By Bari Auerbach….
If you’ve been having a hard time reaching your weight loss goals, there could be some insidious culprits like these that are impeding your progress:
Salads tossed with saturated with fat:
It’s a salad – so how bad for my diet could it be?? People are often misled into thinking that eating a salad is a healthy choice – but not if there are so many high-caloric ingredients mixed in you can’t even see the lettuce! So toss the croutons, cheese and creamy dressings – and opt for veggies, lean proteins and balsamic vinegar to create a diet-friendly meal that truly lives up to the name “health salad.”
Think before you drink:
Just eight ounces of Gatorade has 14 grams of sugar – and as for alcoholic drinks, DUI could stand for “dieting undone by insulin.” Water is still your best bet – but now you also have to beware of the sugar in trendy vitamin enriched and flavored waters. Let’s just all be happy they finally decided to take the vending machines with soda out of schools so kids have a better shot of not growing up to be contestants on “The Biggest Loser.”
Anyway but fried:
Another misconception is, “If it’s a chicken sandwich – it’s good for me because it’s high in protein!” But if that chicken is fried, here’s the artery clogging news: A Tendercrisp chicken sandwich at Burger King packs a whopping 43 grams of fat and 6 grams of saturated fat. To avoid frying your diet completely, avoid ordering anything battered, crispy or tempura- style and request baked, broiled, grilled or blackened to get all the benefits of the protein uncorrupted by Crisco.
Sickeningly sweet:
Thousands of calories later – after you’ve finished a specialty coffee drink with the whipped cream on top – whatever you do, don’t be sabotaged by one of the most common diet derailers – otherwise known as the “smoothie.” Even though a strawberry-banana smoothie sounds healthy enough, many have as many as 70 grams of sugar. It’s also imperative to beware of energy and protein bars – always check the nutrition labels to make sure they don’t have as many sugar grams as candy bars.
Organic myths:
If you like to shop at the take-out section of organic food markets, remember – no one ever said “organic” meant low fat. In fact, between all the cheeses, oils and various sauces mixed in with fish, chicken and vegetable dishes in the display cases, the number you see when you get on the scale could wind up rising even higher than the exorbitant price you paid.
Golden rules: To break through diet plateaus, the next time you start cooking or ordering out, remember these key phrases: “Hold the butter sauce; grilled not fried; steamed not sautéed; unsweetened, no whip; no cheese please…It will also be helpful to become accustomed to reading nutrition labels because ultimately, the most educated dieters are the least likely to hit plateaus!
