Is a calorie really just a calorie? (We need to talk about soda.)

Okay guys. We all know that in order to lose or maintain weight, its simple addition and subtraction:

calories eaten in food - calories burned through exercise = net calories for body function

Click here to learn how to calculate your body's calorie needs.

If we burn more than we eat, our body begins to lose weight. If we eat more than we burn, our body begins to gain weight. Simple, right?

Except there are all sorts of ways to make it complicated. Some experts say that a calorie is a calorie, and a net deficit in calories leads to weight loss regardless of whether those calories are in apples and spinach or in candy bars and ice cream. Technically, that is true.

Then there are experts that tell us that all calories are not created equal, and that some foods are better for weight loss than others. This is also true.

And still more experts argue that on top of eating nutritionally superior calories, we need to pay attention to what foods we eat when, and with what other foods we eat them, and at what point in relation to exercise. And yes, this is true as well.

Before we know it, this very simple math problem turns into a Master's program in nutrition, becoming so confusing and frustrating that many of us don't even try to eat right because the sheer magnitude of figuring out what to eat is too overwhelming.

Well, I don't have a Master's degree in nutrition, but I know this much is true:

• I've lost weight eating crap and gained it all back.
• I've lost weight eating clean and maintained it easily for going on five years.

While all calories may be created equally for weight loss, all calories are not created equally when it comes to health. Yes, I'm talking about sugar. Advertising companies will tell us that we can have sugar as part of a healthy lifestyle, but leading research is showing just about every day that this is not true. Sugar calories are not only completely void of nutrients, but they are direct contributors to obesity and impaired brain function that leads to overeating.

A Sip of Soda: What's the Fuss?

Sugar hides in many of our foods, but one place where it is loud and proud is in soda. Just ditching your soda habit can help you lose weight, reduce your sweet tooth, and put a stop to a myriad of other health complications waiting in the wings. Like these:

Via: Term Life Insurance

Losing weight is just one part of the whole-health picture. Calories are precious and should be working for you, not against.

Get out there and get healthy, and make it as complicated or simple as you want it to be! You don't need an advanced degree to figure out the simple formula of good health: eat real food, get exercise every day, and your body will take care of the rest.

This Mini-Goal Idea is Genius

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I started my Awesome Every Day Challenge for August? Best idea ever. I started with the intention of streamlining my diet, becoming more disciplined, and trimming out mindless nibbling. Instead I ended up revolutionizing the way I eat on the weekends. Totally unexpected but completely welcome detour!

It's simple: I set one small mini-goal for each day. Just one nutrition or fitness thing to focus on. If I achieve it, I get my star. And get this - for three weekends in a row, one of them being travel and another hosting company, I have earned all my stars.

That has not happened, like, ever. I always screw up the weekend, especially when I am traveling or entertaining.  Either I'm not disciplined about using my tips for weekend eating or I just let one nibble lead to another and before I know it that little voice is telling me that its okay because its the weekend and I'm supposed to indulge on the weekend. Says who? A nation of obese Americans? The television commercials trying to sell me fast food and chocolate? All the people who claim that everything is okay in moderation but then complain that they can't get in shape because they lack the discipline to make it happen? 

I opted out of that club a long time ago. And hopefully, now my membership card is torn up for good! 

The secret here is in the simplicity of the mini-goal. When I headed out of town for the weekend, I set a mini-goal to avoid crackers when I was traveling. I knew that eating crackers opened the door to eating more not-so-good stuff, so I locked that door and threw away the key. But what happened was way more than just not eating crackers: I was motivated to do even more healthy things, above and beyond my one mini-goal. As a result, it was by far the healthiest on-the-road weekend I have EVER had.

After that first initial success, I was pretty surprised. I didn't expect to do so well. The next weekend I had company coming and I wondered if I could do it again. I did, and it was even easier. The mini-goals kept success within easy reach, and thanks to clearer thinking and zero cravings for sugar now that I have detoxed it out of my life, having a healthy weekend was easier than ever.

And, my calendar is proudly displaying little gold stars on every single day this month. I'm really excited about it! I hope this is more than a lucky trend and actually a lifestyle change that is here to stay.

Are you setting mini goals for yourself this month? Tell me about them! Get out there and get healthy, one mini-goal at a time. 

HH