Feel like you're doing everything right but still can't lose those last 10 pounds? Check out your kitchen for these common belly-busting foods. Some may seem healthy; others are convenient-but chances are they're all tripping you up in your efforts to trim down.
REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER
Peanut butter is loaded with good things like protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Nevertheless, the problem some guys mistakenly have with it is its fat content, which is sky high. But it's healthy, monounsaturated fat-the kind that's OK to eat. Take that fat out (some reduced-fat peanut butters promise 25% less fat than traditional PBs), and you still end up getting almost as many calories-
only now they're coming from added sugars and carbs. They're not fat, but eat enough of them and you will be.
INSTANT OATMEAL
Once again, the problem is added sugar. Oatmeal is one of the most nutritious foods you can buy. But if you're going to eat it, you really only have two lean options:
Either stick with sugar-free oatmeal packets or clear out your cupboard and stock up on the big round canisters of plain instant oats-either way, you cut the calories per bowl in half.
COFFEE CREAMER
How bad can a couple of shots of liquid coffee creamer be? Try 80 calories for every twotablespo on dose of the flavored stuff. And if you're trying to add
enough creamer to cook up the equivalent of your favorite Starbucks elixir, you might as well chug the entire bottle-and the calories that come with it.
INSTANT POTATOES
Potatoes are already a no-no for many because they're so high in carbs. But instant potatoes take a potentially fattening food and make it downright lard-inducing.
The reason is obvious when you consider how the flakes are made. Manufacturers take dehydrated potato and blend it with fat-to improve the reconstituted product's
texture. That's why even a tiny serving of instant taters can hide more than 200 calories.
SUGAR-FREE COOKIES
Three small sugar-free cookies still pack roughly 150 calories, along with even worse things including trans fats and sugar alcohols-compounds that can wreak havoc on your digestive system. So, even if the taste of the cookie doesn't kill you, eating one could leave you on the toilet wishing you were dead.
I've read that NON sweetened oatmeal is the best a quick snack, says the Ab's Diet Guide.
What about things that are sweetened with splenda brand and such, such as the diet green tea by litpon and other protein products i've come across?
-- Dominic.
I want to know that if the raisin acts as same as the grapes or it has the same benifts or not for the diet
thanks
-- Mike Rikard
If I love ice cream what are the substitues if I want to eat low fat?
-- Ken Heang
so anyboby can writ this exercise in a magazine but do yall anybody that has results
-- cory aaron
what can I use to replace oil and butter in a muffin recipe?
-- nicbezuszka@yahoo.com
I am not eating any of the above ... and still haven't lost those last ten punds (for the record I have also cut all fried foods - or have them once a week) and am eating three meals per day ... never carbs before bed. drink 3 liters of water per day - almost 1 liter of green tea...
Work out three time a week at the gym and I go twice to yoga class ...
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? I may have forgotten to mention that I am 30 years old (I am hoping that that doesn't make a difference)!
-- Me
My buddy is gunna be "fasting" for a week and he is only drinking water...He hasnt started it yet but a week seems long to me how long can a avg human being live for without food? is this healthy?!?
-- Jack barns
For jack barns, that isn't going to help him at all, he needs the energy to lift and do whatever else he is doing, so he can burn it off, so your friend won't be getting very far.
-- Dominic.
Try waffles with peanut butter on them. I actually think I read this in this magazine, but if you're not a morning person, this is quick, easy, and good for you.
-- Sean T.
Is late night eating as bad as people make it out to be , in terms of hindering weight loss?
-- E
For "me", try tweaking your fat/carb/protein porportions. The average person should consume a 30%/20%/50% ratio, with carbs constituting the majority of the diet, but if you do some research, you'll find some various alternatives to this ratio, and perhaps one that fits your lifestyle and body. A major factor that many seem to leave out is the importance of omega-3 fatty acids, Such as CLA. These acids aid in the oxidation of stored fat molecules, and may help.
