8 Surprising Things You Should Never Eat if You’re Trying to Lose Weight

Lots of experts say it’s stupid to forbid yourself from eating certain foods — that denying yourself something you really want to eat can ultimately lead to binge eating and eventual weight gain. So dessert isn’t on this list — it’s OK to indulge sometimes! But some foods really do deserve the ax — especially if you are trying to lose weight. In which case, avoid these foods (when you can!) to fend off cravings and hunger, and support your efforts to slim down.

When you eat crackers, dry cereal, bread, or rice cakes alone, your body converts the carbs to simple sugars and sends it directly into your blood stream. In response to the sugar rush, your body produces extra insulin, which helps your body absorb the sugar. The problem: You end up with low blood sugar and the same hunger pangs that led you to carb it up in the first place. You then may be inclined to reach for sugary foods with no nutritional value to satisfy your need for instant energy, says Charlie Seltzer, M.D., a weight-loss specialist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Eat This Instead: Snacks that contain a combination of carbs, healthy fats, and protein. They take longer to digest, and will, therefore, tide you over for longer. (Another thing: When you treat snacks as balanced mini meals, they contribute to a balanced diet instead of just holding you over between meals.) Try a slice of bread with nut butter, or whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese, suggests Rachel Harvest, a registered dietitian affiliated with Tournesol Wellness in New York.

2. Frozen meals

Also: When food manufacturers try to squeeze a meal’s worth of calories into a teeny-tiny box, every bite ends up containing lots of calories by design, Harvest adds. While large portions trick your brain into thinking your body is full, the measly portions found in freezer meals are inherently unsatisfying, even though they contain plenty of calories.

Eat This Instead: Pre-frozen leftovers. Just double up on ingredients the next time you cook dinner, then cool and toss leftovers in a microwave-safe container to keep in your freezer depending on what you’re cooking. Or stock your freezer with frozen veggies and your protein of choice (like chicken breast tenders, which cook faster than full breasts, or veggie burgers) to whip up a meal in the same amount of time it takes to cook a premade microwave dinner.

3. High-fiber snack bars

Eat This Instead: Produce that’s naturally rich in fiber — any fruit or veggie will do. Make produce a part of every snack and meal you eat throughout the day, and you’ll get your daily dose of filling fiber, no problem.

4. “Low-fat” foods

Research suggests that people tend to eat upward of 30 percent more when they know they’re eating a food that’s low in fat. The problem (besides overeating, which can quickly thwart your weight loss goals) is that when food makers remove fat from food, they inevitably remove some of the flavor. To compensate, they often add sugar, which makes the product even worse for you.

Eat This Instead: Healthy fats in moderation. That means dipping your baby carrots in guacamole (which is rich in monounsaturated fats) or hummus (often made with olive oil, another good source of the same healthy fats) instead of fat-free ranch.

5. Juice

Another thing: Fructose, the natural fruit sugar that makes fruit and fruit juice taste sweet, tricks your body into gaining weight by blunting your body’s ability to recognize when it’s full, says Melissa Rifkin, a registered dietitian at Montefiore Medical Center in New York and a Rise nutrition coach. This makes you eat more, and increases your risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes.

Drink This Instead: Water! Aaall the water — plus unsweetened tea or coffee when water just doesn’t do it.

6. Artificially sweetened drinks

Good-bye, diet soda, and every other sweet-tasting drink that mysteriously contains zero calories! “There are some people whose brains are wired in a way that artificial sweeteners induce or enhance cravings,” says Dr. Seltzer. Meaning: A Diet Snapple that appears to assuage your sweet tooth can actually be a slippery slope toward dessert.

Drink This Instead: Sparkling water: It’s calorie-free but carbonated, which makes your stomach feel full, so you end up eating less overall.

7. Cereal sold in a value-size box

Eat This Instead: One measured serving of said cereal.

8. Booze

It’s almost impossible to find a weight loss expert who recommends alcohol for weight loss. (Believe me, I tried.) While some cocktails have fewer calories than others, alcohol just doesn’t support weight loss. It contains empty calories that don’t fill you up or provide any nutrients, softens your resolve so you’re more likely to overeat, and impairs your judgement, regardless of your weight loss goals. (It’s why you drunk eat pizza, not salad.) But it gets worse: “When alcohol is present in your body, it’s considered a toxin that your body wants to get rid of, and becomes you liver’s top priority,” says Caroline Cederquist, MD, creator of bistroMD. When your liver is in hardcore detox mode, it can’t burn fat as efficiently.

Drink This Instead: One of the lower-calorie options on this list:

Cap it at one drink (or skip the buzz altogether) if you’re serious about losing weight.