OK so you’re locked in on your diet… A typical day has plenty of protein and vegetables. Your common breakfast choices are fruit, oatmeal, or yogurt. You’re avoiding the typical ice cream and sweet snacks, and YET…you’re not losing weight. F is for Frustration!
Chances are there’s a hidden diet destroyer in what you’re eating and drinking everyday. That enemy is sugar. Take a look at a typical “day in the life” of someone on a low carb diet:
Breakfast
Iced Caffe Latte
Dannon Yogurt with glass of orange juice
Lunch
Garden Salad with Italian Dressing
Afternoon Snack
Protein Bar for afternoon snack
Gatorade during your exercise session
Dinner
Turkey Burger w/ vegetable sides
This doesn’t look like a terrible day of eating right? There aren’t any fried or fast foods, no sugary sweets, and no salty processed snacks. If you had to guess, chances are you’d pick the Caffe Latte as the worst item on this list, and you’d be correct. However, what you may not notice is that the above diet contains at least 105g of added sugars, which translates to an extra 420 calories just from secret sugars! Oh and this does NOT include the extra sugar found in the coffee drink, which can contain an additional 100 calories alone! So that’s 500 unnecessary calories strictly from the added sugars in this diet.
(Fun fact: a daily caloric reduction of 500 calories in your diet per day translates to a loss of 1 pound of body fat per week. Let’s shave down that sugar intake!)
The sugary saboteurs embedded in our “typical” healthy options may be holding you back from the weight loss goals you’re looking to achieve. And let’s be honest, I’m sure our diets are much worse than listed above (especially on weekends). So what’s the plan to avoid sugary pitfalls?
Sugar Swaps
Follow these nutrition guidelines to clean up your diet without having to change your level of food consumption:
*Fruit juices and fruit on the bottom yogurts are pumped with sugar. Instead choose fruit flavored water or seltzers instead of fruit juices. Choose plain yogurt and add fruit yourself instead of purchasing fruit on bottom type yogurts.
*Reduce, as best you can, the amount of sugars and syrups you add in your coffee and tea. This is such a huge culprit of secret calories in your diet that you drink without even noticing.
*Condiments like ketchup, bbq sauces, or common salad dressings should be used in moderation. Buffalo sauces, hot sauces, and vinaigrettes are much better options.
*Gatorade and protein or energy bars are generally not necessary. They have their benefits and uses, but if you’re looking to lose weight, then these items will hold you back as either of them can contain upwards of 30g of sugar! Unless you’re an endurance athlete, stick with water for your workouts. Choose raw seeds, nuts, vegetables or fresh fruit instead of energy bars for afternoon snacks. Homemade trail mix will definitely be a better choice than a power bar.
Simply reducing your amount of condiment and juice consumption can save so many calories in your diet. It’s a great way to lower your caloric intake without lowering your food consumption. For more “eat this, not that” information or a nutrition plan designed specifically for YOU, contact me below! Here We Go!
