Recently, researchers involved in a 1-year weight maintenance study chronicled in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported the discovery of a metabolic mystery: Some people can't lose weight, even though they eat less.
Or can they? As it turns out, the subjects of this study kept food journals (just as we have done in camp!), and lo and behold, "it was apparent that, on average, women in both study groups had underestimated their food intake."
Findings show that on average, the women reported eating 1,370 calories per day, but their actual intake was 2,044 calories per day. The men, on the other hand, got pretty close, reporting consumption of exactly 1,765 calories and actually consuming 1,771. [Read the rest]
Gender debates aside, these findings illustrate what most of us already know: It's incredibly easy to convince yourself you're eating less than you really are … which is yet another reason food journals can be such helpful fitness tools. Do you fall prey to this common problem?