The process of weight loss mainly requires the monitoring of your diet. There are many healthy foods, which also help in weight loss, which should be consumed. But you should stay away from many foods that are unhealthy and loaded with sugar and additives. So, let’s look at the fifteen foods to avoid for weight loss while on a healthy lifestyle journey.
Table of Contents
Food to Avoid in Weight Loss:
1. Sugar-Free Products
Many people consume sugar-free products when on a low-calorie diet. While these products may seem low in calories, however, they are very unhealthy for our bodies.
Sugar-free products contain unhealthy sugar alternatives, which increase your insulin level. Some unhealthy sugar alternatives are;
- Acesulfame K
- Aspartame
- Saccharin
- High-fructose corn syrup
- and Sucralose.
Avoid any sugar-free products which contain above sugar alternatives because they can endanger your health and cause much more harm than good.
2. White Bread
White bread is very refined and made with a lot of added sugar, and hence is one of the food to avoid while trying to lose weight. Moreover, it ranks very high on the glycemic index as it increases blood sugar levels.
There was a study conducted on around 9 267 Spanish University graduates to study the link between the consumption of white bread and weight gain (1). The results showed that eating two slices of white bread a day increased the risk of weight gain and obesity by 40%.
3. Ice Cream
Despite being extremely tasty, ice cream is quite unhealthy as it contains a lot of sugar and calories. Try to consume smaller portions when experiencing extreme cravings for it.
Moreover, you can also try making your own ice cream at home with less sugar and using healthier ingredients such as fruit and full-fat yogurt.
4. Potato Chips
Potato chips and French fries contain a high number of calories, and studies have shown its consumption being linked to weight gain (2, 3).
Findings on one study even stated that potato chips may contribute to more weight gain per serving than any other food (4).
5. Fruit Juices
Most fruit juices available at supermarkets are highly processed and contain a lot of sugar. They contain almost the same amount of sugar and calories as soda.
Fruit juice doesn’t contain any fiber and nor requires chewing, which makes it less filling compared to whole fruit.
Hence, it is easy to consume a lot of fruit juice in a short time. It’s always recommended to eat whole fruit and stop consuming fruit juice.
6. Pizza
Pizza is one of the most popular fast food, but it is quite unhealthy and one of the food you need to avoid when trying to lose weight.
It is high in calories and contains unhealthy ingredients such as processed meat and flour that has been highly refined.
You can try making your own pizza at home using healthier ingredients.
7. Candy Bars
Candy bars contain no nutritional value for our bodies and are just loaded with sugar and calories. Because of the candy bar unhealthy ingredients you need to avoid it while on the weight loss journey.
They are manufactured with a lot of added sugar and oils, preservatives, and refined flour. It is a good option to keep a healthy snack, such as nuts or an apple, with you to avoid munching on candy bars.
8. Fried Chicken
Fried chicken which is available at most fast-food chains contains large quantities of trans fat. You may already know that fats can be classified as healthy or unhealthy. Trans fats are the latter. Consuming fried chicken can cause increased weight gain and especially the accumulation of belly fat.
Moreover, it also increases the risk of diseases such as stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. So, fried chicken is definitely one of the foods to avoid. You can try to consume other protein sources such as beans, lentils, and whole eggs.
9. Sugary Drinks
It can be seen that many of us consume sugary drinks, such as soda, with meals and in place of water. These drinks contain high amounts of sugar and calories, but even then, do not give any feeling of fullness to our bodies. Hence, you want to consume more calories to feel full.
Studies have shown the consumption of soda and other sugary beverages to be linked with weight gain and diseases such as pancreatic cancer, risk of hypertension, and type 2 diabetes (5, 6, 7, 8) Avoid such drinks and instead consume more water, which has been shown to reduce the daily intake of calories.
10. Baked Goods
Another of the foods to avoid when trying to lose weight are baked goods, such as cookies, pastries, and pies. It can be quite tempting to consume them as they serve as quick and tasty snacks. But they contain added sugar, refined flour, artificial trans fat and other unhealthy ingredients added to increase shelf life.
