15 Reasons Why You’re not Losing Weight
A Good Story
When it comes to marketing and selling products, the food companies have never let the facts get in the way of a good story. A lot of the information we find on the front of food packaging is not so much information, as it is a somewhat misleading and deceptive sales pitch.
For example, the reduced-fat peanut butter we find on our supermarket shelves has less fat when we compare it to the regular product, but it is by no means a low-fat product. It’s still a high-fat, high-salt, high-calorie product that should be avoided. It’s still complete crap. Complete crap with slightly less fat than it’s full-fat brother. So instead of having 52 grams of fat per 100 grams, the new reduced-fat option has about 43 grams of fat per 100 grams (and a little extra sugar). Amazingly, some people will actually eat twice as much of the reduced-fat version because it’s healthier. Not.
Oh well.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Even foods which are genuinely healthy can lead to an unhealthy you and me if we consume too much of them. If we eat only healthy fresh, whole foods but consistently consume twice what our body needs (in terms of our energy requirements), we’ll get fat. If we’re fat, we’re at greater health risk. Simple. Obviously, what types of food we eat is an issue, but for many of us, how much we eat is the biggest issue. Not only are we the sit-down generation but we are also the over-eating generation. We have an incredible ’skill’ for putting food in our mouth that our body doesn’t need. Our want over-rides our need and the net result is… obesity.
Here’s a few common food options that trip plenty of people up:
1. Seeds and Nuts. Yep, healthy. Except of course when you’re eating a bucket of cashews before lunch. Nuts are a quality natural food, but they are also very high in fat (good fat) and calories. When it comes to eating nuts, weigh or count what you’re putting in your mouth. Freestyle (unconscious) eating of nuts ain’t a great strategy when it comes to creating and maintaining your best body. Unless of course, you wanna weigh four hundred pounds soon. Most nuts are more than fifty percent fat.
2. Fruit Juice. Not all juice is juice. Some fruit juices are in fact fruit ‘drinks’ with as little as five percent fruit juice in them. Read those labels carefully. When you do find the real deal, consume it in moderation. Lots of calories and lots of sugar mean that we don’t want to be using fruit juice as our sole means of hydration. They have this thing now called water. Apparently it’s great. Interestingly, a glass of fruit juice has about the same amount of sugar and calories as a glass of soft drink (soda). A healthier type of sugar (fructose) of course, but sugar nonetheless.
3. Fruit Smoothies. The term ‘healthy smoothie’ can be an oxymoron with some smoothies (from well-known outlets here in Oz) having as many as 600 calories and 70 grams (14 teaspoons) of sugar. Wanna get fat? Throw down a couple of those bad boys each day.
4. Dried fruit. We take out the water, we leave the sugar and the calories and we’re left with dried fruit. A very energy-dense food. Fresh fruit is a much (much, much) better option. Compare 100 grams of fresh apricot (40 calories) with 100 grams of dried apricot (over 250 calories). Same weight, very different calories. If you’re going to eat dried fruit, do it sparingly.
5. Muffins. Somehow (not sure why), some people consider a muffin to be a healthy snack. Let’s be clear… it’s not healthy; it’s cake. It’s (typically) white flour, sugar, egg and some form of fat. Parents who (constantly) feed their kids muffins are irresponsible and pushing their offspring towards obesity.
6. Salads. Just the word ’salad’ wreaks of health, vitality and goodness, doesn’t it? If only it were true. As a rule, the only salad you wanna eat is the one you make yourself with fresh ingredients and little or no dressing. Not all, but many salads that you buy when eating out are laced with high-fat dressings and high-sugar sauces. A Caesar salad can easily contain 50-60 grams of fat (the same as two Big Macs).
7. Muesli bars. The majority are high fat, high-sugar, high-calorie crap. Avoid them.
8. Toasted muesli. Like raw muesli but more calories, more fat and not as good for you. Go the raw option.
9. Sports drinks. A.K.A coloured water with sugar. Unless you’re an athlete who needs to replenish your depleted glycogen stores because you’ve just completed a massive training session, drink some water instead.
10. Protein bars. Some are okay but not many. Most are high in preservatives, interesting chemicals, calories and fat. Some are laced with artificial sweeteners and who knows what the long-term consequences of those will be. Many protein bars have a similar calorie and fat content to a Mars bar (of comparative weight). Read the labels and choose wisely if you must have one, but keep in mind that you can find protein in better places. Apparently there’s a new high-protein product on the market; they call it the ‘egg’. If you get a chance, check one out.
