to motivate, instruct and encourage you to reach your goal.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will truly improve your quality of life.

Aim to Add It's easy to only focus on the foods that you're not supposed to eat when on a diet, but by changing your focus to all the foods that you are able to freely eat you'll stay motivated and stick with it.

Pack as many non-starchy vegetables as you'd like into your daily diet as well as fresh, seasonal fruits. Experiment with different methods of preparation for exciting variety.

Nothing will derail your fitness goals quite as swiftly as a painful injury.

In order to stay pain-free and limber, beware of the following 4 exercises:

#1: The Slump Machine - One of the most common and easiest ways to get hurt at the gym is by using improper posture when on a treadmill, stationary bicycle, Stairmaster, and pretty much any other machine.

In order to avoid injury, fight the urge to rest your forearms on the handlebars of the bicycle or let your head and shoulders slump below your hand grips on the Stairmaster. By doing this, your shoulders and back are constantly in harm's way.

#2: The Fighting Bends - Whether stretching your body for prolonged periods of time or pulling weights down time and again, another way to injure your body is by doing exercises that don't feel good when you're doing them.

Many exercises that are likely to cause harm involve pulling weights down behind your head. Exercises like these and others force your body to fight its natural range of motion and are a fantastic way to allow your body to suffer harm when harm could easily be avoided.

#3: Twist, Shout, Scream - Here's an exercise that potentially builds up a little flexibility but that offers a lot of potential for pain. Grab a broom handle or a barbell, toss it across your shoulders, and start twisting your body.

This aggressive twisting puts an enormous amount of stress on the lower back. There are plenty of safer ways to gain flexibility in your back, so avoid this technique at all costs.

#4: The Improperly Done Dead Lift - Used as the grand finale for many weight-lifting competitions, the dead lift is the last word when it comes to brute, unfettered strength. And when the inexperienced, unprofessional weight lifter tries to take on this impressive feat, the results can be disastrous.

On top of dropping incredible amounts of weight on your body, dead lifting also offers the opportunity to ruin your back by not lifting with your legs.

Now that you know what exercises to avoid to escape unnecessary and potentially life-altering pain, what are you waiting for? Get out there and be safe!

For faster results join one of my proven fitness programs. Call or email today to get started.

Safety First In addition to avoiding a handful of dangerous exercises, you should keep a few rules of thumb in mind no matter what you find yourself doing in the midst of your routine.

Rule of Thumb 1: Technique is everything. Using poor technique with any exercise is one of the fastest ways to wind up with bad pain. In addition to helping you avoid injury, proper technique also helps you make sure you're working out the muscles you're trying to work out.

Rule of Thumb 2: Burnout hurts. When your body says you can't go any farther, it may be a good idea to listen. Some of the most common injuries at the gym are overuse injuries. So don't be afraid to give your body a break. You can also reduce your likelihood of overuse injuries by keeping plenty of variety in your regiment.

Rule of Thumb 3: Get a partner or work with a trainer. It's not easy to find someone to get in the weight room with you at 5 a.m. However, having someone alongside of you will help you avoid injury by spotting you when you get in a bad situation and helping you practice proper form throughout your routine.

Have you ever wondered if those minutes you spend in the gym are burning fat or just time?

Unfortunately if you are like 80% of gym-goers, time is the primary thing you're burning. I find it shocking that so many well-meaning folks are still exercising with such outdated notions of what constitutes an effective workout.

I don't want that to be you.

Here are the top 3 outdated, time-burning exercise techniques to NOT DO:

1) Slow and Steady Cardio Sessions: Walk into most gyms and you'll see every single piece of cardio equipment full of people in a slow, steady state of cardio. Meanwhile the free weight area is a ghost town. The idea that one should toil for hours in a steady state of low-intensity cardio in order to burn fat is the ULTIMATE outdated exercise technique. New science has clearly proven that explosions of speed and intensity are the future of fat burn.

2) Weight Machine Wandering: You've seen this character. He wanders among the weight machines, plops down on an open one and cranks out a set (without adjusting the weight or seat) and just as quickly as he came, he's gone off to the next open machine. There's no rhyme or reason, and his technique and form are way off due to his careless use of the machines. Do I even need to explain how this haphazard exercise technique burns more time than fat? I didn't think so.

