Diet Offenders

When it comes to cleaning up your diet for fat loss, many people are easily able to spot the obvious. You don’t need a degree in nutrition to realize cookies, cake, chips, pizza, soda, and fast foods are all going to work against your efforts of getting a ripped set of abs.

For the most part people will have no trouble seeing the big offenders in your diet, however eliminating them can be a whole other story for most people.

Despite this fact though, there are many foods that are ‘hidden’ diet offenders that will really wreak havoc if you’re not careful.  Many times we completely overlook these foods and then question why we are not losing weight.

It’s only when you can dig deeper and recognize these foods and then take steps to remove them from your diet that you will really be able to see the fat loss results you’re searching for.

Here are some of the worst diet offenders that you may currently not be aware of.

Fruit Juice

The very first diet offender to be aware of is fruit juice.  Fruit – should be healthy, right? Wrong.  The big problem with fruit is that during the process of juicing you lose much of the fiber that was originally found in the fruit and it contains far more calories total than a piece of fresh fruit would have.

For better fat loss results, stick to the whole fruit. If you’re thirsty, try water with a slice of orange for added flavour instead.

Cereal Bars

Next on the list of diet offenders are cereal bars.  These 100-200 calorie bars may seem like a smart, low-fat option for a light breakfast to get your day started off right, but the problem here is that they are virtually devoid of protein, so won’t really stick with you past 9:30.

The carbohydrates found in these cereal bars are also very simple in nature meaning they will be broken down quickly and leave you feeling hungrier than before.

So, focus on a lean source of protein instead. You’ll get far better results in your overall fitness program.

Diet Meal Replacements

Many people who are looking for fat loss results will also make the mistake of thinking that a diet meal replacement shake is a smart move.  Again, this just causes problems. 

While these typically are lower in calories and often do contain a nice balance of nutrients, the issue is that they don’t fill you up.  Within twenty or thirty minutes you’ll be just as hungry as you were before and searching for something else to eat.

Instead, choose a light, solid-food snack.  There’s something to be said for the process of chewing in signalling to the body that you are full, so don’t overlook that.

If you must choose a drink to get you through the day, a simple protein powder with a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts would be a far wiser move and is just as quick as a meal replacement shake.

Chicken Salads

Finally, take care when ordering salads. These may also seem healthy and even if you do order the dressing on the side, they can still cause problems.  Often added into the salad are croutons, nuts, dried fruit, or other ingredients that pack away too many calories to fit comfortably in your diet.

Even worse is if the chicken is breaded or fried as that will also really contribute to far too many calories to add into your day.

So be on the lookout for these foods and be extra certain that you always aim to avoid them. If you don’t, you can be quite certain that you are going to wind up struggling on your fat loss progress.