11. Cereal. In Australia, the vast majority of supermarket cereals are high-sugar, processed crap. Most of the popular cereals (in terms of sales) live somewhere in the twenty to thirty five percent sugar range. Great for the dentists, not so good for our kids. Or you. Look on the back of the pack and as a rule, the less ingredients, the better. My preferred cereals? Oats, raw muesli, Oat Brits, Vita Brits (or similar), unprocessed bran. The more natural and unprocessed, the better. My daily breakfast? Three Oat Brits (no I’m not sponsored), fifty grams of raw Muesli, thirty grams of unprocessed bran, skim milk. Or porridge (oats) and fresh fruit.
12. Flavoured rice cakes. Some people live on these things. I have to admit that I am partial to the odd flavoured rice cake. Unfortunately they have about as much nutritional value as eating your toenails. There’s a thought. Very processed and very high in sodium (salt).
13. Low-fat ice-cream. As with many other low-fat products, the lack of fat is usually compensated for with additional sugar. Won’t kill you but keep it to a minimum.
14. Low-fat frozen dinners. Apart from the fact that they’re tiny, expensive and taste like cardboard (in my opinion), they’re also jammed with preservatives and sodium. Apart from that, they’re fantastic.
15. Vegetarian meals. Some people assume that if a meal is vegetarian, it’s automatically healthy. Erroneous assumption. Some vegetarian meals are fantastic. Some are high in fat. Some are healthy. Some are not. Some vegetarian meals contain plenty of oil and other high fat ingredients like coconut milk. By the way, one cup of coconut milk contains fifty seven grams(!!!) of fat – more than most of us should consume in an entire day. Don’t avoid vegetarian food but know what you’re putting in your mouth.
The Last Bit
So grasshoppers, as is often the way with the human experience, things are not always as they seem. All I wanted to do today was to open the door on this subject and to stimulate and provoke you to be more aware and more considered when it comes to the choices you make regarding your (and possibly your family’s) nutrition. I have just scraped the surface but I would encourage you to investigate and read further. If you do nothing else, begin to read the nutritional information labels on the products you intend to buy.
Keep in mind that with many healthy products, we’re buying a concept more than we are a reality.
Ciao x
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Craig Harper
Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer. For the past 25 years he has been a leading presenter, educator, motivator and commentator in the areas of personal and professional development. You can visit Craig's blog at Motivational Speaker.FREE eBook – So… You’ve Decided to Get in Shape (Again) Craig's FREE eBook takes 20 – 30 minutes to read, and addresses the REAL getting-in-shape issues based on his 25 years of experience. To get Craig’s FREE eBook click here, weight loss books.
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Comments
Paul says on October 13th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Mr. Harper does give his point of view on healthy eating, but the tone of his post is overall negative. I do agree with his points, but it comes across as someone scolding a child. I think it would be better stated by giving the reader an idea that what they currently think is healthy is a bad choice or could be a bad choice. Because what they perceive as a good choice is bad or potentially bad. Then give them a good or better choice, so they can start taking control of their own outcome by using their own mind. When you empower people to use their own mind and body, they take responsibility for their own outcome. You can’t get people to change, because you know better, they need to know better.
Miguel de Luis says on October 13th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’m losing weigth all right, but I do so because I read labels. I can witness that a lot of fruit juice is water with magic powders and a lot of sugar.
I do eat a normal ice cream (1 ball) every week, with no problems whatsoever.
Salads I do myself, almost with no dressing or a yogurt sauce (yogurt + mint and then into a mixer). Raw vegetables taste great.
For cereal I use gofio in my milk, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gofio, which is what we have been eating in Canary Islands since the Neolythic.
Bars, most are to be avoided, but some are good when you are on the go. Just make sure to read those labels.
An excellent post, btw :)
DVF says on October 13th, 2008 at 10:12 am
this is easily one of the silliest, most misleading posts i have ever read. here are my reasons why readers (i.e. Americans) are fat:
soft drinks. sugar. animal flesh. milk. cheese. butter. garbage cereals. croissants. donuts. fancy coffee drinks loaded with syrups. alcohol. pizza. portion sizes twice the size of your stomach.
you fail to mention lack of exercise. moving around is key.
