Lose Weight Without Cutting Back On Food

Posted on April 30, 2008 by admin

Australian scientists may have discovered how to help people lose weight without cutting back on food, a breakthrough that could pave the way for fat-burning drugs.

Researchers in Melbourne found that by manipulating fat cells in mice they were able to speed up the animals’ metabolisms.

They found that when a particular enzyme, known as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), was removed, mice were able to eat the same amount as other mice but burn more calories and therefore gain less weight.

Animals without the enzyme were on average 20 percent lighter than normal mice and had 50 to 60 percent less body fat, senior researcher at the Howard Florey Institute Michael Mathai said.

“It is very clear that they do have less body fat,” he told AFP.

Mathai, who is also a lecturer in nutrition at Victoria University, said the slimmer mice also appeared to have less chance of developing diabetes because they processed sugar faster than normal mice.

He said the research, to be published Tuesday in the US-based Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be used to develop drugs to assist weight loss.

Drugs which impair the action of ACE already exist and are mostly used to combat high blood pressure.

“The drugs are out there because they are used for hypertension,” he said.

“So we know their safety and their tolerability. What we don’t know is whether or not they will work in humans. And we don’t know whether it will work in all obese humans.”

Mathai said it could be a question of finding the right dosage of hypertension medication, or developing a new type of drug of the same class, to be used as weight-loss pills.

“This might be one way in which you can increase metabolic rate in combination with managing nutrition to limit the intake of calories,” he said.

Mathai said the research, conducted at the Howard Florey Institute, Victoria University, La Trobe University, Deakin University, the Baker Institute and the University of Melbourne, was yet to pinpoint why the genetic manipulation led to weight loss.

“Because we deleted the gene, the gene is gone from the whole body, that means that it is gone from all tissues including the brain,” he said.

“And so we don’t know whether it’s a direct effect of the deficiency in the tissue or whether it’s something coming from the brain.”

Weight Loss Toronto

The Bypass Effect: Curing Diabetes

Posted on April 27, 2008 by admin

This past Sunday Lesley Stahl, CBS news correspondent for 60 Minutes completed a special report on what many are now referring to as The Bypass Effect. As doctors know gastric bypass or bariatric surgery has been performed since the 1950’s. The safety of patients undergoing the procedure was a serious concern for physicians until the development of similar but less invasive procedures such as the laparoscopic band.

As the surgical option for weight loss has become more main-stream, the number of surgeries performed each year has increased along with the safety of the procedure. According to Dr. Neil Hutcher a bypass surgeon from Richmond, Va. bypass surgery is the most effective means of curing obesity with a success rate of 85-90%. Patients on average lose one third of their total body weight after the surgery.

What Stahl notes is that not only do bariatric patients experience weight loss, many have experienced other pleasant but previously unknown side effects in addition to their weight loss. For many who have opted to undergo bypass surgery, their type II diabetes has vanished and the surgery has also been reported to suppress appetite and curb food cravings.

Of the 10 patients Stahl interviews the entire panel had typeII diabetes before the surgery but all of them are now free of diabetes and sugar controlling medications. According to Dr. Hutcher approximately 80% of patients who undergo bypass surgery are cured of diabetes. Although it is true that obesity is one of the largest contributing factors to type II diabetes these patients experience the remission of diabetes before they recorded weight loss. For most patients their diabetes had disappeared before they returned home after having the surgery.

All of which is great news for anyone considering bypass or lap-band surgery! To watch the 60 Minutes news cast click the player below.

Top 6 Diet Secrets at Your Supermarket

Posted on April 27, 2008 by admin

Few foods are as delicious as they are guilt-free. Given the pressures on our time and the scores of options on our supermarket shelves, you may not have paused long enough to be aware of some fantastic food options at your supermarkert that can help with weight loss.

Below are six hidden treasures on the shelves of our GTA – Greater Toronto Area – supermarkets. These low-cal treats have become grocery-list must-haves, whether we’re dieting or not.

1. The Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges

If you haven’t yet discovered the wonders of these 35-calorie, 2g-of-fat soft cheese wedges, you need to wheel your cart into the dairy section immediately. In Original Swiss, Garlic & Herb, and French Onion, this cheese is perfect in recipes, as a flavored cream cheese swap or sandwich spread, for making sauces, and more. It’s the only decadent soft cheese out there that’s portion-controlled, not loaded with fat and calories, and DELICIOUS. Plus, a giddy cow is involved, and who doesn’t love that?!

