If you’re doing everything right and not losing weight in a calorie deficit, there are a few reasons why. Here are eight simple solutions to get back on track.

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Let’s see if this sounds familiar:

You’ve launched into a diet plan to lose some weight and as an avid follower of yours truly, you have established a sustainable calorie deficit to achieve weight loss and fat loss

You’re tracking calories, weighing and measuring your food and understand the importance of higher protein.

You’re doing your best to balance starchy carbs with leafy green vegetables to pack on some extra nutrients that will help you feel and perform better.

You’ve even fully embraced the idea of balance in a diet plan and understand that there are no off-limit foods, so you enjoy a treat in moderation knowing that it won’t wreck your diet.

Yet, here you are, stalled out at the same weight and measurements for several consecutive weeks.

Despite doing everything right you simply aren’t seeing the results. This is incredibly frustrating, but don’t worry, because it is common and it happens to the best of us.

Typically, when things stall out, it’s because of two things:

• We aren’t being patient enough for the fat loss to continue
• We are no longer in a calorie deficit

It’s important to note how often the first point is the problem here. One of the biggest challenges in our current on-demand culture is the need for immediate results. Even in the weight loss game.

Let me be clear: losing weight, and keeping it off for good, takes time.

When we’re talking about a stall in weight loss, I’m not talking about 4 or 5 days of the same scale weight. I’m not even talking about 2 weeks of no progress.

A real stall would look more like 3 or 4 weeks of dead end results. As I’ve pointed out in this article about tracking fat loss progress, there are a number of factors behind that scale weight number and it will absolutely fluctuate over the course of your fat loss journey.

When you’ve reached this level of stubbornness, you can officially start thinking about taking inventory to find out what happened to that hard-earned calorie deficit.

Alright, let’s assume that you’ve been patient. The scale still ain’t budging.

So today, we’re going to discuss how No. 2 (you are no longer in a calorie deficit) is the more common culprit, even though you think you are doing everything right.

There are a million little ways in which you can quite easily kick your caloric deficit into maintenance calories––or even worse, a calorie surplus––that will totally ruin your progress.

Here are the most notorious offenders of this unintended sabotage:

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8 Ways you’re doing everything right and not losing weight

The honeymoon period of a fat loss diet is awesome. Progress is made, usually rather quickly, when you nail the right macros and really hit home that perfect diet setup.

When you’ve made the call to dive right into a fat loss program, you’ve likely committed to 100-percent adherence. You check in with your coach and make sure to weigh and measure everything.

But as the program continues, the new learned skill of tracking becomes second nature. Life starts to get in the way a little bit. All of the sudden you’re loosening up the reigns just enough to allow some excess calories to creep into your daily ritual.

That’s the calorie creep.

Sure, on the surface it might seem like something as simple as adding a little extra drop of cream in your coffee, or stealing one or two chips off of your kids’ plates might be harmless and just not worth the hassle of tracking.

But in many cases, these calories end up adding up. And as a result, your hard-earned calorie deficit has been squandered.

Keep in mind, you don’t necessarily have to count calories to lose weight. Just understand that all calories do count. And they must be managed as a result.

And if they are not managed, you’ll see the negative results reflected in stalled out progress. But with a few simple tweaks, you can be right back on track in no time.

Here are the 8 sneaky calorie creep culprits and how to beat them.

I. Watch the add-ons to your morning cup of java

Cream. Sugar. Two pumps of hazelnut syrup. Extra whip. Whatever it is that you are splashing into your coffee (or tea) every morning has calories. And those calories add up.

Look, a splash of milk in the cup of Joe isn’t going to move the needle too much. But, when you’re turning that splash into a few tablespoons and turning one cup of coffee into two or three, suddenly you’re talking about an extra 50, 60, maybe even 100 calories.

A few tips to avoid turning your cup of coffee into a caffeinated milk shake:

• Measure out the amounts of cream you add to your cup
• Swap out higher calorie creams for low cal options like 2-percent milk or even milk alternatives like almond or oat milk
• If the caffeine boost is what you’re after, perhaps look into other options like tea
• Slowly wean yourself off of the heavy doses of add-ons (no need to go cold turkey here)

Make sure you take inventory on how much stuff you put in your drink every day. If the scale weight is starting to creep up, this is one of the biggest offenders.

II. Go easy on the taste testing

If you are the chef of the house, it’s not uncommon to take a few bites of the latest culinary creation to make sure you’ve hit all of the right seasoning notes.

Proceed with caution, though. Once again, as you get comfortable in your diet, it’s so easy to start losing sight of the little things, like how two or three bites of food per meal turn into four or five bites of food and then you’re ruining that calorie deficit.

III. Salad add-ons

If you follow me on Instagram (and you should because I’m pretty awesome and drop more knowledge bombs there on a daily basis) you know I’m a proponent of what I call the BAS: the Big Ass Salad.

It’s pretty much an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to eating. I take a huge bowl filled with salad greens, lean meats, roasted vegetables and whatever else I might have around the cabinet or from leftovers that might work together for a great meal.

It’s filling––which is so hard to do when dieting. I even wrote a post about how to stay full on a diet, so check that out here.

It’s loaded with nutrients––I use the BAS as insurance. Most of my daily needs for veggies is satisfied in this one bowl and it’s loaded with protein (upwards of 50-60 grams). So if I come up short on this with the rest of my day, I know I’ve at least covered my bases with this lunchtime meal.