3) Chronic Low Intensity: When you simply go through the motions during your workout, that's classic low-intensity. You're not pushing yourself with challenging weight, you're not trying to go faster, and you're not really breaking a sweat. Oh and, big surprise, you're also not burning any fat. Each workout should be a challenge to go harder than the day before. If you find yourself just-going-through-the-motions then quickly pick up the pace.

So what's the secret to burning fat?

A challenging routine that incorporates strength training, intervals of intense cardio and is done with intensity. Sound complicated?

It doesn't have to be. I'm here to provide you with the most cutting-edge workouts that deliver results while burning fat.

You deserve that fit and attractive body - I'm here to help you get it.

Call or email today to get started.

You Get Out What You Put In Like anything else in life, when it comes to your exercise routine you get out what you put in. Just going through the motions isn't good enough.

For real results, push your intensity in each workout. Remind yourself that it's only a small portion of your day, and that you can do it. Dig down deep and give it all you have.

Today I'm going to dole out a little tough love, so brace yourself and know that this is for your own good.

It's time that we had an uncomfortable little talk about a very important issue...

That junk food in your house.

You know the stuff that I'm talking about. The ice cream jammed into the back of your freezer. The packaged cookies that you say are for the kid's lunches. The candy stash that's leftover from the last few holidays. Those bags of crunchy, salty snacks in your pantry. The bottles of soda that you know you shouldn't drink. And the list goes on...

Here's the bottom line: If you eat junk food then you'll get fat. Junk = Fat.

Now I know that you have justified the presence of junk food in your house, so let's walk through these justifications and I'll shine some truth on it for you.

1) It's For The Kids: This is the oldest excuse in the book when it comes to keeping junk food in the house. It's flawed for many reasons, namely because you know you eat some of it. When junk is in the house you are bound to eat some of it at times. And your kids should NOT be eating junk food on a regular basis, such as in their lunches. It's not good for them and it's not good for you.

2) I Didn't Buy It: Oh, I didn't buy it. My in-laws, friend, sister, kids, spouse bought that. OK, it's still in your house. I understand why you may be hesitant to throw out food that someone else gave you, but look at the big picture. By throwing junk out of your house you are protecting your health and the healthy of everyone who lives under your roof. That's huge!

3) A Little Bit Won't Hurt: When you keep junk food in the house you're fooling yourself if you think that you only eat a little bit of it. The contents of your kitchen become the things that you habitually eat. If there's junk in the house then you habitually are eating it, and a little bit of junk every day adds up to a LOT of junk over a week or month. And you wonder why you haven't lost the weight yet...

4) It's My Favorite: I understand that there may be junk foods that you've become so used to eating that it's hard to imagine going a day or more without it. In this case, you really need to cut the junk out in order to achieve your ideal health and fitness level. Birthdays, holidays, and special occasions are the time to have a taste of your old favorite junk. And after you've stopped eating it daily you may find that it doesn't even taste as good as you remember.

5) Life's Too Short: YOLO, right? (You Only Live Once) If this is your excuse for having junk food in the house, then I've got a new one for you. YOLO, so why not live that life in a healthy, fit, attractive body that's full of energy, free from aches and pains and looks amazing?! Being fit and healthy is so much more rewarding that eating a favored junk food every day. Nothing tastes as good as fit and healthy feels.

Now it's time for you to take action. All you need is a big black trash bag and the determination to be fit and healthy. Grab that bag, march into your kitchen and start pitching the junk.

Look for anything in a package that contains processed sugar, grains and high amounts of sodium. Go get ‘em!

Wheeew! Didn't that feel great? Your kitchen is now wholesome and healthy, and your body will be too.

Eating a healthy diet, free from junk, is one side of the equation when it comes to getting into amazing shape. The other side is consistent, challenging exercise.

I'm here to take care of the exercise in your life. All you have to do is show up when I tell you and then give it your all for that short amount of time. Easy enough, right?

This small investment of time and energy truly will transform your body and your life. Call or email today to get started on the last exercise program that you'll ever start, and the one that gets you into your best body ever.

Zero Tolerance Policy Watch out, or that junk food will come creeping back into your pantry. Decide here and now to adopt a zero tolerance policy when it comes to junk food in your house. Be vigilant and stay strong when your kids start to whine for their old favorites. Replace the junk with wholesome food such as fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, and lean meats.