- from an ex-pat living somewhere where people regularly eat items on your top 15 and are slim and healthy.
IDoBlogs says on October 13th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Hey watch it! You’re hitting just above the belt here! Sounds like there’s little hope. May as well enjoy some bacon!
Art Gonzalez says on October 13th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
A tip I learned from Tony Robbins several years ago is to eat only fruit and fruit juices before noon. It has created an enormous difference on my energy level. I saw that recommendation reconfirmed on the book “The Monk who Sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma.
Many blessings,
Art Gonzalez
Check my Squidoo Lens at: Quantum Knights
timgray says on October 13th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Why are we fat here in the USA?
Corn Syrup and preprocessed food.
WE eat a crapload of sugar every day because it’s in the form of corn syrup in everything we eat. It’s even in hot dogs!
If you want to lose weight in the usa there is one step that makes the biggest change. cut out ALL preprocessed foods from your diet. if it has corn syrup added it’s garbage.
Peanut butter, the nasty looking oil seperated stuff without sugar is what you want. that stuff is good for you and tastes great. Switch from flavored axle grease to real butter.
bake your OWN BREAD with honey instead of extra sugar added store baked.
Molly says on October 13th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Nut butters are “complete crap”?! I mildly disagree with some of the other advice in this article, but with that opening statement, you’ve discredited your nutrition knowledge in my book. I’ll not be considering your advice in the future.
Pearl Alexander says on October 13th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Step #1: Move to an Asian (ahem, non-Western) country.
Step#2: Stop seeing eating vegetables as disgusting and/or a sign of poverty.
Step #3: Eat more vegetables.
Wow!! I wrote a blog post more effective than this one, without all the bitching!
DanGTD says on October 13th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Besides the quality of foods, that’s discussed, another reason is that people never or rarely eat breakfast. They think to save calories and lose weight, but the contrary happens. You more than make up the fat and calories later in the day.
Richard says on October 13th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Get enough exercise, and eat what you want.
Really, thinking all day long about what to eat, without flexing your muscles wont do you any good.
And btw. as soon as you have enough workout, your body will automagically start to demand “better” food.
enrico says on October 13th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Nut butters are not “pure crap.” You need to spend a little more time on actual nutrition. Peanut butter–even the processed kind (which I don’t recommend, but still)–is very much a calorie dense food, but it’s also a nutritionally dense food. I’d take a modest amount of a calorie dense, natural product loaded with vitamins, minerals, essential oils, etc. over a fat-free processed soy product to appease the “fat is bad” disciples such as yourself.
In “Too Much of a Good Thing” you never used the phrase “Portion control,” which especially for eating on-the-go is the single biggest problem facing eaters today. You mentioned sodium I don’t know how many times. Please. Unless they are hypertensive or have kidney problems, sodium is one of the LAST things most people need to worry about when everything else is out of whack. Get calories under control, get moving, get the water intake up, then worry about sodium. (yes sodium retains water, but unless one is less than 3-4 lbs overweight, that’s FAT we’re talking about that some “canned food” can’t be held responsible for)
Bronwen says on October 13th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Nice one! I’d also add low fat yoghurt to #13. Full fat yoghurt tastes SO much better, and if you only have a moderate amount it’s less KJ than a tub of low fat yoghurt and much more appetising and satisfying.
Shahar says on October 13th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Another reason many Americans are fat, simply is that it’s OK to be fat. Fat people here have no problem going to a swimming pool or beach and “showing off” their extra layers of body fat.
In France, everybody drinks wine and eats croissants and cheese (pardon: fromage!). But nobody dares become fat, because you’d be expelled from society…
Cruel? Perhaps. PC? Apparently no such thing overseas. Effective against obesity? You betcha!
Bon Appetit!!
jennifer says on October 14th, 2008 at 4:54 am
Hi,
I used to be pretty obese and started putting on a lot of weight especially on my thighs and bottom in my late thirties. I started exercising as often as possible and also cut down on a lot of high calorie stuff. Unfortunately I hardly managed to lose any weight at all. I then recently read an article by a lady who claimed that she managed to lose nearly half of her weight using a particular weight loss product. I tried it out and it actually worked really well. Within 4 months I managed to shave off 65 pounds completely. The results were pretty amazing and I feel so much healthier and energetic now without having to carry all that extra weight around. You can read more about the lady’s article at the link below
http://www.obesityzapped.com
Silke says on October 14th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I still remember when everything was Lite – my mom was Lite queen. Then I learned that just because it’s Lite doesn’t mean it’s lower in calories. That food label taught me that you always have to look further.