It’s also full of calories. And that’s okay. Because I’m tracking every single thing that I’m putting into my salad (including any additional cooking oils that I used to prepare the leftovers that I’m adding to the bowl).

This is an important reminder that all calories will count, even that small dose of slivered almonds and cranberries that you’ve tossed into your salad. And especially the dressing. Oftentimes a good salad is turned into the equivalent of a cheeseburger when 200-300 calories of dressing is poured all over it.

IV. Cooking oils and butters

Be careful when you grab that hand-crafted carafe and start blindly swirling olive oil into your pan before cooking. Every little drop still counts towards your calorie intake for the day.

While I’m certainly not here to tell you to sacrifice taste altogether, it is important that you understand how calorie heavy oils and butters are and make sure to start measuring out just how much you use.

The next key is to assume that any meal at a restaurant will include excess oil or butter. It’s always good practice to include an extra tablespoon of oil or butter in your calorie tracking for the day if you’re eating out of the house.

If you hope to keep your fat macros in check, but find yourself worried about the heavy butters in an upcoming meal, play it safe throughout the rest of your day but limiting fats beforehand. Or even ask that your food be prepared “plain” or “steamed.”

V. Nuts, seeds and nut butters

Peanut butter is awesome. It’s that perfect mix of savory and sweet and works well with a variety of flavors and matches well in a ton of different dishes. It’s also loaded with calories for just a small amount.

It’s easy to overdo it on things like peanut and almond butter without ever realizing it. The same can be said for mixed nuts and granola or even trail mixes.

All of these things are billed as great sources of healthy fats and protein. Yet, all of them are huge calorie bombs and can set you back several hundred calories for small serving sizes.

If you are going to enjoy a scoop of almond butter or a handful of mixed nuts, it’s important to properly weigh and/or measure your portion to make sure you aren’t going overboard too quickly.

VI. Fruits and veggies aren’t free

This one can be a bit nitpicky, but we’re talking about pulling out the weeds of a garden striving to be perfect. And if you’ve hit that calorie creep induced stall, then you’re likely in need of a few extra pointers to get you back on track.

If you’ve been creating a BAS like me, then you’re no stranger to consuming a ton of leafy vegetables. Well, those aren’t free calories. Sure, three or four cups of spinach greens is only about 40-50 calories. But do that a couple of times per day and we’re talking about an excess of 100 calories that’s not being accounted for.

I know there’s this push to talk about “eating clean” and that’s all that matters for weight loss. But, unfortunately that’s not what the science says. It’s all about the calories in versus calories out.

Every calorie matters. Every calorie counts.

Therefore, you should count every single calorie that goes into your food trap we like to call a mouth.

Same can be said for fruits. Yes, popping two grapes into your mouth means you just consumed extra calories. Yes, you should probably track that, too.

What you’ll find is that by tracking the little bites here and there, you’ll subconsciously want to avoid having to do so, in which case you might just stop taking the mindless bites altogether. Big win.

VII. Don’t drink your calories

If calories are already at a premium, then you should think twice about that breakfast juice or afternoon soda you’re enjoying on a daily basis.

Liquid calories do not meet the satiation test versus their whole food counterparts. Eating an orange will always win against drinking a cup of orange juice in terms of the amount of fiber, nutrients and even in total calories (the orange carries about 50 calories, one cup of the juice is about 110 calories).

VIII. (Misc): hard candies, cough drops, condiments, sauces etc.

This is the category for those little things that you often never even give thought to, but end up adding on extra calories here and there in your day-to-day business.

Sure, popping some breath mints or gum or cough drops won’t totally ruin your entire diet. But they can add 50 calories or more to your day if you’re eating a few of them throughout your day. In other words … stay away from the office candy jar.

Enjoying one hard candy after each major meal (that’s just 3-4 butterscotch or peppermint candies) just increased your daily calorie intake by almost 100 calories.

The same can be said for sauces and condiments. If you’ve found the right amount of macros and calories in your day to fit a nice serving of homemade oven roasted sweet potato fries onto your dinner plate, don’t mess it all up by dipping them in untracked ketchup.

A tablespoon of ketchup can run you upwards of 30 calories. A tablespoon of mayo that you slapped on that turkey sandwich at lunch? That’s another 90-plus calories. Had some leftover chicken and dipped it in barbecue sauce? Awesome, make sure you track the extra 50 or so calories there, too.

This is not to say that you can’t enjoy sauces or condiments. You just need to be careful to either account for those extras in your tracking. Or you should opt for some low-calorie versions to help mitigate the damages. But, of course, you still need to track those low-cal options, too.

Bottomline: Stay the course

If you’ve fallen into the trap of the dreaded calorie creep and you’re doing everything right and not losing weight, it’s time to reevaluate the current situation before you make any drastic moves.

Don’t start dropping calories like crazy or adding endless hours of boring cardio. Usually the answer to your problem is much more simplistic and requires just some honest soul-searching and a little gut-checking.

Remember, the science is undefeated. Losing weight is all about the balance of calories in versus calories out. If you the weight is not budging for an extended period of time, then you’ve likely messed with your calorie deficit.

Get back to more strict measures of observing the amounts of food you are eating––that includes the bites here and tastes there. Chances are if you manage the calorie creep properly, the progress will come shortly thereafter.

Let me help figure out why you’re doing everything right and not losing weight in a calorie deficit … 

I’m here to help you out. 

If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “Calorie Creep” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post, maybe you’d like more knowledge bombs from me. I’d be honored if you join my mailing list to get regular updates every time I post something pretty dope.