Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Program

What you don’t know could be undermining all of your hard work.

You take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement and have cut back on chocolate. You’ve even started counting fat grams and reading food labels, setting yourself well on your way to being the picture of good nutrition. But is your diet really as perfect as you think it is? Check out these 50 common slip ups and the easy fixes that will improve your waistline-and your health.

1. You traded in your morning bagel for a fruit smoothie.
Both have roughly the same calories. “The smoothie probably contains several servings of fruit-providing you with more calories than you think,” says a staff dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C. A better choice: whole-wheat toast with hummus or peanut butter, and one piece of fruit.

2. You always eat granola for breakfast.
Commercial versions can have as many as 260 calories and 10 grams of fat in one-half cup! Instead, try low-fat granola or Fiber One cereal, which has 62 calories and less than one gram of fat, says nutrition programs manager for Town Sports International.

3. You have a minuscule A.M. meal to “save” calories.
This can set you up to overeat all day long. Good-size breakfasts: two pieces of whole-wheat toast with one teaspoon of peanut butter and a banana; a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries.

4. You eat a large low-fat muffin every morning.
A low-fat apple bran muffin from McDonald’s has 300 calories – only 40 fewer than its apple Danish. Monster fat-free deli muffins can run as high as 700 calories. A single serving should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.

Continued On 50 Diet Mistakes Even Smart Women Make Part 2