8 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight

To be clear, there are some meals that should absolutely be avoided, especially if you are attempting to reduce weight.

Here are eight meals to avoid as much as possible in order to boost your weight reduction efforts—every tiny difference matters!

1. ANY SNACK CONTAINING ONLY CARBS

When you consume crackers, dry cereal, bread, or rice cakes on their own, your body transforms the carbohydrates into simple sugars and transports them directly into your bloodstream. In reaction to the sugar rush, your body creates more insulin, which aids in the absorption of the sugar.

The issue is that you wind up with low blood sugar and the same hunger feelings that drove you to carb up in the first place.

To fulfill your demand for rapid energy, you may be tempted to seek sweet meals with little nutritious value.

Carbohydrates aren't completely off-limits. That's insane — and it's not a way to live!

The idea is that snacks containing a combination of carbohydrates, good fats, and protein take longer to digest and, as a result, will keep you satisfied for a longer period of time.

Another point to consider is that when snacks are viewed as balanced mini-meals, they contribute to a well-balanced diet (instead of just holding you over between full balanced meals). Try whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese or a slice of toast with nut butter.

2. REFRIGERATED MEALS

Food makers frequently pack frozen meals with salt, a natural preservative, to help fresh ingredients stay longer in your freezer. Sodium causes you to retain water, which causes you to bloat, so you won't look or feel your best no matter how much weight you want to shed.

Furthermore, when food makers strive to fit a meal's worth of calories into a teeny little package, every bite has a lot of calories by design.

While huge amounts deceive your brain into believing your body is full, the meager quantities found in frozen meals are intrinsically unpleasant, despite the fact that they are high in calories.

So, if possible, avoid them and increase your amounts of lower-calorie items.

3. SNACK BARS HIGH IN FIBER

Yes, fiber is essential for everyone – it keeps your digestive system moving and keeps you feeling full even when you're cutting back on calories.

What you don't need — nearly a day's worth of fiber (approximately 25 grams) in one snack bar, with a diet devoid of it elsewhere.

Fiber consumption must be regular throughout the day in order to prevent hunger, promote digestive health, and avoid stomach distress. So, instead of snacking on bars, aim to incorporate some naturally fiber-rich food — any fruit or vegetable will serve — into every snack and meal.

4. FOODS WITH "LOW-FAT" CONTENTS

According to research, people tend to eat up to 30% more when they know they're eating a low-fat item.

The issue (apart from overeating, which may quickly derail your weight reduction objectives) is that when food manufacturers remove fat from food, they invariably eliminate some of the flavors.

To compensate, they frequently add sugar, making the product even worse for you.

5. JUICE

It takes many oranges to create one 6-ounce glass of OJ, but when you drink juice, you get all of the calories from those oranges without the natural fruit fibers that keep you full.

It is for this reason that "even 100 percent juice is merely empty calories and another blood sugar rise."

Fructose, the natural fruit sugar that gives fruit and fruit juice their sweetness, fools your body into gaining weight by impairing your body's capacity to identify when it is full.

This causes you to consume more, increasing your chances of developing insulin resistance and diabetes.

6. DRINKS THAT HAVE BEEN ARTIFICIALLY SWEETENED

Goodbye, diet soda and all other sweet-tasting drinks with strangely zero calories!

Some people's brains are designed in such a manner that artificial sweeteners create or increase cravings.

If a Diet Snapple gets you to thinking about Ben & Jerry's, you'd be better off with water or water with lemon.

Or sparkling water: It's calorie-free yet carbonated, so it helps your stomach feel fuller, causing you to eat less overall.

7. CEREAL AVAILABLE IN A VALUE-SIZE BOX

The same is true with super-sized snack packs.

According to a study done by experts at Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, people consume up to 22% more when they eat from bigger packages.

When individuals are aware that there is more food available, they unconsciously allow themselves to consume more of it.

Another study found that when you buy food on sale, you are more inclined to consume more. That's not to argue you should spend more money on food in order to eat less overall - that would be unsustainable (and silly).

If you're going to buy a value pack of any packaged food, measure out your serving rather than eating out of the bag to avoid falling victim to your own mind's tricks.

8. ALCOHOL

It's nearly hard to find a weight loss professional that advises on the use of alcohol for weight loss. While certain drinks include fewer calories than others, alcohol just does not aid in weight reduction.

It provides empty calories that do not fill you up or give you any nutrients; it weakens your willpower, making you more inclined to overeat; and it distorts your judgment, regardless of your weight reduction objectives.

But it gets worse: when alcohol is present in your body, it is seen as a poison that your body wishes to eliminate, and it becomes your liver's first priority.

When your liver is in full detox mode, it is unable to burn fat as efficiently. If you're serious about reducing weight, skip the buzz entirely because it's a massive buzz killer. Or, at the very least, drastically reduce your alcohol consumption.

ONE MORE THING... TRY THIS 10-SECOND "DAILY FIX" THAT BURNS UP TO 2 POUNDS OF BELLY FAT PER DAY...

Click here to see the 10-second "daily fix" that assisted me in losing 24 pounds in just 19 days.