"High Calorie Foods to Avoid" ... Ridiculousness!

bingefreeaubree

I follow a bunch of fitness and weight loss pages on Twitter just to keep me extra motivated when I scroll through my Twitter feed. I'm not sure who exactly runs the pages, but I highly doubt they're the pages of dietitians and trainers who actually know what they're talking about. I constantly see these weight loss pages tweeting "Never eat these foods! They'll make you fat! Click the link for a list: *insertlinkhere* " And the slide shows that are linked are absolutely ridiculous. If you're like me and are following weight loss pages on social networking, chances are you're reading the same crap as I am. Almost all the foods listed to not eat "because they'll make you fat!" are healthy fats. Emphasis on the word HEALTHY. Our bodies need fat to function properly. I don't know the whole science behind it, but it's important to get healthy fats in our diets since they help absorb a lot of the nutrients in our foods and do a lot of other good stuff. So many people start dieting and they cut out all fats since they're misinformed by slide shows created by ignorant people. The latest list of "high calorie foods to avoid at all costs" included peanut butter, avocado, and olive oil which in actuality are some of the healthiest foods for you if eaten in moderation!! Of course fats are higher in calories than carbs and proteins, but our body needs them, so we all should really try to make room for them in our diets and ignore the claims that say to "NEVER eat these foods." :noway: Really. Just because something is higher in calories doesn't mean you should avoid it, especially when it's something vital to your health. Officially unfollowing these pages that make such stupid claims on Facebook and Twitter now. :laugh: Lucky for us MFPers, we realize that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight if you're eating at a calorie deficit.

icimani

A lot of those are ads - but still... !!

Even the free app I use for a pedometer has some tips for losing weight, and they say "you should understand that you cannot eat these products at all until you lose weight" because they have a "high glycemic index which means that they are easily stored as fat.

white bread and any variations (pizza, pies and pancakes)
potatoes in any kind of dish
instant rice
any instant foods
muesli
chips and cookies
beer
drinks containing sugar
carrots, beans, corn
watermelon, pineapples, melons, grapes, bananas
raisins, dates
all sweets such as candy, chocolate bars, marshmallows, etc
wafers, ice cream, honey

They also say you "must have 6 small meals a day. This is essential for boosting metabolism."

Am I following their advice? nope.

bingefreeaubree

A lot of those are ads - but still... !!

Even the free app I use for a pedometer has some tips for losing weight, and they say "you should understand that you cannot eat these products at all until you lose weight" because they have a "high glycemic index which means that they are easily stored as fat.

white bread and any variations (pizza, pies and pancakes)
potatoes in any kind of dish
instant rice
any instant foods
muesli
chips and cookies
beer
drinks containing sugar
carrots, beans, corn
watermelon, pineapples, melons, grapes, bananas
raisins, dates
all sweets such as candy, chocolate bars, marshmallows, etc
wafers, ice cream, honey

They also say you "must have 6 small meals a day. This is essential for boosting metabolism."

Am I following their advice? nope.

Haha exactly! There are SO many web pages and books of tips of things saying never to do this and that you have to do that to lose weight. No, not really!! I lost weight before on a diet consisting 50% of junk food. Yeah, that wasn't healthy for me, but in terms of weight loss, the pounds still came rolling off since I was eating at a deficit, and I bet I defied so many rules since I ate a lot of bananas, cookies, pudding, candy etc. Just imagine all the money people are spending worldwide at bookstores buying these books that claim they have specific methodology to dieting... when all the dieter really needs to do is get a handle on their calorie intake and output! I was amazed at how many books were in the diet aisle at Barnes & Noble the other day, and how many people I saw picking them up to buy!

seinfeldlove

If I followed that list I'd starve. Those are what I eat every day. Can't go without grapes, lol.

bingefreeaubree

If I followed that list I'd starve. Those are what I eat every day. Can't go without grapes, lol.

OMG yes I love grapes! Same here.

gigglesinthesun

and none of these lists seem to include fast food, sausages or bacon. It makes me laugh when I am eating at my in-laws and she says 'no I can't have eggs, they have too much cholesterol' but picks up 2 sausages instead :-)