Guest Post: “Healthy” Doesn’t Equal Weight Loss
Today’s guest post is brought to you by Sarah Harris of Nursing Programs. It is especially timely considering our current Operation Lose Five Pounds! Please enjoy:
We all know that foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium are a no-no when dieting. You throw out the cookies and chips and steer clear of pizza, beer, and fast food. But what about the things that are supposed to be good? Could some of them be responsible for that plateau you’re hitting? There are a lot of foods that, while “healthy”, can really throw you off track. So here are a few items that you may want to remove from your weight loss roster.
- Salads – Let me preface this by saying that green vegetables are a staple of any diet. They’re high in fiber, full of vitamins, and they leave you feeling full. However, modern salad-making has gone above and beyond the field of leafy greens, a tomato, and some carrot coins. Restaurants now add cheese, croutons, nuts, fruit, and all sorts of other non-veggie items that ratchet up the calorie count. And let’s not forget about the dressing (I love Ranch, but one serving of the original Hidden Valley variety has 140 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 260mg of sodium…ouch!). It can add up quick when you’re budgeting calories, so stick to a vegetable laden salad and if you need the dressing, at least go with a light one.
- Pasta – This is a complex carbohydrate, which makes it ideal for packing on the pounds (as your body will absorb the caloric content more readily than fibrous carbohydrates like those found in green vegetables). Most pre-packaged dry pastas come out around 200 calories per 1-cup serving which doesn’t sound too bad. Except that one cup isn’t very much, and you’re probably not going to eat it plain. Add meats, sauces, or even olive oil and you’re bound to get more than you bargained for. If you simply can’t live without your pasta, try the whole wheat variety. It has about the same amount of calories, but more than double the fiber.
- Protein shakes – I know what you’re thinking; they’re okay if you’re working out or using them as a meal replacement. This is partially true. Protein shakes are a great way to get – you guessed it – protein. Refueling your body with muscle-menders is essential when you’re working out. But there’s a reason bodybuilders have made them a staple in their diets: they often contain a lot of calories. If you plan to use protein shakes as a meal replacement, they may indeed help you lose weight as they often contain less calories than a whole meal, but you’ll be missing out on other vital nutrients that your body needs, especially if you’re exercising in conjunction with diet. Same deal with protein bars. So for a quick fix, sans shake, keep some grilled chicken or fish on hand (for lean protein).
- Coffee – you may not have realized it, but that Mocha Frappuccino you drank this morning probably has enough calories to be breakfast (the tall size, 12 ounces, is 310 calories with 38 grams of sugar and 12 grams of fat). Now, a cup of black coffee is only 5 calories, but studies have shown that caffeine can cause weight loss problems as well. It can contribute to insulin resistance and an increase in appetite and food cravings, all hallmarks of weight gain. So you may want to consider cutting the caffeine out of your diet (sadly, this also means soda, diet soda, and caffeinated teas.
- Sports drinks – many of these drinks are not intended to promote weight loss at all. Their main purpose is to replenish vitamins and minerals that are lost during long periods of activity, but they may also contain a lot of sugar, both for flavor and to give your tired body a boost. No problem if you’re running a marathon, you’ll burn through those extra calories in no time. But if your workout lasts less than an hour, you’ll probably do better with good old water.
Like anything else, it pays to read the label or check the nutrition fact sheet (which, thanks to new health care legislation, will be required on menus and drive-thru signs as early as 2011). Even supposedly healthy foods can derail your weight loss goals, so make sure to do some research before you put anything in your body.
Thanks again Sarah!
I like this, an it’s so true. As an exercise, I sometimes will have clients write down the calories they eat in a day, that were not required to help them stay alive and contribute to their health — the empties, such as salad dressings, handful of chips, soda, etc. It almost always ends up that they eliminate 2/3rds of of the their calories that day.
Great guest post; thanks, Sarah, and thanks for hosting it, Sagan!
I’d say, of the list above, protein bars, salad dressing, and cream in my coffee are the worst offenders. I do look for lower sugar (<10 grams/bar) bars, but volume girl that I am, I really ought to think about what ELSE I could eat for those 100-200 calories. I manage to keep my coffee consumption down during the week pretty well and cream it with 2:1 almond milk to half-and-half. I also cut vinegrette salad dressings with plain vinegar, or sometimes just put vinegar on my salad.
And add nuts for me. (Darn their convenient, non-messy goodness!)
I would like to add that learning how to make tasty low calorie dressings and sauces, additives, etc can go a long way toward taming the previous excessive calorie burden of many foods.
I guess switching this around, it also means you can totally gain weight in a healthy way without simply downing burgers and shakes. 🙂
Emergefit- I LOVE that idea! I’ve never thought of that before… it’s a neat way of looking at nutrition. I’m going to try that!
Pubsgal- Haha agreed on the nuts. Vinegar makes for a really good salad dressing- I don’t find that adding extra virgin olive oil ENHANCES my salad at all, but a splash of balsamic vinegar goes a long way.
Dr. J- Very true; it’s great when we can make our own healthier versions of sauces and dressings.
Sophia- Exactly! I eat really healthy but I still gained a few pounds just from improper portion sizes.
Perhaps no one was trying one product that is safe to lose weight