Avoid These Foods If You're Trying To Lose Weight

Losing weight and keeping weight off can be difficult. According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 62 percent of Americans are considered "overweight" or "obese," and this number is growing. When you try to lose weight, it may feel as if your body tries to fight back. You might be able to lose weight at first without much effort but over time, weight loss slows down or stops altogether. 

As part of a meta-analysis reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers tracked over 120,000 men and women from three different studies. Every four years, they evaluated the participants' lifestyles and weight. What they found was that the average adult was gaining 3.35 pounds over each four-year period, adding up to nearly 17 pounds after 20 years. When researchers looked more closely, they found that a handful of foods are specifically linked to weight gain. Indeed, the foods you eat can raise — or lower — your weight. Keep reading to learn about the foods to avoid if you are trying to lose weight.

Sugary desserts — pastries, cookies, and cakes — are loaded with sugar and refined flour. They also carry a hefty calorie count. A slice of cheesecake can easily add 300 or more calories to your daily calorie intake. And if you are trying to consume around 2,000 calories, that cheesecake puts you a fourth of the way there. Add three daily meals and you'll realize you've consumed more calories than your body needs. Over time, this causes you to gain weight and sabotages weight loss intentions.

The World Health Organization recommends people limit sugar consumption to less than 10 percent of their daily calories. But as researchers at the University of California San Francisco pointed out, Americans are eating about three times more sugar than the recommended daily amount.

Many of the treats we eat aren't just full of sugar but are also loaded with trans fats. Over time, consuming too much trans fat is harmful to your health and puts you at risk for a whole host of diseases, a study in Journal of Food Science and Technology, explained. So, the next time you are craving something sweet, reach for piece of fruit or a square of dark chocolate instead.

Meals at your favorite restaurant may have way more calories than they would had you prepared them at home. When you prepare your own food, you have control of what is added to the recipe. You can select foods that lead to good health and weight loss. Not to mention, food prepared at home tends to have far less salt, according to Harvard Health Blog.

In a 2015 study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, researchers found people who ate home-cooked meals ended up eating healthier and consuming fewer calories and fat than people who ate out. Cooking at home six to seven times a week led to consumption of a daily average of 2,164 calories and 81 grams of fat while eating out lead to consumption of a daily average of 2,301 and 84 calories (via Johns Hopkins). In addition to the way meals are prepared, restaurant meal sizes tend to be bigger than what you'd put on your plate at home. So when people eat restaurant foods, they can end up overeating by eating all or most of the portion that was served, which adds up towards their daily caloric intake (via Healthline).

Starches are not all bad but eating too many processed starches will slow down your weight loss. This includes white bread and pastas. White bread is refined, which means the good stuff is removed from it, including vitamins and minerals, so it is just rich in carbs and, well, little else, a 2011 study in The Journal of Nutrition revealed. White pasta is similar to white bread in the way it's made and processed. And serving sizes of pasta (and other foods) in the United States tend to be very large, so it is important to be mindful of your portions.

Registered dietitian Anna Taylor told the Cleveland Clinic that "white bread, crackers, and pasta are starchy foods that are high in calories and carbs, but low in fiber, protein and nutrients." And simple starches are digested very fast, which spikes your sugar levels and, before you know it, you are hungry again. This leads to overeating and, of course, weight gain. You can swap out white bread or white pasta for whole grain alternatives that contain more fiber and leave you feeling full and satisfied, the Cleveland Clinic suggested.

Granola and energy bars are often touted as healthy snacks, but most are loaded with sugar, calories, and artificial ingredients. When buying granola bars, it is a good idea to check the ingredient labels and choose granola bars made mostly of real foods, like whole grains, fruits, and nuts. Additionally, look at the sugar, protein, and fiber amounts. You should aim for at least 5 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and less than 10 grams of sugar (via Healthline). For weight loss, look for granola bars containing less than 250 calories per serving.

You should also be mindful of the amount of sugar in energy, or protein, bars. "Some protein bars are so high in calories and added sugar that they might as well be in the candy aisle," Healthline explained. You might also consider limiting the number of energy bars you consume. Of course, energy bars are loaded with lots of vitamins and minerals, but if you are already eating healthy, you are getting plenty of nutrients from natural sources. There is no reason to add to your daily caloric intake.

Ice cream is a delicious treat, but it is not necessarily a nutritious one. Most store-brand ice creams are high in calories and loaded with sugar. And while small portions are fine every now and then, it is pretty easy to eat large amounts without even realizing it. One scoop of vanilla ice cream might be around 120 calories only, but it also contains 28 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of fat (via Department of Agriculture).

So-called "healthier" versions of ice creams might have less fat and sugar, but are often still loaded with calories (albeit fewer than regular varieties). These companies may proudly display reduced amounts of sugar, fat, and calories on their packaging, and this entices consumers to eat these versions at higher amounts than they would otherwise.

Amy Keating, a registered dietitian and food tester, told Consumer Reports, "People are easily influenced by the perception that a food is healthy." Keating went on to say that just because you can eat more, that doesn't mean you should. "Eating oversized portions isn't a healthy habit," she explained. "It encourages you to override your natural hunger and fullness cues and distorts your idea of what a reasonable serving is."

Alcoholic drinks have high calorie counts, and these calories have no nutritional value. Mixed drinks, in particular, are loaded with lots of sugar. Drinking them regularly or in excess can increase your calorie and sugar intake, which can sabotage your diet. According to Harvard's The Nutrition Source, one serving of alcohol contains up to 150 calories — and those calories can add up. Mixed drinks that add syrups and juices further increase your caloric intake, which over time can cause you to gain weight.

If you are seriously trying to lose weight, you might consider cutting and skipping the alcohol altogether instead of switching to a lower-calorie alcoholic beverage. Why? In addition to adding to your daily calories, alcohol may cause weight gain in an entirely different way. One study published in 2017 in Nature Communications found alcohol actually tricks the body into wanting to eat more, which obviously does not bode well for your diet.

Dried fruit seems like a healthy and responsible snack choice, but most dried fruits are sweetened with large amounts of sugar. And this can quickly add up, especially because people consider it a healthy food and end up eating it in handfuls. Another reason people overindulge on dried fruit is because it is so much smaller than the fresh fruit it comes from (via Harvard Health Letter).

While you want to be careful with how much dried food you consume, you don't have to totally exclude dried fruits from your diet. According to Dr. Anthony Komaroff, physician and editor-in-chief of the Harvard Health Letter, "Dried fruits ... contain more fiber and more of the antioxidants called phenols than fresh fruit, per ounce." He explained that fiber can help ward off obesity, heart disease, and some types of cancer. "People with diets rich in plant phenols have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, several kinds of cancer, and possibly degenerative brain diseases," he continued. Just be sure to limit your intake.