Consuming them when hungry can give you a temporary feeling of fullness, as the ingredients in baked goods instantly raise your blood sugar level. But within an hour, your blood sugar level drops and you feel hungry again.
11. Alcohol, Especially Beer
One of the foods to avoid is beer, as it can lead to increased weight especially in the belly area, and hence the term, ‘beer belly’. All forms of alcohol lead to weight gain, but beer tends to be consumed more, especially on hot days and at sporting events. While wine and whiskey tend to be served and consumed in lesser quantities, such as at formal dinners.
12. Soybean Oil
Soybean oil contains a high content of omega-6 fatty acids, which can increase appetite and slow down the fat-burning process in your bodies. So, meals prepared using soybean oil are definitely one of the foods to avoid when trying to lose weight. You can try using other healthier options, such as extra-virgin olive oil and coconut oil.
13. Protein Bars
A protein bar can be as harmful as a candy bar. Protein bars contain a high amount of carbohydrates and may also contain artificial trans fat and high-fructose corn syrup, which can lead to inflammation and weight gain.
14. Whole Milk
Whole milk contains a lot of fat and cholesterol and so it is healthier to consume skimmed milk instead.
15. Salad Dressing
Many people include salads on their diets when trying to lose weight, but the purpose is not served when the salads are topped with high-calorie dressings.
Foods to avoid mainly include processed junk foods. Also, always check labels when buying food to make sure that what you’ll be consuming is healthy. You should also take care of your serving sizes to achieve the best weight loss results.
Food to Eat for Fast Weight Loss
Losing weight is not just about avoiding some foods or staying hungry, and you might even make matters worse if you’re not careful. You can do everything you want with some of these foods!
1. Whole Grains
Hold on, not all cereals are bad. Some of them (like oats and quinoa) are healthy for you. Whole grains have a lot of fiber that is trusted to help weight loss.
2. Soup
Yep! You heard that right. Like water, soups possess low energy densities, thereby reducing your calorie intake.
3. Potatoes
Potatoes rule the weight loss world. They are packed with every element of healthy goodness that you can think of, and they are also very tasty. Eating boiled potatoes fills you up, making you eat less food.
4. Protein
If you’re going to really commit yourself to this, protein-rich foods must be constant in your meals. A good example is eggs. Eggs are very rich in protein and have low calories. What’s more, they’re cheap too!
5. Nuts
Nuts contain good monounsaturated fat which increases energy consumption. In addition, they are packed with proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
6. Seeds
Seeds are filled with nutrients such as omega 3 fats, fiber, and minerals. And just like with nuts, not all fat is absorbed by the body, but a lot of it gets into the toilet.
Related: 13 Healthy Nuts and Seeds
Home Remedies For Weight loss
For the best result, you can also consume some home remedies for fast weight loss. Such as
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Green Tea
Green tea contains the antioxidant EGCG which, according to new studies, increases fat burning for a few hours after a meal. Other studies have shown that green tea can help overweight people burn fat, especially around the abdomen.
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Water
Many people already know that a glass of water before eating makes you eat less. But everyone may not know that plain water also increases energy consumption!
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Vinegar
Vinegar can help you lose weight, a Japanese study shows by overweight people who drank a vinegar-based beverage every day.
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Sleep
Getting quality and enough sleep is vital if you want to lose weight at home. No way around this one. Sleep!
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Grapefruit
Several studies show that people who eat grapefruit daily lose more weight and lighter weight than those who do not eat grapefruit. This is because grapefruit contains a lot of fiber that saturates well.
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Coffee
Coffee is full of antioxidants that are good for fat burning. Various studies show that coffee drinkers weigh less than others.
If you keep at it, the benefits of natural weight loss tips will begin to pay off. You should begin to notice the pleasant effects of having the right weight in two weeks. Till then, keep living healthy!
