If you've been exercising for a while and are feeling stuck in your weight loss progress, maybe it's time to look at your diet. If you're not providing your body with enough calories, it's like spinning your tires in the mud. You may have to let go of some old eating habits. I've found the following food tips to be beneficial:

• Make sure you're eating the right foods. Too many people ignore the source of their calories. If you're trying to diet and exercise at the same time, you may not be providing your body with the proper nutrients it needs.

• Make sure most of your calories (55 percent to 65 percent) come from high-quality carbohydrates. Some good examples are: legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruit. Carbohydrates are the number one energy source for our bodies and also contain more than 12,000 phyto chemicals, which help fight off disease.  The body breaks the carbohydrates into glucose that works like fuel for a car. One quarter or less of your diet should consist of healthy fats. Yes, I said healthy fat. Your body has a high demand for unsaturated fats, so switch from steak to fish and from butter to olive oil to reap the benefits. Fat has enzymes that keep us feeling full longer.

• Your nutrition plan should also consist of 15 percent to 20 percent lean protein with foods such as fish, poultry and lean beef. Your body will use the amino acids from protein to help rebuild muscle.  One of the dieting mistakes I often hear is the belief that, the more we exercise, the more protein we need. That may be true to a certain extent, but what we really need is the right amount of complex carbohydrates.  The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates for every hour of exercise. It is a mistake to drink a protein shake after football practice or a rigorous 90-minute aerobic exercise session. Instead, I advise my clients to keep meal replacement shakes readily available.  Although I prefer they eat a whole meal, sometimes this isn't possible. That's when I suggest they drink a balanced meal shake. Again, this is not a protein shake, but a meal replacement shake that can be purchased online or at most nutrition centers.

• The worst stereotype I hear is the one that says that if I don't eat very much, I'll lose weight. Simply put, this is not a safe practice.  When you're not getting enough calories, you may experience blood sugar spikes, low energy, a slowed metabolism, ineffective muscle repair, weight gain and other problems.  Any meal plan that has you eating less than 1,200 calories in a day is considered starvation. Regularly active adults should not eat less than 1,500 calories a day.

  Treat your body well. Be smart when it comes to food choices.

  Troy Fontana owns Fontana Fitness at the Sparks Marina.