You have an awesome morning workout session. You put in a good 60 minutes of cardio, and even stay for 30 mins to do some weights afterwords. You feel like you’ve really worked hard. Way to go you!! (For real…way to go!)

Total Calorie Burn: 750 calories

You go home to eat lunch and make your normal turkey sandwich on %100 whole wheat bread packed with veggies. While you’re making up your lunch you see a plate of cookies a neighbor dropped off last night looking uber-fresh and delicious. You grab one…well yeah…(enter inner monologue: I just worked my tail off. I’m sure most of that stomach fat I hate is gone. I TOTALLY deserve this. I burned like a million calories.)

Total Cookie Calories: 150

You continue on your day…laundry, work, whatever it is that you do…You make a trip to the store where they are handing out samples galore. Cheese ravioli’s, energy bars, cereal, and of course some tasty crackers, (enter inner monologue: these are small bites, I might want to buy this and I have to know if it’s good, and duh. I worked so hard at the gym this morning. This basically doesn’t even count.)

Sample Calorie Count: 200

Dinner time comes around and you’ve made a delightful meal for the fam. We’re talking grilled chicken and veggies, fresh fruit, and some brown rice. You’ve also grabbed some fresh whole wheat rolls from the store earlier. (Enter inner monologue: this meal is so healthy, and I’ll take two rolls since I basically owned the gym this morning.)

Extra roll: 150 calories

You get dinner cleaned up, and it’s time for some Tivo action. The Biggest Loser is on and you’re pretty much one and the same as these fools. You own the gym together. (Uh oh, the inner monologue is back… Wow, they have more stomach fat than I do. Yep, I did that exercise today. I worked DANG hard. In fact…i think i can get by with a lil’ scoop of some frozen yogurt since i worked so hard.)

Frozen Yogurt: 200 calories

Ok, maybe that was a bit excessive, but hopefully the point is clear. We do this inner rationalization over and OVER and over. Remember that 750 calories you burned this morning when you “worked your tail off?” Well, you just made that null and void, because you “Deserved it.” Now, let’s get a couple of things straight.

- Rewards for exercise are GREAT. But they shouldn’t be food rewards. Set a goal for a total number of days you workout and then get yourself a new song on Itunes, or a new workout tank you’ve really been wanting. Your reward will be in how awesome you feel and look. You really WILL be getting rid of that stomach fat you hate, and you’ll look even better in your reward tank! Remember that your ultimate reward will be accomplishing your goals!

- There is TRUTH in the principle of moderation. Treats every now and then aren’t bad. Having dessert can be fine. BUT you can’t expect the pounds to be falling off if you do. Try to only have dessert on the weekends, or a couple times a week. Better yet, make your dessert some fresh fruit, or a fat free popsicle. With these options you can satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way, AND you’ll still be able to get rid of stomach fat.

- Don’t waste your time. Now, maybe there are some of you that really workout strictly so you can eat whatever you want. That is fine if that is your goal. BUT, for those of you who are really sincerely trying to make some changes and you aren’t seeing them. It is almost a %100 guarantee that your mistake is in your munching. If you eat an extra 150 calories every day for 23 days you are eating the equivalent of a pound. Scary huh? Those are the calories, and the pounds,  that you don’t see coming.

Make your workouts worth it. Watch those extra “I deserve this,” calories, and allow yourself to see some progress. If you are feeling extra hungry from your increased workouts fill your fridge with fresh fruits and veggies and eat foods high in fiber and protein to keep you full. This idea of “I deserve this,” is what is holding a lot of hard working individuals back from reaching their goals.

Remember that, “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” If you keep your old habits you’ll keep your old waistline. Get rid of those, “extras,” and you’ll get rid of that stomach fat too.