QDear Fitness Explorer,

HELP! I've been working out with weights three times a week, and do 30 to 40 minutes of cardio activity every day. I watch my diet closely, but I'm still not losing weight. Any advice on what I'm doing wrong?

AYou're on the right track, so don't get discouraged. People often fail to reach their fitness goals because they don't factor their metabolic rate into their diet and exercises routines.

Your metabolic rate reflects how rapidly your body uses its energy. Your body needs hundreds of calories a day simply to survive. Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is simply the number of calories you need to breathe, digest food, pump blood, grow hair, and be alive! By determining your RMR, you become aware of your daily caloric requirement based on your activity level each day.

There are a few different methods used to calculate RMR. I suggest that you buy a good sports nutrition book. Most of them detail how to calculate your RMR. There are several calculations based on your weight, daily activity, etc. Once you have this information, it's very easy to figure out your RMR.

Once you've calculated your RMR, simply create a deficit in your calories to lose weight. (A 500 calorie a day deficit is usually enough to lose about one pound a week).

Pay attention to "how" and "when" you're eating your calories. Try to plan eating several small meals throughout the day instead of eating two or three big ones. This keeps your metabolism running in high gear to burn these extra calories.

Balance your macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein) at each meal. Eat for the activities you plan on doing in the next few hours. For example, if you plan a five-mile run at 4:00 pm, try to eat most of your carbohydrates in the morning and early afternoon to give your body the energy it needs to run on. You still need to have carbs at night, maybe not as many if you plan to be less active.

These tips hopefully will help you to get out of your diet plateau and get your metabolism running like a fine tuned sports car!