5 Foods That Are Holding You Back From Losing Weight

breakfast food

There are several foods that many of us love to eat, but they keep holding us back from our weight-loss goals. The problem is they seem healthy, but they are truly sabotaging. If you are serious about losing the next 5 lbs, you should avoid and give up these 5 foods until you have reached your goal. These are also the top 5 foods that people are reluctant to give up when starting their weight loss journey. Once you reached your goal, we recommend enjoying these foods in moderation.

1. Bread & Pasta

This is the number one enemy when it comes to self-sabotage. Many of us enjoy sandwiches and toast or muffins for breakfast and then pasta for dinner (especially for those who are vegan and vegetarian). When your stomach digests bread or pasta, all that is leftover is a starchy substance that breaks down into simple sugars. This isn’t good for you, and a single piece of bread will typically contain 100 calories to 150 calories. A muffin will have 350-450 calories! If your calorie range is between 800-1200 calories, then 2 simple slices of bread can burn up 200 calories of your goal with empty-starchy calories. Pasta is no better. There is also no nutrients when it comes to pasta for dinner. You feel bloated and unenergized.

2. Juices & Certain Smoothies

One reason we avoid juicing when trying to lose weight is that it’s mostly sugar. Juices may seem healthy for you, but the nutritional calories you should get are wasted. People tend to drink juices because they are “healthier” than sodas or carbonated beverages. Your best bet is to avoid soda and juices altogether and drink water or low-calorie flavored water. Another option is to mix your juice with water, as this will cut down the amount of sugar you are putting into your body. This will still give you that nice taste that you enjoy. So, try it backwards – Add a little bit of juice into your bottle of water, just enough to flavor the water, but you can still see through it.

Certain smoothies also sabotage your weight loss goals too, and you might not even realize it. These smoothies have lots of sugar in them because of the fruit, and they are not balanced with all the nutritional properties your body needs. You feel unsatisfied and crave food within the hour. The key to making smoothies healthy and satisfying for your weight-loss journey is by ensuring it has the right amount of protein, fiber, fat, and fruit.

Check out our favorite go-to smoothie and what Key Ingredients should be used when making smoothies.

Get the Matcha Strawberry Smoothie Recipe Here

strawberry matcha smoothie

3. Granola & Breakfast Bars

Granola is thought of as healthy because it can be a decent energy source when you’re on the go, but honestly, they sabotage your weight loss goals. Many brands that make granola are trying to trick you into thinking you’re doing something good for your body by skipping breakfast and having an on-the-go granola bar. These are not good choices when it comes to weight loss. The majority of these bars have more than 15 grams of sugar, way too much oil, very little protein, and minimal fiber. Basically, they have all of the bad and none of the good. Instead, make oatmeal or a healthy breakfast, or reach for a meal-replacement bar instead, which contains a boat-load of protein, is heartier, and will keep you full for hours. That way, you won’t get the peaks and dips in your blood sugar levels that imposter bars are known for. You’ll feel better, and your appetite will stay surpassed until lunchtime and even later.

4. Processed Snacks

Instead of eating chips or other processed snacks out of the pantry, you need to get rid of them. They are not good for you, and if they are there, you are going to eat them over healthier options. Also, avoid snacks that say 100-calories on the label. If they are not made with natural ingredients, then you will not lose weight. They are made with unnatural ingredients that self-sabotage your weight loss. Instead, reach for a more balanced snack. Our go-to is drinking tea or water with a serving of 1/4 cup of nuts and 1/4 cup of fruit.

5. Desserts

If you don’t have great control and need to lose weight, you need to avoid having any dessert in your house and avoid ordering it when you’re out to eat. If you are like me, I cannot have one bite of dessert. Each bite leads to another bite and its self-sabotage. Our recommendation is to drink tea with a little honey when you are craving sugar.

The Take-Away

Once you achieve your ideal weight and want to have dessert or juice, go for it, but remember you need to balance out the healthy food with the unhealthy foods, or you will go right back to the weight you wanted to get rid of. For example, when we achieved our weight loss goals, we occasionally will enjoy dessert here or there, but not every single day. We had to stay consistent with eating the right foods, with the right nutrition in the right amounts too. That’s when mindful eating comes into play, which is a whole other topic of its own, which we will talk about soon!

Let us know if you have any questions about this topic or other topics related to eating healthier and achieving your weight-loss goals.

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