Are you eating healthy but still not seeing results? Are you tracking calories to see how much you’re actually eating? Remember, calories always count especially when it comes to fat loss. Master Trainer and Founder of Bionic Bodies, Michelle Martinez shares some tips to help you be more mindful of your nutrition.

“The most important tool when trying to lose body fat is the CALORIE DEFICIT. If you’re not getting there you might be on a surplus or maintenance level without realising unless you have a health condition that prevents you from loosing fat. Have a close look at you daily food consumption. From years of training clients the examples below are common foods people tend to overeat without realising mainly because they’re healthy really. But healthy is not calorie free. There’s nothing wrong with those foods or lightly frying your food but bear in mind they add calories if quantity is not kept under control so just be aware . I had a client years ago who drank 2 LT of orange juice per day. As soon as she cut it out she lost 3kgs in one month”.

NUTS: Great source of healthy fat and essential for hormonal health, these contain on average 600 calories per 100g. “I’ve seen nuts being eaten from the bag with no portion control”. An average size bag of nuts contains 100g. Eat the whole bag (not hard to do) and you will be consuming 600 calories in one sit.

  AVOCADO: Another great source of healthy fat but also high in calories with 190 calories per 100g. Found in salads and sandwiches in large amounts sometimes. A weekend brunch of eggs, toast and avocado can be enough to kidnap a third of your daily calorie allowance for fat loss so be mindful when placing your order at a restaurant.               SALAD DRESSING: Salads are a great option when eating out although they can be quite misleading. They normally come with a massive amount of fattening dressing that defeats the whole idea of having a salad. The wrong dressing or too much dressing can easily add 300 calories to your salad without you even noticing. TIP: Ask for dressing on the side and add a little.   SMOOTHIES:  There’s nothing wrong with smoothies. It all depends what goes in them. But normally if you get your smoothie from a cafe have a look at what goes in. They’re usually made with 5 ingredients on average – fruit, vegetables, seeds, peanut butter, yogurt and sometimes even half an avocado gets thrown in. This can easily turn into a 500 calorie drink. The best option would be to go for a green juice made of mostly vegetables and a small amount of fruit.   COFFEES️: “I’m a coffee addict TBH and there’s nothing wrong with having a latte or cappuccino”.An average latte contains anywhere from 150 to 250 calories depending on size and milk selection. So if you have 2 a day you are using 300 to 500 calories of your daily allowance just in coffee. TIP: A skinny americano provides 20 calories.   COOKING METHODS: Coconut oil and olive oil are great sources of fat but extremely high in calories with an average of 900 calories per 100ml or grams. It’s ok to lightly fry your food but be mindful of how much oil you use. 2 TBSP of olive oil can add 240 calories to your meal.   Small changes can make a huge difference to your fat loss goal. There’s no need to stress or obsess. Instead, be mindful, educate yourself and find a way of controlling calories that works for you. If you find you can’t live without your latte, that’s ok. Perhaps you can cut a little somewhere else. At the end of the day, stick to habits you can sustain and adhere on the long run as consistency is what delivers results that last forever.