10 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight

The best laid plans to adhere to a weight loss diet can be scuppered when one succumbs to the temptation of an array of unhealthy and nutritionally lacking foods. Fatty, sugary, processed, and fried foods are the primary downfall of dieters – and many are tempted by a combination of all four. Let’s have a closer look at foods to avoid if you want to lose weight.

Adhering to a diet may be stressful and frustrating. A far better way in which to tackle weight loss is to cut out the foods most likely to contribute to weight gain and learn to appreciate healthy foods, which are not laden with artificial flavours. Eliminating processed foods is an excellent starting point.

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These are the top 10 foods to avoid, when trying to lose weight, that will ruin your diet:

1. Sodas

Sodas lack any nutritional value and are packed with sugar. Even diet sodas contribute to weight gain as the inclusion of artificial sugars lead to cravings for sweet things. Sugar, aspartame, and high-fructose corn syrup are unnecessary additions to the daily diet, which have become habit forming. Simply cutting out the daily soda will reduce bloating and put one on the first step to weight loss, not to mention improving dental health.

2. Processed meat

Hot dog sausages, pre-packaged meats, bacon, and salami, are all packed with the carcinogenic ingredient sodium nitrate, and loaded with salt, chemicals, preservatives, and sugar. Much of the processed meat on offer bears little resemblance to actual meat, having been constructed from mechanically deboned meat, fat, and blood. Not only does it represent a ticking time-bomb health-wise, it adds to the calorie count.

3. Pizza

Pizza may contain hundreds of calories a slice. Whether store bought or purchased from a pizza joint the average pizza is packed with salt, fatty cheeses, processed meat toppings, and a high calorie dough base. If pizza is too much of a temptation to ignore then switch to homemade pizza dough topped with fresh vegetables and herbs.

4. French fries

A fast food French fry has little in common with an actual potato. The processed potato offering is most likely fried in Tran’s fat or hydrogenated fats. A far healthier and more diet friendly alternative are oven roasted potato slices, complete with skin, drizzled in olive oil.

5. Fast food

One of the worst foods to eat for weight loss is fast food. Fries are not the only diet busting item available from fast food restaurants. Whether the choice is Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC, or any of the other grease laden outlets, most of the food on offer is not diet friendly. From white processed bread rolls to processed cheese slices, the fare from these restaurants is best avoided.

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6. Snack foods

Chips, pretzels, and salted peanuts typify the packets of high calorie processed snacks which fill the gap between meals. Laden with salt, sugar, chemicals, and preservatives they don’t do dieters any favours.

7. Processed salad dressings

Many salads have been ruined by the addition of store bought salad dressing. The high calorie sweetened dressings available can thwart the good intentions of those that turn to salads as a healthy option. Bin the bottles in favour of an oil and vinegar salad dressing using extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

8. Candy

Sweets and candy can be tempting but can ruin a diet. Ditch the candy in favour of an occasional slab of antioxidant rich dark chocolate.

9. Hidden sugars

Dieters often begin by forgoing sugar in tea and coffee, but hidden sugars and artificial sweeteners lurk in the most unlikely of foods. Always check on the packaging to determine just how much unnecessary sugar is added to what would otherwise be healthy food choices, such as yogurt and fruit juice.

10. Doughnuts

Not only packed with sugar these tempting cakes have the added distinction of being deep fried in fat. Too many doughnuts can lead to a doughnut styled gut which every dieter is trying to avoid.

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Each of these foods to avoid in order to lose weight listed above will ruin a diet! They all share the common feature of being processed rather than fresh. They share in common the addition of sugar, salt, and chemicals that are designed to tempt the taste buds; however, once these items are eliminated from the diet it allows the taste buds time to develop and appreciate the real taste of food not contaminated by artificial additions.