13 Worst Foods For Weight Loss You Should Avoid

Not all foods are bad for weight loss.

Some foods are actually very effective when it comes to losing weight, but there are those that will certainly not help you lose the extra pounds as effectively as others.

If you want to eat some of your favorite comfort foods and still be able to lose some weight, then avoiding the following thirteen worst foods for weight loss is a must.

Diet—more than exercise—is the cornerstone of weight loss.

And while it’s important to know which foods will be most effective in helping you lose and the foods with high protein content, it may be more important to know what NOT to eat. 

13 Worst Foods For Weight Loss

 

The best way to lose weight is by eating healthy foods.

Some, such as junk food or highly processed carbs will not help you shed those extra pounds as effectively- so it’s important that we know which are the worst options for our waistlines!

Avoiding certain foods—fast food, sodas, and other sugary beverages—may already seem like common sense (to most people). 

But not all foods are made equal. There are lots of common foods that we may think are ok but are actually high in sugar or fat, and will slow our journey to a slimmer waistline and better physique. 

So, let’s familiarize ourselves with some of these less obvious food items that we should aim to limit or avoid altogether.

 

 1. WHITE RICE

White rice is processed, high in carbohydrates, and stripped of fiber.

This means it will leave you less satiated and, eventually, more hungry.

It also has a high glycemic index: Your blood sugar levels rise and decline rapidly after eating it, which will trigger feelings of hunger, and possibly lead to overeating.

If you can, opt for brown rice or avoid rice altogether.

 

2. YOGURT

Yogurt can actually aid in weight loss because of its high protein content, which generally leaves you feeling more full than low-protein foods.

The caveat with yogurt is that there are different kinds.

Many yogurts are packed full of sugar to make them tastier, so not paying attention to the labels can work against your weight loss efforts. Limit or avoid your intake of flavored yogurts as they’re usually infused with sugar or honey.

Also, check the protein content and not just the calories.

You may opt for one that only has 150 calories but also only has 3 g of protein. If you can choose one that has a higher protein content, say 15 grams, that would be better. 

Here are 10 Homemade Yogurt Recipes that are sugar-free and low-carb

 

3. POTATO CHIPS

While potato chips may seem like a harmless snack, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine actually shows them to be associated with the most weight gain.

Potatoes also have a high glycemic index, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin, with similar implications for weight gain as white rice. 

 

4. FRUIT JUICE

Fruit juices may disguise themselves as healthy, but they are packed with calories.

Further, they don’t have the fruit fiber needed to make you feel satiated, especially the ones that have had the pulp removed (this is where all the good macro and micronutrients are).

A glass of sweetened orange juice doesn’t have anywhere near the same effect as eating the fruit.

Choose to eat whole fruits instead, and where possible, opt for low-carb fruits like blackberries and strawberries. 

 

5. HIGH-CALORIE COFFEE DRINKS

In recent years, there has been a demand for caffeinated beverages.

Unfortunately, if you’re on a weight loss journey, Starbucks is not your friend. Especially not their flavored drinks.

Did you know that their Cookie Crumble Frappuccino Blended Beverage, with a serving size of 24 oz, comes in at 590 calories!? It has 26 grams of fat, and 76 grams of sugar!

To burn that off with exercise you would have to (depending on your body weight) run for about 40 minutes at a speed of approximately 7 miles per hour, or ride an air bike at high intensity for roughly 1 hour!

Save your money and save yourself a heap of excess calories. 

 

6. GRANOLA

Granola seems like a healthy snack alternative, but most commercial granolas are actually packed with a lot of sugar.

Make sure to read the product labels and choose granola bars with whole ingredients. 

 

7. PEANUT BUTTER

I used to eat peanut butter with bread all the time as a quick on-the-go breakfast.

That was usually 2 pieces of white bread with 2 spoonfuls of peanut butter per bread.

That’s around 190 calories and 16 g of fat in just those 2 spoonfuls of peanut butter.

