Is Your Healthy Snack the Reason You Can’t Lose Weight?
If I asked you what had the most calories, a bowl of almonds or a Twix, I am sure most of you would opt for the Twix. However you might be surprised to learn that a bowl of almonds is 415 calories and a Twix 275!
I know, I know the almonds are far healthier for you, however, calories are calories and if you are not burning off the calories you are taking in then you are going to still put on weight no matter where those calories are coming from.
Many of us are loading up on things like almonds, nut butters and avocados as a healthy snack but just because it checks the “healthy” list we are often not taking into account that healthy foods can also be high in calories. So many people just can’t understand why they are not meeting their weight loss goals despite eating clean or healthy whole foods. In fact, just because we know it’s healthy we tend not to look at it as calories and pop handful after handful into our mouths when in fact that healthy little “snack” you are treating yourself to might be the very reason you are not losing weight.
Now of course I am not advocating that you swap your healthy almonds for a chocolate bar but it would be advisable to demonstrate portion control even on your healthier foods.
For those of you trying to lose weight, it is advisable to start weighing out your portions for a few days, so that you know exactly how much you’re eating. Understanding how many calories are in a handful of nuts or seeds or a spoonful of nut butter will help you understand how eating high quantities of healthy foods could be ruining your weight loss goals.
Don’t stop your whole food regime but just be mindful how harmful, calorie wise, some of the healthier foods can be if eaten in large quantities.