4 Foods That Are “Secretly” Making You Fat
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret… about fattening foods, they are everywhere!
You’ve been lied to all your life about healthy foods. It’s probably come from numerous people too…your parents, the lunch lady at school or even the USDA… They’ve all been pushing processed foods on you and claiming them as “health foods”
The truth is, most of what you think is healthy, is actually the EXACT food that’s making you fat!
I’ve seen it time & time again with my clients, that when they cut out bread, dairy, crappy breakfast foods & soda the following ALWAYS happens
- they lose fat
- they feel 100% better
- they have more energy
- they no longer have a “foggy” or “cloudy” head during the day
- their mood improves
You may not agree with this list 100%, but it works. If you’re sick of carrying around extra fat, then try cutting the following foods from your diet for 2 weeks and see what happens. Change is always encountered by a little resistance. That’s why its not so easy to change (and that’s why so many people are out of shape).
Let’s get right to it…
The Fattening Foods…
#1 Bread
If you’re trying to lose fat & get stronger, then the bread in the cupboard or on top of the fridge needs to go! I allow myself a sandwich or some toast occasionally post workout, but when I’m trying to get lean, the bread is the first to go from my house.
The reason bread makes you fat is just like any other high glycemic food. It triggers your insulin response and creates a vicious cycle of you being hungry for more starchy carbs which in turn makes you fat.
Not only will bread make you fat, but it will make you tired and causes stomach problems for some people. I don’t care if your bread is whole grain, protein enhanced or plain ‘ole wonder bread…get rid of it if you want to lose fat.
#2 Dairy
The Dairy Association Of America has spent over $200 million dollars trying to convince us that dairy is essential for bone growth & that without it we’ll all turn into little frail marathon runners.
Guess what? It’s all bullshit.
I’ve looked around forever and have yet to find a credible study that says dairy is needed to build “strong bones”. One study actually showed that exercise, not dairy was overwhelmingly responsible for bone strength in teens. If you’re worried about calcium intake, stick to almonds, salmon, spinach and any other green leafy vegetable. You’ll get more than enough… (here’s a list of non-dairy calcium rich foods)
Eliminate all milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese and any other dairy products from your meals and you’ll see a MASSIVE improvement.
If I had to pick, dairy & bread make the biggest differences by far when it comes to losing fat.
If you’re used to eating a lot of dairy, this might not happen overnight. But try to ween yourself off it as soon as possible, because you’ll notice a BIG difference on the scale and with how your body looks.
#3 Carb-Loaded Breakfast Foods
The traditional American breakfast is very carb dependent.
Waffles, muffins, pancakes, and cereal are all pretty common staples in most people’s diets. This does not lend itself well to fat loss. My friend and expert nutritionist Joel Marion says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day when you’re on a fat loss quest because “it sets the tone for the rest of the day”
If you eat like crap at breakfast you’re gonna be much more likely to eat like crap for lunch and dinner as well. But if you eat a good breakfast, then you won’t want to screw up your good day by eating a bunch of junk for lunch and dinner. Your day depends on the meal you start with, so make it count.
For breakfast, some of my favorite meals are eggs, veggie omelets and fresh smoothies (banana, strawberry, blueberry).
#4 Soda (diet soda too)
Soda is LOADED with sugar (39 g) and high fructose corn syrup. Check out what my friend Isabel has to say about HFCS in sodas:
A lot of people rely on soda & energy drinks because they think it helps them have more energy. But what you’re really getting is a sugar high for 20 minutes and then a huge crash that will leave you tired and unable to focus.
Do you know what makes you have more energy?
Eating real, natural foods and doing high-intensity circuit training or strength training. I’ve seen it SO MANY times with my personal clients. They can’t believe how much more energy they have after cutting the crap foods & drinks out of their diet and actually getting off their butt and doing some physical activity.
If you’re a diet soda drinker you’re probably thinking “this doesn’t have any calories, so it’s not gonna make me fat”.
Well, that’s WRONG too!
Some nutritionists believe diet soda is actually worse for you than regular soda! The big problem with diet soda is the artificial sweetener used in them. Your body takes in these artificial chemicals and its first reaction is to try and flush them out.
While your organs are working overtime to get rid of this junk, it could have been burning fat from your body. Ditch the soda, and you’ll probably lose 3-5 lbs in a month just from that small change alone…
What You Need To Do About Fattening Foods
If your diet consists of a lot of these foods, you’re probably wondering what you SHOULD eat… Well for starters check out my easy weight loss diet & also my top 10 foods for fat loss.
These posts have all of the info you need for getting started with healthy eating…
It’s not that hard, just commit to it for 2 weeks and I PROMISE you’ll see a huge difference.
Let me know if you have any questions or if you have a cool story to share leave it in the comments below!
-Terry Asher