If you’re a fan of peanut butter, you should aim to halve your servings to control your intake and savor the smooth flavor.

Also, make sure you get the 100% peanuts variety, as most other types have added sugar and oil.

 

8. DRIED FRUIT  

You would think that eating any kind of fruit is healthy, and for the most part, you’d be right. But dried fruit is not a good option when trying to lose weight.

When fruit goes through the dehydration process, the Vitamin C concentration is reduced while sugar concentration massively increases.

Munching on these regularly under the pretext of healthy eating may actually backfire. 

They’re easy to overeat (I know because I love dried apricots), which will blow out your calorie count.

 

9. WHITE BREAD

Like white rice, white bread has a high glycemic index.

It’s also linked to a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Plus, most white bread contains preservatives that keep it fresher for longer, which isn’t great for you for other reasons.

 

10. PRETZELS

Pretzels seem like a snackable food that would not make you gain weight.

Surprisingly, they’re laden with fat!

A 100g  serving of standard pretzels contain 80 grams of carbohydrates, 2.6 g of fat, and 1,266 mg of sodium.

That’s a whole lot of calories and salt!

 

11. CROISSANTS

Really, croissants?

Unfortunately, they are a high-calorie food.

 

12. BUTTER

We love our bread, and we love our butter, but unfortunately just one tablespoon of the latter packs around 102 calories!

It’s fine in small quantities, but coating your goods in very generous amounts is a recipe for getting fatter.

Butter on the lips, forever in the hips. 

 

13. DRIVE-THRU FAST FOOD

These include Chinese takeaways, burritos, burgers, pizzas, and even your favorite sub.

Most of these foods have been prepared beforehand and contain an unhealthy level of fat, carbohydrates, and additives.

It is easy to fall into the trap of just buying fast food because of its convenience and taste, but this comes at a great expense to our weight management.

It’s OK to have a small amount of junk food once in a while, but if the order is part of your daily routine, you will be hard-pressed to reach your long-term weight goals. 

 

COMBINE DIET & HIIT EXERCISES FOR THE BEST RESULTS

As mentioned, weight loss is mostly about dietary intake. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t also incorporate good-quality physical activity.

Current guidelines recommend that we do, on average, 150 minutes of moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise per week (roughly 30 minutes per day, five days per week). 

That can be a tall order for people with full-time jobs and families to care for.

For those who lead a busy lifestyle, High-Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT for short) could be a feasible option.

Multiple studies (such as this meta-analysis) conclude that HIIT leads to more fat loss.

This likely stems from increased exercise intensity, higher levels of post-exercise fat burning, and decreased post-exercise appetite as compared to more traditional forms of exercise like steady-state cardio (e.g., running on a treadmill for 45 minutes). 

There are multiple resources online that can guide you on how to do HIIT effectively. The easiest and most cost-effective way would be to follow some Youtube videos.

 

My Take on the Worst Foods for Weight Loss

Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Everyday food choices become habits, which then determine whether our efforts will help us attain that healthy lifestyle, or gradually stack on the lbs.

Although we can consume some high-calorie foods in small amounts, in the end not taking stock of what we regularly consume will derail our weight loss efforts. 

The way a food look is a poor gauge of calorie content. The only way to know which foods to avoid is to read about them and familiarize ourselves with their nutritional content. 

Choosing wisely what we eat, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are the basic tenets of weight loss that cannot be overemphasized. 

• 17 High Fiber Foods to Include in Daily Diet
• 15 Low-Carb Snacks for a Keto Diet

Ultimately, by knowing which foods to limit or eliminate from our diets altogether, we avoid undoing our hard work, and we’ll be able to keep ourselves on the right track in our own health journeys. 

 

Related Foods for Weight Loss

• 9 Keto Smoothies for a Weight Loss
• 9 Overnight Oats Recipes
• 22 Healthy Snacks to Eat anytime
• How good are Oat Groats for your Health?
• 15 High-Protein Meals to Build Muscle

 

Worst Food For Weight Loss