About a month ago, I started tracking my nutrition again. I lost 50 pounds two years ago by diligently keeping a diary of my food intake, and when I decided I was ready to lose another 30 pounds, I jumped back into what worked for me before. And these are my favorite low-calorie yet tasty foods.

As you’re probably aware, the modern diet, chock full of sugar, fat, and calories, is often blamed for the obesity epidemic. However, several prominent scientists have concluded that per capita caloric intake hasn’t increased as much as most people might think. In fact, it’s been fairly consistent over the last several decades. So if people aren’t necessarily eating more, what’s causing the increase in weight? Well, researchers are suggesting it stems from the increase of inactivity during the workday of the average American.

Experts, trainers and nutritionists, have come to the conclusion that incorporating a successful and solid diet, can equate to as much as 70-80% of living a healthy and fit lifestyle. Typically when people realize they have sharply fallen off the straight and narrow path with regards to their health and wellness initiatives, the first thing they do is panic. They panic by signing up at gym, which is good, but then they complicate things but submerging themselves in their workouts with unrealistic expectations, goals, timeframes and routines while completely shelving their diets.