Today I want to unveil 5 hidden diet busters that can cause fat loss to come to a screeching halt and make losing fat quickly nearly impossible.
The scary thing about this list is these 5 items are incredibly deceptive, and to the average person you may think they are rather innocent additions to your diet.
Now – this list will not contain the usual culprits like soda, ice cream, pop tarts, sugary cereal, hot fudge sundaes, extra creamy chocolate bars, gummy bears, and cheesecake. (am I making you hungry yet?!)
This is going to be a list of things that you may not think are that bad for you, but when consumed in excess amounts become diet devastation!
If you are trying to get shredded it's extremely important that you know of these 5 foods as the reason they destroy shredding progress varies, and it goes a lot deeper than just the high calorie count.
Are you ready to get into the list? Let’s dive in!
Top 5 Diet Destroyers that halt fat loss instantly
1. Sugar-Free Gum
Wait a minute, how in the world can sugar-free gum cause you to halt fat loss progress? This is one of the trickier ones for sure!
I have had several clients come to me before the 12-week shred program that were chewing on 1-2 packs of sugar-free gum per day, causing some major stomach problems.
Chewing 1-2 pieces per day certainly won’t hurt you, but when you start chewing on a pack or more per day it becomes a huge problem.
Sugar-free gums use artificial sweeteners that act like sugar when ingested in large quantity, and they also use “sugar alcohols” such as sorbitol which can cause stomach bloating, and major digestion issues when chewed in large amounts.
Hindering digestion and proper nutrient assimilation can prevent fat burning and just overall make you feel really unhealthy.
The easy solution is to look for gum that uses Stevia instead of sortibol and the other sugar alcohols. This will reduce stomach pain altogether – and prevent any digestion problems, so you can digest your nutrients, stay at peak energy levels, and be a fat burning machine!
2. Fruit with Honey
This is a really sweet treat, and in moderation, it is certainly not bad at all. I absolutely love drizzling some honey on my pineapple.
The important word is “moderation.” If you are eating 3-4 servings of a large fruit plate drizzled in honey you are likely ingesting 150-200 grams of insulin spiking sugar!
I had a client that told me they were eating “super healthy” and couldn’t lose fat. She then goes on to tell me that she was having a giant plate of grapes, watermelon, pineapple, and dates drizzled in tons of honey 2-3 times per day.
Why is this bad?
Fruit contains something called “fructose.”
Fructose cannot be used directly by the body as a fuel source – and goes to the liver where it converts it to glucose. This is actually a good thing and does not rapidly raise blood glucose and insulin levels – exactly what we want.
The problem is when you start binging on this and your liver is already full of glycogen, it does not convert fructose into glucose – it instead turns it into pure belly fat!
When you are trying to lose fat quickly you need to keep insulin levels low for an extended period each day as well, and this is done by eating lots of lean protein, healthy fats, veggies, and high fiber foods. Some fruit is “low insulin” but others like dates and grapes are high insulin which causes fat storage!
Fruit is a delicious and healthy snack in moderation – just don’t let it get carried away and binge on huge plates of it with a gallon of honey on top!
3.BBQ Sauce
This is a really common one that I get with clients that I assign to start eating “grilled chicken” and other lean protein sources.
In an attempt to start making their lean proteins taste better, they end up ruining all of the health benefits by consuming upwards of 10 tbsp. of BBQ sauce per day!
Why is this bad? BBQ sauce contains typically high fructose corn syrup, pure sugar, or molasses.
These sweeteners are at the top of the list of the glycemic index causing a MASSIVE insulin spike – very similar to the type of spike you would get from eating candy like skittles or gummy bears!
Just 2 tbsp. of most BBQ sauces contain 20 grams of sugar! By the way – 2 tbsp. is not that much sauce and its really easy to consume a lot more than that with just a single chicken breast!
The easy fix is to start using zero calorie hot sauce! Hot sauce is actually a fat burner and metabolism booster as the capsaicin compound has a thermogenic effect, perfect for a shredding diet plan.
This simple condiment hack can mean the difference between a really successful 12-week shred and 1 that is average.
Other condiments to stay clear from on a shredding diet? Soy Sauce, Mayo, and sweet and sour sauce!
4. Diet Sodas
Diet sodas are another culprit on the list and if you are trying to optimise fat loss it is best you keep these in extreme moderation.
Most diet sodas use artificial sweeteners called aspartame which has been shown to cause bone loss, excess inflammation, and symptoms similar to autoimmune disease!
They can also be really hard on your digestion and cause you not to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from your food.
Overall – nothing positive can happen from consuming an excess amount of diet soda!
Next time you are craving a diet soda try 1 of these drinks instead.
Option 1 is a carbonated water with fresh squeezed lime and a little bit of Stevia. This actually mimics the taste of 7-up or Sprite and makes you full!
Another option is to make a carbonated green tea beverage.
Brew some fresh green tea and combine with club soda and put in the fridge!
Green tea is a proven metabolism booster, and the fizz from the carbonated water will help keep you full just like when you drink a Diet Coke.
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5. Peanut Butter
I’m personally a HUGE FAN of peanut butter and even recommend it to many of my clients on the 12-week shred plan, but you have to be really careful with peanut butter and also measure it so it doesn’t get carried away!
Just 2 tbsp. of peanut butter contains 190 total calories and if you are eating it straight out of the jar it's incredibly easy to consume 500 calories in a matter of a few minutes (trust me, I’ve done this before lol)
Sure peanut butter contains protein and the “good fat” – but it's very rich and creamy meaning its high in total calories.
On any fat loss diet, you need to stay in a caloric deficit regardless of how “healthy” the food you are eating is.
Another problem with some of the cheaper peanut butter brands is they throw in a lot of vegetable oils and added sweeteners. This means less nutrition and more junk is added to the peanut butter – making it an unfriendly choice.
Look for the peanut butter brands that contain zero hydrogenated oils and ideally as little sugar as possible.
I recommend consuming no more than 2 tbsp. per meal of peanut butter so you can keep your total calories under control!