Last week a reader asked me about some foods he should avoid it he wants to lose weight.
He’s seen a lot of conflicting things being marketed about foods and weight loss and was a little confused so he wanted some simple and straightforward answers.
This list can be quite large depending upon where you live or what your current eating habits are, but I narrowed this list down to 3.
First up is the illustrious bagel. Yes, this includes “whole wheat” bagels, or any other type of bagel that is marketed as “healthy.” I really don’t care what the label says about the type of bagel it is because they’re all calorie bombs that can lead to weight gain.
They’re one of those fat gaining foods in disguise like rice cakes or those 100-calorie snack packs.
They’re very calorie-dense because the bagel is so “tightly packed”. It’s like someone mashed up an entire loaf of bread and squeezed it into a donut-like form and voila! You have a bagel.
If you’re buying bagels from the grocery store, all you have to do is turn the bag over and check out the label. Some have around 350 calories, which isn’t that much, but those are the small ones. Most bagels are over 400 calories, and if you buy them from a bagel/coffee shop you can top 600 calories, even from the whole-wheat varieties.
And if you’re a bagel eater, when was the last time you ate it “dry”?
Cream cheese, butter, margarine, jellies, jams, etc. all get added to the bagel and turn these harmless-looking, supposed health foods, into giant calorie-bombs that will do nothing but make you gain weight rather than lose it.
Which brings me to the next food on the list…toppings/sauces. OK, so that’s not necessarily a food, rather an entire sub-group, but they all need to be thrown in here.
If it’s in a liquid (or semi-liquid) status, then throw it into this category.
Most are either high sugar or high fat, if not both, and they’re what I like to call “hidden calories” because you don’t really think about adding them to your daily caloric intake because they’re not food.
Trouble is they’ve got a lot of calories, even though the label may not look it. Just check out the serving size on the label and you’ll get the gist.
Those serving sizes are so small that the amount you’re eating is very deceiving.
When was the last time you added 1 tablespoon of salad dressing to a salad you were eating as a meal?
Do you even know what 1-tablespoon of sauce/dressing looks like?
You can easily add hundreds of calories to your meal just with sauces without even batting an eye.
Hello fat pants!
Last on the list are liquid calories – and this includes sugar free drinks as well.
I’m not going to get into the artificial sweetener debate, but I’ll just tell you that you shouldn’t consume too much of the stuff.
One reason I’ve found to steer clear of diet sodas, and other “zero calorie” drinks is that they can make you retain water or make you feel bloated. That’s not something you want to have happen if you’re trying to lose weight.
The calorie containing drinks should come as no surprise. My reasoning is the same as sauces and dressings. They’re calories you don’t think about because they’re not food.
Most calorie containing drinks are upwards of 100 calories each. Have 1 or 2 a day and the weight gain can start to pile up over the weeks. It’ll be gradual, but it will come.
Don’t even ask about sports drinks and working out. If you’re eating your fruits and vegetables, you won’t need to worry about getting the electrolytes (that don’t work that well) that are found in those things.
You’re not Kobe Bryant or Michael Phelps, who burn thousands more calories a day than you, so don’t try convincing me that you need a sports drink while working out.
That’s a very short list, but if you stick with those 3 things you’ll be well on your way to losing a little extra blubber…and feeling a heck of a lot better.
Have a great day!
Ed
P.S. – Combine these 3 foods, along with all the other nutritional information and 10 minute home weight loss workouts found in Fat Loss To Go and you will lose tons of fat, feel better and be lookin’ darn sexy in that swimsuit come summer…which is coming a lot sooner than you think.
Get started today by heading to www.FatLossToGo.com/StartToday.html
The first thing you need to understand about me is that I believe ALL parents are superheroes...some just have a little too much flabby goo covering their Superhero Body. To learn more about The Fit Dad's story,
Dude, you took away some of my favorite things!
But that’s probably the reason I need to lose a few pounds.
Thanks.
You can’t take away my precious bagels! Why do you do this to me Ed…why!
but I’m with Jim. That’s probably why I have this wonderful muffin top.
I took bagels out of my diet (and most breads) and lost 15 pounds. Since then I’ve found that my system doesn’t agree with most breads and it took removing them from my daily diet to figure that out.
I just need to work on the diet pop. who knows, maybe I’ll lose another 15 after getting rid of the liquid calories.
Thanks Fit Dad!
@Jim and @Angie – You’re right…that’s probably the reason you’ve got a little poundage to lose. But don’t worry because it’ll come off if you get rid of that stuff.
@Deb – You sound a lot like me. I really try to limit my bread intake – no matter if it’s whole wheat or not. I really started to feel bloated after eating breads and I don’t get that way anymore. I just eat a lot of spinach (and other lettuces) salads and lots of fruits and veggies for all my carbs. Never felt better!
What do you think about vitamin water? I have been drinking the green tea version quite a bit…Also, I can’t stay away from barbeque sauce, I am addicted!
Hi Nicole,
Honestly I’m not a big fan of vitamin water, smart water, or any of those other water-like drinks. A lot of the vitamins in those things aren’t stable and they’re poor quality at that.
It’s all marketing baby!
Green tea is awesome, but there are other options. I have a cup every morning because I NEED caffeine. There are other ways to get green tea that are better (closer to actual green tea than vitamin water) and a heck of a lot cheaper.
I hear ya about barbecue sauce. We grilled chicken last night and I had barbecue sauce on it.
Sauces are fine in moderation, but far too many people just slather their food with the stuff. It’s usually because they’re addicted to the sugar found in the sauces so they can’t handle the “blandness” of the food without it…but if they just stopped using the sauces for a week or two, their taste would return and notice that real food tastes wonderful and doesn’t need all that extra stuff.
I do buy natural green tea, it’s just so much easier to pick something up @ a convienence store… But man I am gonna try not 2.
I do try moderation with sauces, but like you said, the 2 tsp serving seems like nothing!! I basted the last time I baked some chicken brst, didn’t use very much and the taste was still great! I am pretty addicted 2 Oinker’s Sauce from my favorite place in Atlantic, IA… Thanks for the pointers! I definately enjoy your site!