For "E", as many nutritionists, dieticians, and doctors advocate, the optimum means of losing body fat, and gaining muscle (in regard to atheletes and those who work out) is to consume several small meals over the course of the day, constantly supplying the body with nutrition. Unfortunately todays busy lifestyle doesn't necessarily allow a person to do so. If the right foods are consumed, the metabloism may react by keeping in first gear while you sleep. Oxidizing nutrients because they're readily available. (During the night, the body is basically deprived of nutrients, and reverts to slowing the heart rate, and metabolism to compensate.) Ever wonder why breakfast is called "break fast"?
To answer the question; if the right foods are consumed, you may aid fat loss.
-- Anonymous
well said Anonymous.
Well a couple things about the splenda.
1) its chemical based
2) your body doesnt know what chemicals like splenda are so it just stores them in your small and large intestens. (around the ab area)
Fasting isnt not very safe. A good cleanse twice a year is. Your body is full of toxins that store from many things- Eating foods that are not %100 natural, drinking, smoking and just breathing in dirty air around you. Theres plenty of good cleansing kits you can get at your local health food store. Just make sure while cleansing you take in as much raw fruit and vegtables and water as you can and increase your daily vitiman intake.
-- HR2
Anonymous THANKS A MILL !!!
-- Anonymous
"If I love ice cream what are the substitues if I want to eat low fat?"
Try this: Get two bananas (over-ripe ones are particularly good) and freeze them overnight. Then put them in a blender with just enough low-fat milk to make them blend. Too much and you'll end up with a smoothie. Voila - like a banana flavoured soft-serve.
If you want to increase the protein content, throw in some protein powder or low-fat cottage cheese.
Mix in other fruit -- such as berries if you don't like bananas
-- Vince Noir
This is for" me",dude it all sounds good but your meals have to change, if you eat 6 smaller meals a day it will rev up your metabolism and help with those last terrible 10! also keep an eye on your calorie intake, your output has to be greater than your input if you wanna shred.
-- Saint
Good to know about the peanut butter!
-- Phill
Saint ... THANK YOU !!!
-- Anonymous
hey my name is brandon im 16 years old and i lost 90 pounds i use to weight 232lbs now im 142lbs what kinda of foods can i eat to get toned up ?? and i drink protein shakes and take creatine...
-- brandon
im training ...running 10mins..den pressups x 120 den squats x40 wid weights den arms /shoulders training..but im loosing weight not gainin..im bloated around d stomach area..excerising 4 days aweek mon wed fri sat .whats wrong? im eating gud food like meat milk....
-- del
Brandon...try working out to tone up
-- joe
I read the part about low fat peanut butter. Does that mean that PB w/ 11 grams of total fat instead of the regular 17-18 grams of total fat make you gain more weight, when the saturated fat, sugar and carbs are exactly the same in both?
-- Kyle
Sounds like mass confusion! Let's be real, a lot of guys work on daily jobs that don't allow you any time to eat more than your basic lunch! So, nibbling or increasing your daily food intake is not/most of the time an option for your average guy trying to body build. For your office guys, this eating 3-6 small meals a day just maybe do-able, but for the average Joe that's not trying to win some weight/body building contest, all these eating frenzies are outragious. What's a guy to do...
-- Lee
My diet is the very weak point of my training programm. I've never eaten vegetables or fruit in my life. I'm trying to introduce them now and would really like to work on a diet that I can stick to rather than an unrealistic one. Are there any good sources for recipes in the web? Also, training first thing in the morning, I've been eating just a slice of bread with some honey on it before training then a bowl of cereal after, is this what I should be doing? I've asked for dietery help at my gym but they seem either unable to help or just reluctant.
-- Zander
i am a 21 year old male 183 pounds and lift 5 days a week cardio on 3 but no matter wat i do i can never get more than the top to abs to show. wat to do
-- dave
what are carbs? and what foods are non carbs? Help im so confused. Im weighing in at 200lbs. My doctor wants me to go down to 180lbs. Im 41yrs old and Im 5'11. Does that sound about right?
