Foods To Eliminate To Lose Weight

Weight loss --- or fat loss, specifically --- occurs only when you expend more calories than you burn, notes sports dietitian Ellen Coleman, author of "Ultimate Sports Nutrition." By eliminating or reducing foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients, you can reduce your calories intake by 250 to 400 calories per a day. Don't sacrifice your favorite foods --- merely adjust the portion size and how those foods are prepared. Consult your doctor before beginning any new diet.

Fatty Meats

Most meats, such as beef, lamb and pork are high in saturated fats, which contribute to cardiovascular disease if eaten in excess. Since fat contains the most energy --- nine calories per gram --- among the macronutrients (carbohdyrates and protein has four calories per gram), reducing or eliminating fatty meats from your diet can trim a lot of calories. Substitute lean cuts of meat, fish, shrimp, non-fat dairy and legumes, San Diego kinesiologist Paul Chek urges --- preferably from organic sources, so no hormones or toxins are added to the foods.

Hydrogenated Foods

Fried food not only loses its nutrients, but also contain a high amount of fat, particularly trans fats, Gordon Wardlaw writes in his book "Perspectives in Nutrition." When healthy unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils, are hydrogenated, they behave more like saturated fats. Hydrogenation is a process where hydrogen atoms are added to the unsaturated fats to make them more stable and to preserve food quality. Hydrogenated fats cause an increase in low-density lipoproteins ("bad" cholesterol) that cause cardiovascular disease. Such foods include French fries, processed meats, most packaged foods, fried vegetables and shortening.

Cookies, Crackers, Candy

Candy, cookies and similar products contain mostly sugar and trans fats, which, Chek explains, provide very little or no nutritional value. Your body digests and absorbs these foods easily. If you do not use the calories for work and energy, they are stored either as glycogen in your liver and skeletal muscles or as fat in your adipose tissues. Instead of eating these empty-calorie foods as desserts or snacks, choose fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and low- or non-fat dairy products that contain protein, vitamins and minerals your body can use to heal and produce energy.