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Worst Foods to Eat When Trying to Lose Weight

By Health & Medical Last updated Tuesday, April/16/2024

Eat the right foods to beat the battle of the bulge.diet image by dinostock from Fotolia.com

When you're trying to lose weight, what you eat is just as important as what you don't eat. We all know to avoid fast food and sweet treats when we're trying to shed a few pounds, but sometimes diet-busting foods aren't obvious. Making informed decisions about what you eat is necessary to achieve maximum weight loss.

Carbonated beverages

While soda isn't exactly a "food," you should avoid drinking it if you're trying to lose weight. On average, soda contains about 155 calories per can. To burn off one can of soda you would need to walk vigorously for about 23 minutes. If you're going to drink away your daily calorie limit, try having something nutritious like a glass of milk or a low-fat smoothie.

French fries and chips are both foods you should avoid if you're trying to lose weight because they are usually high in calories and low in nutritional value. Both chips and fries are fried at high temperatures, which creates a known carcinogen called acrylamide. Chips and fries are also high in trans-fats, which can increase the chances of heart disease.

When you think of the "must avoid" foods when dieting, canned soup probably isn't at the top of the list. Because of their extremely high salt content, however, canned soups should be avoided if you're trying to lose weight. Some canned soups contain MSG (monosodium glutamate), which is harmful in general. Instead of filling up on canned soups, try your hand at making homemade soups---they taste better and are much better for you!

Alcohol should also be avoided to achieve weight loss. Alcohol itself does not contain a lot of calories, but the beverages we mix it with do. Some frozen cocktails like margaritas can contain up to 800 calories! Three pina coladas later and you've reached your daily caloric intake. Alcohol also inhibits our ability to stick with a diet plan. While you might not be tempted to chow down on poutine, you might be more likely to do so after a few drinks.

Pasta and bread contain large amounts of carbohydrates, both of which are difficult to burn off with exercise. Before the body can burn off fat, it must first burn off carbs. If you're going to have bread and pasta, try to choose a whole grain variety that has not been stripped of its nutritional value. Avoid white bread and buns, as they tend to be high on the glycemic index and, in terms of nutrition, are almost as bad for the body as sugar.