Most people believe that exercise is the most important part of losing weight, but that’s far from true. If you’re trying to lose fat, your diet counts for 80% while exercise only contributes 20% to the end result. Both are undoubtedly important, but what you eat can impact your weight loss journey far more significantly than how much time you spend in the gym. Foods that hinder fat loss aren’t just high in calories. They contain compounds that trigger inflammation, disrupt your hormone balance and flood your liver with toxins. All these effects together can make it very hard for you to lose weight. If you’re trying to burn fat, steer clear of these seven foods.
1. Fries
French fries are chock-full of trans fats because of the oil they are cooked in. Trans fats are extremely difficult to lose because our body isn’t equipped to break them down. But even worse than trans fats, fries contain a compound known as acrylamide. Acrylamide is created when white potatoes are suddenly subjected to high temperatures, such as when they’re deep fried. Acrylamide is a highly inflammatory substance which can cause swelling in your joints, weight gain and skin outbreaks. French fries are also bad for weight loss because they’re rarely ever eaten alone. You generally dip them in fattening ketchup or eat them as a side to an unhealthy burger. Instead of french fries, bake your own version of fries in the oven using sweet potatoes.
2. Soda
Soda might taste great, but your body does not love it as much as you do. If you were to break down soda into its individual ingredients, you’d find that just one glass has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 55 mg of caffeine and tons of artificial coloring and flavors. Normally, you would throw up if you had this much sugar at one go because your body cannot handle so much. However, soda companies add a chemical into their drinks which prevents you from doing this. Thus your body has no way of eliminating it and instead, suffers from the weight gain sugar causes.
3. Diet Soda
Soda is bad for you, but ‘diet’ soda is far worse. Most health-conscious people pick diet soda thinking it’s a weight-friendly alternative to regular soda, but they could not be more mistaken. Diet soda contains all the unhealthy ingredients in regular soda along with a substance that’s much more dangerous: aspartame. Aspartame has been linked to higher sugar cravings, migraines, inflammation, hypothyroidism and fatigue among other things. If you’re trying to lose weight, just say no to soda, whether it’s regular, diet or sugar-free.
4. Pizza
Yes pizza can be healthy, but the kind you’re eating most probably isn’t. The problem with pizza isn’t just in the toppings, but also in its base. Commercial pizzas are usually made from frozen dough that is full of preservatives. The dough is also made from refined flour which spikes sugar levels. Pizzas are slathered with cheese, which is very fatty and also contains preservatives. Don’t fool yourself into believing that the veggies on pizza can make up for how unhealthy it actually is. If you really need your pizza fix, make some at home using fresh dough and plenty of healthy toppings.
5. Ice Cream
Of course, no one really thinks ice cream is a health food, but you’d be surprised to know just how fattening it is. Back in the day, ice creams were just that. Frozen dairy with fruits to flavor it. Today however, most ice creams are full of hydrogenated vegetable oil containing trans fats. They also rarely use actual fruits, relying on synthetic additives instead for flavor. These flavoring agents unbalance our hormone levels and can have a negative effect on our metabolism. Frozen yogurt isn’t the best alternative to ice cream either because it’s very high in sugar. Instead, puree fresh fruit along with plain yogurt for a delicious, healthy dessert.
6. Corn Tortilla Chips
While there’s nothing technically unhealthy about corn, unfortunately most of the corn we get today is genetically modified. Corn is in fact, one of the most genetically modified foods grown. The effects of genetically modified plants haven’t been sufficiently researched, but many claim that it can cause adverse health effects. Apart from this, tortilla chips can cause highly unstable blood sugar levels. This makes your body stubbornly cling on to fat, causes sugar cravings and unpredictable mood swings.
7. Doughnuts
Who doesn’t love a good doughnut with their coffee? This little habit however, might be the reason why you can’t shed that stubborn fat. An astounding 40% of a doughnut is actually trans fats, the most harmful kind of fat. Trans fats are almost impossible to work off because your body doesn’t know how to burn them. Doughnuts are also very high in sugar which severely hinders your weight loss journey.
