What diet makes you lose the most weight fast?

 

Trying to lose weight, but unsure about what’s holding you back?  You exercise and eat well, YET the numbers on your scale just aren’t budging. Maybe you’re eating something that’s slowing your progress. In today’s article, we’re going to talk about 13 foods that are ruining your weight loss goals.  

13 Foods Ruining Your Weight Loss Goals

1. Coconut Water

Who doesn’t like drinking coconut water? Honestly, it’s the healthiest drink to beat the summer heat. Especially when you compare it with soda. Plus, you get lots of electrolytes.  

It’s also used in various desserts and some vegetable recipes. Coconut water has essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, and of course a generous amount of antioxidants.

But not everything about coconut water is hunky-dory. A cup of coconut water, 240 milliliters to be precise, comes with 45 calories and as much as 6 grams of sugar.  

While this is still less than most sodas and juices, you need to cut down on how much coconut water you drink a day. Too many cups can build up your sugar intake.

2. Sushi

Sushi is delicious and healthy! This Japanese seafood gives you nutrients from fish, rice,  and vegetables. As a result, you get a generous amount of high-quality protein, omega fatty acids,  vitamins, and carbs. This makes sushi a healthy inclusion to your diet plan.

 But if you decide to eat sushi as part of your meals, you also have to be careful about excess calories. If the rolls are stuffed with tempura shrimp, you’re adding more calories than you need. 

It’s the same if you include sweet sauces. And of course, be careful with your rice intake. Those are pure carbs!

3. Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt is generally suggested as a healthier alternative to ice cream. If you’re craving a dessert after your meal, you’re better off eating yogurt than indulging in sweets or ice cream. But there is a catch with frozen yogurt.  

Since it’s seen as a healthy option, you do run the danger of eating it more than you should. When you go to a frozen yogurt shop, you’re usually allowed to fill your own cup and add whatever toppings you want. 

If you take a large cup and add sugary toppings, you end up with more sugar and calories than you would have if you had eaten ice cream or other desserts.

  4. Low-Fat Foods

If you’re trying to shed weight, you need to remove high-fat foods from your diet and switch to low-fat. While this seems like the right thing to do, research has shown low-fat foods tend to have more sugar than regular foods.

This added sugar could result in weight gain and an increase in blood sugar. Instead of restricting your diet, it’s always better to eat in moderation as this will satisfy your cravings. And still not add to your weight.

5. Healthy Sweets

As part of your weight loss program, you may reduce or completely give up on desserts. You have to reduce your calorie intake, but it might be difficult to give up on dessert. That’s the best part of the meal after all.

So what do you do? You look for healthy sweets instead. They’re supposed to have very few calories. While this is true to an extent, these healthy sweets generally replace the fats with sugar or artificial sweeteners to retain the taste. You only add more sugar as a result, which is going to cause weight gain and other related health issues.

Artificial sweeteners used in some of these sweets can result in bloating and diarrhea. They also might induce cravings for more sugar. It’s a vicious cycle. The more artificial sweeteners you eat, the more sugar cravings you’ll get.

6. Granola

Craving a healthy snack? Granola feeds those cravings. It’s one of the top breakfast choices for health-conscious people. This is because it’s rich in fiber and has oats as well as nuts-all of which are very nutritious.

But granola also comes saturated with added sugar to improve its flavor. If you’re unaware of how much sugar your granola packs with every serving, you might end up with more sugar than you planned for.

Every serving of granola you have shouldn’t have more than 6 grams of sugar in.

7. Low-calorie condiments

Another way sugar sneaks into your diet is through condiments. They’re supposed to be low in calories. But that’s not the case. When you add ketchup or salad dressings to your food, you might be unaware of the calories that are hiding in the sugar.

Tomato and barbecue sauces have high amounts of sugar in them. Making them a regular part of your daily diet will hurt your weight loss program. Enjoy salads but beware of the calories hiding in the dressing. Use low-calorie dressings like vinegar and lime juice.

8. Diet Peanut Butter

So you’re looking to lose weight, and the first thing you do is buy all diet-friendly stuff. I’m talking about diet coke. Even diet peanut butter has gotten popular. This makes sense at first. Just like diet coke, diet peanut butter has fewer calories than the regular kind.

This difference in calories might have you thinking diet peanut butter is the better choice. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Diet peanut butter contains unhealthy oils and also comes with added sugar. 

So the calories you’re getting from diet peanut butter are, in fact, coming from sugar. And this will definitely slow down your weight loss.

Experts advise you to cut down on your sugar intake if you’re serious about losing weight. The best way is to use natural peanut butter. Just practice portion control. 

Eat fewer calories but get them from good sources. Peanut butter made with a few necessary ingredients is ultimately the healthier choice.

9. Sports Drinks

Do you exercise daily? If you work out regularly or are active in sports, it’s natural for you to rely on sports drinks to build your endurance. They provide energy that helps you keep going. But at what cost?

These sports drinks are loaded with sugar. Most of them contain caffeine. They also cause energy crashes later. If you aren’t indulging in intense workouts, there’s absolutely no need for you to have sports drinks. 

They come with significant amounts of sugar and will add to your overall calorie count.

Drinking sports drinks also causes an increase in your blood sugar levels. This rise can not only increase your weight but also results in insulin resistance. 

In a study of more than 7,500 adolescents, it was seen that those, who drank sports drinks regularly, weighed much more than those who didn’t.

10. Protein Bars

Protein bars are also convenient when you need an energy boost. They’re especially useful for athletes. But if you’re not a sports person or avid exerciser, protein bars could end up multiplying your calorie count. 

The majority of them also have artificial sweeteners and added sugar, which ruins your weight loss.

Instead of a protein bar, go for a nutritious snack that holds the same amount of protein, but at the cost of a lot less sugar. For instance, you can make your own trail mix. 

All you need is roasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and smoked almonds. Mix them together in a bag. You can also add roasted flaxseeds for extra nutrition.

 11. Diet Soda

Diet soda has zero calories, or so they claim. People buy diet soda thinking they’re choosing a healthier alternative. But that’s certainly not the case. Your belief that diet soda will not impact your weight is about to be shattered!

 Research has found that people who drink diet soda tend to have significantly broader waistlines than those who don't. Along with increasing waistlines, diet soda also raises your blood sugar and blood pressure levels. 

As if all of this wasn’t enough, diet soda also affects your gut bacteria, which makes you susceptible to diabetes and other such chronic diseases.

12. Flavored Coffees

If you’re working towards losing weight, you might be tempted to drink more coffee as it decreases your appetite. While caffeine does work for this, you need to be aware of how you’re drinking it. 

There are always calories hiding in there. Coffees such as lattes, frappes, and cappuccinos are never going to help you lose weight as they are high in calories. All thanks to the generous amount of sugar and fat added to them.

13. Smoothies

Smoothies are delicious but don’t get carried away if you’re on a weight loss program. Smoothies can derail your progress. Not just smoothies from cafes, even homemade ones can be loaded with sugar and fats. 

If you’re adding milk and nut butter, you’re not going to lose weight. On the contrary, you might even gain a pound or two.

Losing weight is hard, but it’s not impossible. It just takes a lot of discipline. There are resistance band exercises that can transform your body in as little as 4 weeks.