With so many people going through a lifestyle overhaul, it can be easy to go over the top and try to force yourself on a crazy crash diet. Don’t make life more complicated than it already is. The key to success is slow and steady. Making simple changes over the course of time is more likely to bring about success than immediate extreme changes. When it comes to losing weight, it’s important to remove problematic foods one at a time. Try taking out one, eventually all, of these 4 troublesome foods.

4. (Certain Types of) Yogurt

First off, not ALL yogurt is bad; however, many of the types that you’ll find at your local store are terrible for you. There are two things you need to watch out for when buying yogurt: sugar and probiotics.

Most store-bought yogurts are loaded with up to 30 grams of sugar for one small container! That’s 120 calories JUST from sugar alone! The best thing to do is buy plain unflavored Greek yogurt to get in plenty of protein while avoiding that high sugar content. Throw in some raw, natural berries instead.

Next, make sure that your yogurt has live bacteria, also called probiotics, inside. You can check that on the label. It will list the strains inside. 

3. Processed Foods

Sure, some that box claims it’s fat free or gluten free but at what cost?

When processed goods say they are fat free, they’re making up for it in other ways. More often than not, have a fat free processed food means you’re getting more sugar in return.

Steer clear of processed foods or at least try to slowly get them out of the bulk of your diet. Choose natural and raw products over processed foods. Instead of dried fruit, choose REAL fruit. Instead of vegetable juice, eat REAL vegetables.

2. Fruit Juice

This is one of the worst culprits in the health food industry. Companies bottle sugar-loaded fruits and say it’s good for you. Check the label! You won’t believe how much sugar is in your favorite fruit juice. When you eat real, natural fruit, you’re eating everything! That includes fiber which helps to regulate digestion and supports healthy blood sugar levels. Drinking fruit juice is just a straight shot of sugar into your body. If you want to “juice” at home, that’s great! Make sure you are adding a variety of fruits AND vegetables with more emphasis on the veggies.

1. Soda

Last but not least is the worst offender of diets. Soda is a beverage that contains NOTHING but empty sugar-based calories. Every soda you drink may contain over 200 calories from sugar alone. That’s 200 calories your body cannot utilize in a productive way. The result is that your body turns it all to fat! Cutting soda from your diet may be the only thing you need to cut to see huge changes. Even if you have to ween off by using diet soda, so be it. Just get it out of your life!

Tell Us What You Think!

Have you removed these foods from your diet?

What were your results?

Let us know in the comments below!