PUSHUP_KING says on October 14th, 2008 at 11:39 am
@DVF:
Milk and cheese, in sensible moderation, don’t make one fat. Both are great sources of vital proteins and vitamins, especially for vegetarians (who eat dairy). Whey protein – derived from milk – is the most bioavailable protein source known. Even chocolate milk is decent for you if you keep your intake under 500ml/day.
The key is moderation, and balance.
Annie Rob says on October 14th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I agree with some of the things in your post, BUT and there is a BUT, why oh why do people still believe fat makes you fat?
Processed, refined carbs make you fat!
Seeds and nuts will not make you fat, in fact there is a lot of evidence that the oils and lipids in nuts will actually help to mobilise the WAT (bad fat) out of your system.
There is nothing wrong with bacon either as long as you are cooking it in olive oil or coconut oil.
The evidence is in, it is refined and processed foods that you need to look out for with their refined grains (white) and those nasty transfats etc (really just gooey chemicals).
These foods cause Leptin and insulin imbalance leading to tummy fat, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
If you’re going to give some advice do a little research please.
solicitor bulgaria says on October 16th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Not only are we the sit-down generation but we are also the over-eating generation. We have an incredible skill for putting food in our mouth that our body doesn t need. Our want over-rides our need and the net result is… obesity.
Will says on October 18th, 2008 at 12:07 am
I have to agree that food companies do use confusing phrasing to sell their products and consumers buy that crap all the time. What I find funny though is how people keep saying different things about what makes people “fat”. Truth is there really is only one thing in food that is going to make you gain weight and that is caloric content. I completely agree with solicitor bulgaria that people are simply eating too much. Often it is the food labels that confuse people but really it is ultimately your own responsibility to know what you are putting into your body.
As for sugar – it is hilarious what people say about it, but truth is that sugar has only been scientifically proved to cause one health problem and that is tooth decay. I’m not saying sugar is good for you or that they have found links to other health problems with it, but none of it is proven, and it is just guilty by association right now. In moderation it is fine, the problem is that Americans have forgotten what eating in moderation means (if they ever knew).
Lisa says on October 20th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Moderation and fresh, whole (unprocessed) food. Exercise. Water. Reduce stress, which means maintaining balance in your overall living habits, not just eating: walk more, watch less TV, give up the internet addiction. A wonderful natural sugar substitute that doesn’t spike blood sugar the way honey does: Agave nectar. You can sweeten coffee and tea without an aftertaste and use it in baking.
Christine says on November 7th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I Drink up to 2 smoothies a day and then for the rest water.
Smoothies are not bad for you at all only when you add sugar.
I take frozen fruit and it says on the back no sugar added put it into the blender.
Plain yogurt and milk,
Blend it up.
Not a big deal.
Healthy?
thats for sure.
Dont toss somethings thats good.
Shauna Brown says on April 14th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
No crap straight to the point honest article. Add a little good humoured fun to it and you get a thumbs up from me! This article has all those above qualities so I’m commenting! This was a joy to read and really opened my eyes and made me realised all that low-fat stuff is just a joke. I have noticed an improvement in my weight and i feel like i have more energy. I’ll give it 5 stars!
Simi says on April 27th, 2009 at 2:40 am
i wanna ask how can i loose my weight in 6 months??
my weight is 124 pounds..n i wanna loose 60 pounds so how can i loose it in 6 months??n btw im og 16..pzlzz im so curious 2 know if sum1 is seeing it then lzz tell me how can i do that??
Kelia says on April 27th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I went from 201 to 168 pounds in two weeks by – gasp – going vegan.
Cut out ALL forms of cholesterol, cut out MOST saturated fats. If you want a snack, get something healthy but in the SALTY range, and it’s okay to have salts (drink water and your body will just flush it out)but avoid sugars.
Phen375 says on January 1st, 2010 at 7:29 pm
All this is true. Unfortunately our life style is too many times devastating…