-- Fred Garza
I discovered that cardio above everything else works great with many small meals within the day, with the exception of eating the last meal before 7 oclock ( a 4-5 hour period) and after eating your last meal go for a jog to burn some calories. For people that dont like to eat the most important meal, breakfast, it will make you hungry in the morning which gives your more energy during the day. Also, watch what you eat and remember small meals( a regular serving size is for the average overwieght american's. When going out to eat anywhere remember, cut it in half! After 3 weeks there will be a noticable difference.
-- Joe
From what I understand, peanuts (or mixed nuts) can be some of the healthiest snack foods out there especially when trying to obtain or maintain a lean and cut "6 pack". However, is there such a thing as eating too many mixed nuts or trail mix to the point that instead of helping your cause your harming it?
-- Randy
Low carb diets are OK but, carbs in the long run are actually more beneficial to building muscle in bulk than going on an atkins or low carb diet. Over the summer i started eating pure, i became a natural extremist when it came to food and quite frankly, doing that and riding on a stationary bike or doing other excersizes/weightlifting made me lose around 6-7 pounds.
Gaining more muscle mass is going to help lose fat because as the body gains muscle mass, metabolism will increase, and will require more calories to feed the muscles. I am willing to give anyone suggestions on what to do to improve their health, build, and/or excersize routine. Just email me at tbandemir@adelphia.net and I will tell anybody what works, what doesn't.
-- Trey
Man there are so many things that have simple explanations in here. Del wants to blow his knees out(that is way too many for just about any workout that uses significant amounts of weight. Reduce the reps to around 8-12 and slap on more weight.), Brandon needs to know about food combinations. Lee(It is relatively easy to wake up, eat a healthy breakfast meal, use a lunch box and make meat rollups with avocados in them, go home and make a nice dinner. I do that everyday and eat around 4-10 servings of fruit a day. You can easily eat a banana in less than a minute. On a 15, i will eat a large fuji apple, and a banana, and just eat the roll ups or something on a lunch. Nuts are an excellent source of fiber and protein but too much of them will make a significant difference for your midsection. Example, if you eat 2 cups of cashews there will be a noticable difference the next day. If you are a nut addict, limit yourself to no more than 3-4 serving sizes of any type of nut. Soy nuts are amazing because they have the most protein and the least amount of fat that i have seen on any lable. I eat raw almonds and dry unsalted soy nuts.
Zander- I will tell you right now that I can help you out with a more suitable diet but you have to completely open your mind because living off of boxed foods with no 100% natural foods and produce is absolutely unbelievable. You need to have a strong mind and eat produce regardless of whether you like or not. I went completely cold turkey in terms of eating anything out of a box and anything with uneeded fat with no exceptions on my diet. You do not need to be that extreme but I can tell you right now that i am the healthiest person I know and haven't been sick in years.
Email me and i'd be thrilled to set anytbody up with quick meals and recipes to try for dinner. Most of the meals I cook are far superior to the equivalents at an average restaurant minus the butter and anything else that will simply add fat. I would like to add that cadiovascular workouts should be done almost daily regardless of your BMI or %body fat.
-- Trey
I am looking for a comparison (honest) for the resistance training vs. freeweights.
By that I mean a Bowflex type home gym vs. free weight type home gym. I have a Bowflex type gym and the results are not as good I am being told. I am fit, but now want bulk.
Thoughts.
Steveo
-- Steveo
Hi, I seem to have hit a plateau with fat loss...I lost about 40 pounds since January and am near my target...my foods have stayed the same...what can I do to bust out of this and burn these last 10 pounds of fat off?? thanks
-- Roch
For "me", trying to lose those last 10lbs, eat 5-6 times a day. Your "normal" 3 meals with snacks in between. Good snacks like fruits, yogurts, shakes, nuts, etc. By eating more often, your metabolism stays high, it's like putting coals on the fire, the more you put them on, the bigger and hotter the fire! That should help.
