At Springfield Weight Loss Center, we believe in the power of informing our clients and prospective clients with simple ways to live more healthily. In today’s post, we will take a look at some surprising and some not-so-surprising foods you should look to avoid if you are serious about nutrition and losing weight. Let’s get going.

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Diet Soda

It’s name suggests it is a healthier option than regular soft drinks, but it’s really not. Because diet soda contains artificial sweeteners, it will only end up stimulating your appetite, which nobody needs.

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Alcohol

Research does show that having an alcoholic beverage each day can help reduce the risk of heart disease, which is great. But the high caloric content combined with no nutritional value spells bad news. Also, having “just one” glass of wine is tough, especially when all you want to do is unwind after a stressful day.

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Fruit Juice

Fruit juice can be sneaky. It’s usually nutritious (to some degree), but there’s a difference between food calories and beverage calories. Fruit juices are usually quite high in sugar too.

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Processed Meats And Carbs

Processed meats are full of fat, sodium and nitrates. Two of those sound yummy, but all three contribute to water retention and bloating. It’s hard, but do your best. Look to avoid processed and refined carbs as well.

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Salad Dressing

Filled with fat and high in calories, salad dressing can be the dark horse in foods that spoil attempts to lose weight, at a Springfield weight loss clinic or otherwise. It’s easy to justify a generous portion of delicious ranch dressing after you feel good about yourself for having a salad in the first place, but don’t ruin the whole thing. Instead opt for lemon juice, olive oil and salt, oil and vinegar, or your own delicious concoction! Eating well doesn’t have to mean you hate every meal, you just have to get creative.

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Granola Bars

Granola bars are usually a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with packaging flaunting vague terms like “high fiber”, “all natural”, and “protein”. In reality, the companies that make these processed bars are typically less concerned with nutritional value, and more concerned with flavor to hook consumers so that they will be purchased over and over. Such is the way of the world.

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Potatoes

According to researchers, one baked potato has basically the exact same effect on you that eating a tablespoon of sugar has. They’re just a bunch of empty calories, and when that sugar high crashes (more accurately, a blood sugar crash), you’ll be hungrier than when you were in the first place. It’s not an efficient way to lose weight. And for those of us who are serious about losing weight without surgery, we can’t afford to eat sugars without actually tasting the sweetness!

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You Can Make Real Changes And Get Real Results

Change is possible, but it is much more plausible with some help. Get in touch with us at Springfield Weight Loss Center to learn about how our program takes your particular needs into account. We will come up with a tailored plan for you to lose weight in Springfield. Schedule your first appointment today!