Foods to Avoid in Order to Lose Weight

People are thrilled from many things in life, however I never in all my days met or heard about a person over the moon about being out of shape and overweight. On the other hand, I routinely come across people sick and tired of yo- yo effects from seemingly healthy diet programs and "sensible meal plans."

Many times these formerly enthused persons give up and just assume that the few, and in too many cases, several extra pounds they carry is just a fact of life they will have to endure.

This type of capitulation whereby you decide to "just get used to the weight" is not a healthy way to live. Decisions of this nature can totally destruct your self- worth not to mention lead to an early grave. It happens every day! To be brutally honest, if you're reading this, you know this already and I will not insult your intelligence with a haranguing lecture other than to say, you as the unique human being on this planet that you are, deserve a way forward that is - simple, effective, and free of hype.

There is no silver bullet to long term, permanent weight loss - if such a bullet existed everyone and their brother would be lean. The primary path for effective weight loss is simply to be aware of what food types to eliminate from your diet.

Processed Foods Are Horror-cessed Foods

These foods are simple to make/ prepare, more or less convenient and of course are usually very cheap. And in the long run they will kill you! Needless to say, the never ending TV food commercials tell a different story. And rarely will the creators of these foods give you the real story on their ingredients I will happily oblige instead!

To begin, take the ever popular trans-fat. The long and short regarding this fat is it decreases your good cholesterol and increases your bad. Generally resulting in a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease. Trust me this is one fat you can do without.

Ever wonder how that double chin seemed to come out of nowhere? An ingredient in a vast number of processed foods seems to be the culprit - at least in part. That ingredient is none other than our old friend high fructose corn syrup. It's been talked about in the mainstream media the past few years connecting it to the ever rising epidemic of obesity in North America of late.

This article is long enough so I'm reluctant to start in on the numerous out and out chemical additives put into processed foods today. Let's just say the ingredients of any insecticide at your garden store sounds interchangeable with any modern TV/ microwavable dinner.

The Sugar Must Go

On average consumers eat around 150 pounds of sugar each year. This statistic is believable given the fact that sugar is in pretty much everything we digest. And we do this without even being aware it is so common. You may ask - So what? Well, again entire books have been written warning of the dangers of sugar ingestion and there simply isn't enough space to go into the nitty gritty. But a quick review of too much sugar is in order. Sugar is made of nothing but empty calories and when ingested most of these calories will be stored as fat. Anyone whose goal is to get lean needs to get their sugar intake in check. Period.

However, this is not even the bad news. The bad news is sugar wreaks havoc on the immune system, is to cancer cells like gasoline is to fire, is a contributing factor to heart disease, can increase your risk of osteoporosis, and add to premature aging. In other words, it gives you wrinkles.

Fire Those Artificial Sweeteners

You'll find no respite in those zero calorie none sugar diet drinks either. Aspartame is the main sugar replacement. Google search "effects of aspartame" and see if you can find a positive article or opinion. That's all I have to say about that...lol

These chemical sweeteners have been linked to a myriad of disorders of the mind and chronic sicknesses such as depression, headaches including migraines, memory loss, mood changes, and the list goes on. Also, you might be tempted into thinking these chemical sweeteners will help you lose weight just because they are not the dreaded sugar. Think again.

These additives actually increase your appetite making you eat more food in the end. As I said in the first paragraph I understand the temptation just to give in and conclude that no diet delivers as advertised. Again, you owe it to you and your family to seek the healthiest path possible.

By shunning these so called food choices -processed items, sugar, and artificial chemical additives - you are well on your way down the healthy living path.