Healthy Foods that are Sabotaging Your Weight Loss (Part 1)

Are you tired of eating a healthy diet and frustrated with not having your clothes fit better? It can be so discouraging to make good choices and have nothing to show for it.

The fact is that many of us eat more healthy foods because we think it won’t hurt us.

That’s a critical mistake. More is not always better.

Even if a food is a nutrition powerhouse, it is still possible to overdo it. And when that happens we store the excess as extra fat tissue. 

The 4 healthy foods below are often inadvertently over consumed.

Read on to see how you can enjoy these without blowing your food budget.

Avocados.

These beauties are convenient and delicious, and whether you are snacking on them as is, or in guacamole, it is super easy to let extra bites slide down. A medium avocado has 250 calories, 15g grams of carbs, and 22 grams of fat. This adds up fast if you are eating avocado-toast or chips and guacamole. Tip: buy mini avocados and eat half. Wrap up the rest. Use the skin from the empty side and your favorite wrap, to keep air out.

Nuts. 

A scant handful of nuts, roughly ½ cup, is about 340 calories with 10 g of carbs and 30g of fat. Go back for seconds and you could easily be in an energy surplus, again leading to fat storage. A good rule is to keep your daily portion to ¼ cup. Tip: Buy single-serve packets or make up your own.

Smoothies.

What the What?  Be careful with the ingredients here. Pouring in that frozen fruit and a banana quickly adds up to 3 servings of fruit. That rounded spoonful of nut butter and the one you put in your mouth while the blender was running counts. Other add-ins like yogurt can make that smoothie more like 2 wedges of birthday cake.

Don’t give up on smoothies, they are a great option for a quick meal.

Tip: Follow this portion guide to make sure you are not padding your hips. Portions ahead are for one serving: Measure out 1 cup of fruit. Yes, measure!  Add in a single measured serving of protein, such as a level scoop of protein powder or 6 oz of greek yogurt. For fat, keep it to a level measured tablespoon. Measuring ingredients is the key to keeping your smoothie just right. Feel free to add in cocoa powder, green leafy veggies, or fresh herbs (mint is my favorite)  Add water or a liquid that is not highly caloric and plenty of ice. Click below to get my smoothie recipes.  If you like full-fat dairy or nut milk, just use 1/4 to 1/3 cup and add water as the rest of the liquid.

FREE Template: The Smoothie Guide

Free smoothie template gives you the best, easiest, and healthiest options for smoothies. Follow the template to build your own healthful Grateful Fitness smoothie!

Gluten-free foods

Just because something is gluten-free doesn’t mean it’s nutrient-dense or low in calories. I have had numerous conversations with gluten-free folks, who rationalized eating gluten-free foods (like potato chips) mindlessly because they were gluten-free. This is a false positive because rationalizing that sticking to the gluten-free plan may give a fake sense of accomplishment. 

Eating healthy foods is always a good choice, but we also need to be mindful of portions.

There is a spectrum of ability to quantitate portions. At one end are those of us who have struggled with a love of delicious food and quantities. At the other end are the people who are not interested in eating as a form of enjoyment.

Where you are on that spectrum will affect your ability to quantitate portions. If you are closer to the love of delicious food end, then weighing and measuring portions is a strategy for success.

There are those who would argue about how making a big deal about weighing and measuring can make people food-obsessed. Here is the thing, for some people it can. For others, it’s the only way to manage a healthy body size long term. 

Which end of the spectrum do you fall on? Are there healthful foods that you over-consume? Comment below to let me know!

Stay tuned for part 2 next week, and don’t forget to download my free smoothie guide below!

FREE Template: The Smoothie Guide

Free smoothie template gives you the best, easiest, and healthiest options for smoothies. Follow the template to build your own healthful Grateful Fitness smoothie!

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