When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s easy to focus on the foods that are bad for you and, consequently, cut them out of your diet altogether. However, limiting your food choices deprives you of valuable nutrients and can make it harder to succeed in your weight loss efforts. By focusing on the worst diet foods to eat if you’re trying to lose weight, you can feel good about what you’re eating while also lowering your risk of developing certain health conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure. When making food choices that are healthier for you overall, remember these tips.
Sugar-Free Candy
To illustrate this point, think about the Sugar-Fast candy bars. As tasty as they are, even though they are low calorie and marketed towards dieters and people on the go, these candies cause your blood sugar levels to spike causing an insulin response that in turn slows down fat loss and creates cravings for more sweets.
Frozen Yogurt
Indulging in a frozen yogurt is definitely a treat. But if you are trying to lose weight and this indulgence has become a habit, your body may be starting to slow down its metabolism and the benefits of weight loss will eventually fade away.
Cookies, Brownies, Cake and Other Baked Goods
Baked goods, especially those made with refined flour, butter and sugar, can cause inflammation in the body. This can lead to all sorts of health problems including weight gain. Even though some baked goods are touted as healthy they’re generally higher in calories and carbohydrates than others; so steer clear of them when you want a snack or need something quick to feed a crowd.
Start with these ten for a better body
Flavored Rice Cakes
Believe it or not, flavored rice cakes are one of the worst diet foods to eat if you want to lose weight. For starters, a 1-ounce serving has about 140 calories and 20 grams of carbs. Those are quite hefty numbers for something that doesn’t taste very good! They also have 3 grams of sugar (almost half your daily allowance).
Flavored Yogurts
Most people think that yogurt is a healthy, low-calorie food. However, many flavored yogurts are as high in calories as cheesecake! These yogurts typically range from 150 to 350 calories and contain 12-16 grams of sugar per cup. They also contain artificial flavors and other additives like sucralose or fructose. The best option would be plain Greek yogurt since it contains only 90 calories with 16 grams of protein.
Fruit Juice
When it comes to losing weight, some might say that juice is just too good to be true. And if you’re trying hard to shed pounds, that could be true – because the vast majority of fruit juices are loaded with calories. One cup of orange juice has nearly three times as many calories as a cup of skim milk! Plus, all those ounces can add up fast.
Specialty Cereals
Kellogg’s Froot Loops Cereal- One of the best known and most iconic breakfast cereals of all time, Froot Loops is a mix of brightly colored fruit loops that has been around since 1960. It was even endorsed by TV personality Soupy Sales in the 60s. Aside from being extremely sugary (see below), this cereal doesn’t offer any nutritional value that your body needs and is far from something you want to eat if you’re trying to watch your weight!
Specialty Drinks, Smoothies and Protein Drinks
When considering what foods to eat on a diet, the worst things you can eat are high-calorie snacks like cake, ice cream and other desserts. Smoothies or protein drinks should not be high on your list of foods to eat on a diet because they usually contain fruit juice which is higher in sugar and natural sugars can easily lead to weight gain. Lastly, we cannot forget about one of the worst drinks of all-time: Specialty Drinks.
Coffee Drinks and Frappuccinos from Fast Food Restaurants
A Starbucks Venti Frapaccino with whipped cream has about 420 calories, 320 of which are from fat, and it’s barely enough for a snack. Even if you opt for the smaller size, a grande Frappuccino will still set you back 320 calories (of which 140 are from fat). When it comes to fast food coffee drinks, don’t be tempted by McDonald’s iced coffees. Those range in size from 16 oz. up to 34 oz.
Nut Butter Spreads
Nut butter is healthier than traditional butter, but it can still pack on pounds. Eating nut butter spreads can lead to weight gain because they contain high levels of unhealthy fats, which can affect your cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels. These spreads should only be consumed as a treat in moderation, or you’ll risk putting on pounds.