10 Foods to Avoid if You're Trying to Lose Weight ...

When people turn to diet soda or diet foods to shed some pounds they are sadly mistaken. Because of the artificial sweeteners you can actually gain weight. These chemicals do nothing good for the body and can even cause weight gain. A study found that people who drank two or more diet sodas a day had six times the waistline compared to those who skip the diet soda. Research has also shown that NutraSweet, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners, leads to the same surge of insulin as white carbs because of sweetness detectors in the small intestine. This false blood sugar spike can cause weight gain so skip the fake sugars!

A sugar rush always feels good because your energy is boosted but this is temporary and then you have a large crash. And this is not good! White sugar is full of calories that sabotage healthy eating and the more you eat, the more sugar you will crave. And the world is filled with so many people addicted to white sugar. This probably adds to the rage and mood swings of many. When our blood sugars are high we are high, feeling great. When our blood sugar is low, we feel totally run down and exhausted and crave more sugar. It is like a drug addiction to our bodies. And sugar will make you gain weight. Sugar has no vitamins or minerals, just lots of fat-building calories. Watch out for hidden sugars!

There are countless cheeses varying in the aging process, taste, calories and fat content but they all have one thing in common. However, cow milk cheese contains a large amount of fat and is hard to digest. And poor digestion causes weight gain. Besides, the cow milk cheese you see in the store is pasteurized to the point where there is no nutritional value left in it, nor probiotic bacteria that aids in weight loss and overall health that originally was in cheese and still is in cheese in France, Italy, Greece. Unless you found high quality non-pasteurized cheese from France or high quality domestic goat cheese, better to stay away from it altogether. So skip or skimp or your cheese to slim down and shape up this year.

Read the labels; they are full of starch and sugar. A study discovered that it was easy to eat too many slices of bread in one sitting. Too little fiber, too many carbs, and lack of nutrients are just a few of the problems with gluten-free products. Going gluten-free means you will be avoiding grains. And avoiding grains means that you will be getting less iron, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. Include these 7 gluten-free whole grains millet, quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat, cornmeal whole grain (not corn starch), and oats.

Loaded with calories and pretty much no nutrients, processed foods will cause you to gain weight. Diet microwave meals and frozen meals are high in sodium and calorie-rich fat to preserve flavor. Eating them causes you to retain water in your arms and legs, leaving you bloated and completely uncomfortable.

Processed meats include lunch meats, deli meats, sausage, and hot dogs which are high in calories, fat, sodium and low in nutritional content. In fact the majority of calories in processed meat come from fat and most of this is saturated fat. Too much salt in your body leads to water retention and bloating. And no amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. So skip the cold cuts, slim down and make more healthy food choices.

Fat and oils are fattening especially when they come as deep fried foods and baked goods. Fats and oils also contain 120 calories per tablespoon. Olive oil, ghee, organic almond butter, on the other hand, are healthy fats and oils that aid in weight loss. Make sure to only consume good fats and oils and not the bad, processed ones.  

Trans fats are so damaging to your health! Tons of foods contain them but it's the amount that you need to consider. Frozen foods, "ready to eat" foods, and even most processed foods contain high amounts of trans fats which is a big no-no.

Lots of people reach for white rice as a side because it's cheap and easy, however, that's not necessarily a good thing. White rice is bleached making it unnatural because it's extremely processed. If you want to choose rice, pick a whole grain or brown rice because it hasn't been altered.

Fruit juices may seem like a healthier alternative to soda, however, they aren't. Even if they're labeled "100% fruit juice" they still contain high amounts of sugar because fruit has natural sugars. A single apple doesn't juice into a cup of apple juice so you're consuming more of the fruit serving than you actually need. Add the coloring and preservatives in there too and you could say fruit juice is pretty bad.

Now that you know the foods that can cause weight gain, steer clear of them and make the best choices for you and your body! You only have one life so make healthy choices to live it right!