Top 5 Worst Snacks For Losing Weight

You’re trying to lose those extra pounds you gained after your 20s when your metabolism seemingly stopped tolerating morning doughnuts and late-night trips for fast food. You thought it would be a piece of cake to lose those extra pounds — just tweak a few eating habits and run a few miles, right? But you’ve found it’s not that easy. In fact, you’re discovering you’re lucky if you can just maintain your current weight. So what are you doing wrong?

We know articles on weight loss can be very confusing: count calories, don’t count calories, stick to a diet, don’t stick to a diet, eat carbs, don’t eat carbs. So what really works?

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found eating more veggies and whole foods and less sugar and processed foods is what helped participants lose weight over the course of a year. Sadly, many supposedly “healthy” foods are highly processed and pack a lot of sugar. Here are some of the biggest “healthy” snacks that may be preventing you from losing weight.

Cereal bars. Snack bars might be a delicious way to start your day, but these highly processed foods are high in sugar. Take for example one Raspberry Pop-Tart^®: Not only does it have 200 calories and 38 grams of carbohydrates, it also contains 16 grams of sugar. Considering the World Health Organization recommends an adult of normal body weight should consume just 25 grams of sugar a day, you’re already more than halfway there after you pop that tart. Try replacing it with a protein-rich egg scramble or avocado toast. Both are more filling, low in sugar and more nutritious.

Low-Fat Yogurt.Like cereal bars, low-fat yogurt is loaded in sugar to make up for the flavor loss with fat reduction. One 6-ounce container of Dannon^® Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt contains a whopping 22 grams of sugar! Also, most of the healthy benefits of yogurt are removed when the dairy fat is removed. The next time you go yogurt shopping, take a peek at the nutrition label. You’ll be surprised how many yogurts are high in sugar. Try to pick a higher-fat, lower-sugar yogurt option.

Juice. Remember drinking Capri Sun^® Fruit Punch as a kid? Its first two ingredients are water and sugar. Even the juices that are 100% juice, like Motts^® 100% Original Apple Juice, contain anywhere from 20-30 grams of sugar per 8 fluid ounces; one serving and you’ve already surpassed your recommended sugar intake for the day. Try eating an apple or orange instead; nothing beats the nutritional punch of actual fruit (not to mention the digestive benefits of the fiber they contain).

Diet Soda. For decades, diet soda has been touted as the healthy alternative to drinking regular sugary soda. But here’s the bad news: Most diet soda is sweetened with aspartame, and many studies have shownthat diet soda actually makes you gain weight. Theories range from the diet soda triggering your hunger hormones to it causing you to seek out high-calorie items in response. Instead of going for a diet or regular soda, try our INVIGOR8 Superfood Shake, which is only 170 calories, helps control hunger and reduces body fat.

Tortilla Chips.Those delicious corn chips you reach for at your favorite Mexican restaurant or Super Bowl party may appear healthier than potato chips—after all, they’re usually lower in fat and calories—but they’re in fact just as hazardous when it comes to weight loss. Why? Because brands like the major brands are fried and highly processed. Also, serving sizes are really large. For example: One serving of Tostitos Hint of Lime is only 6 chips and includes 150 calories and 7 grams of fat. Who can eat only 6 chips?! You’re much better off spending those calories on apples with peanut butter or carrots with hummus.

If you’re looking for more healthy snack options that fill you up, are loaded with nutrients and help you lose weight, try our INVIGOR8 Superfood Shake recipes. They’ll turn this power shake mix into delicious and healthy smoothies, baked goods, snacks and breakfast bowls. Snack on!