2. Salad Dressing Sprays

Thick, gloppy dressing gushing from a container is so 2005! Even so-called light dressings can add too many extra calories and fat grams to a perfectly guilt-free salad. But with THREE lines of spritzable low-calorie dressings around, there really is a salad spray for everyone. Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers and Ken’s Lite Accents both offer huge flavor selections, from their ginger-y Asian ones to Ken’s Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. And Newman’s Own All Natural Salad Mist is perfect for those opposed to artificial ingredients. A 10-serving spray of any of these has just 10 – 15 calories, and they all taste fantastic (really!).

3. Fiber One Bran Cereal (Original)

Wake up, people. This is so not your grandma’s bran cereal. It’s crunchy with a perfect texture, slightly sweet, and totally delicious. It has just 60 calories and 1g of fat per fiber-packed half-cup serving. But best of all, this cereal is a serious multitasker. Not only is it great in your breakfast bowl, but it’s also an AWESOME ingredient for pie crusts, dessert toppings, parfaits, snack mixes, and more. And it’s the KEY ingredient in all of HG’s “faux fry” recipes. If it were legal (and not weird) to marry a cereal, we’d be ring shopping.

4. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

Speaking of cereal, you’ll need the perfect no-guilt milk product to pour over it. Skim milk is boring, and not everyone enjoys soymilk. But Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze is rich, creamy, vanilla-licious, and insanely low in calories — an entire cup has just 40 of ‘em! BTW, it’s also all-natural and dairy-free. One sip and you may just swear off regular old milk for good. Look for UVAB on supermarket shelves with the other non-refrigerated boxed milks.

5. Canned Pure Pumpkin

Canned pumpkin may not seem all that thrilling, but it happens to be one of the most exciting foods ever to be confined to a can. Use it to make HG’s 133-calories-per-slice pumpkin pie, mix a serving of it with a sugar-free vanilla pudding snack for a TOO-EASY tasty 100-calorie dessert, and make freakishly good, guilt-free brownie muffins with it! It’s also AMAZING stirred into your morning oatmeal. We love pumpkin so much it hurts!

6. Freeze-Dried Fruit

Okay, regular dried fruit is pretty lame when you think about it. It’s basically shriveled, sugary stuff that has way more calories (ounce for ounce) than regular fruit. And while freeze-dried fruit was once only for babies and astronauts, it’s hittin’ the mainstream. We couldn’t be happier! Freeze-dried fruit is light, sweet, and airy, and you can eat a huge serving of it without wasting a whole lotta calories. It’s good as a straight-up snack, on top of cereal, mixed into yogurt, for making low-cal trail mixes, and more.

Look for lines like Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks, Cereal Toppers, Gerber Mini Fruits (so what if it’s meant for toddlers, it tastes awesome and is easy to find!), Just Tomatoes, and Crispy Green Crispy Fruit. A half-cup of the stuff typically has only 60 – 70 calories and less than a gram of fat.

For more guilt-free food finds, plus recipes, tips, tricks and more, check out hungry-girl.com

Tips To Control Cravings

Posted on April 25, 2008 by admin

You can lose weight by overcoming your cravings now. Here are the latest tricks of the trade from researchers and experts:

Avoid your triggers. “You crave what you eat, so if you switch what you’re eating, you can weaken your old cravings and strengthen new ones,” says Marcia Pelchat, PhD, of the Monell Center. This can happen pretty fast. For five days, her study volunteers drank bland dietary-supplement beverages. During that time, they craved fewer of their trigger foods. By the end of the study, the volunteers actually wanted the supplements instead.

The first few days are always the hardest, and you probably can’t completely eliminate your old cravings. But the longer you avoid your trigger foods, the less likely you may be to want them. In fact, you’ll probably begin to crave the foods you eat, a real bonus if you’ve switched to fresh fruit.

Destroy temptation. If you’ve succumbed to a craving and bought a box of cookies or some other trigger food and start to feel bad while eating it, destroy it. “Don’t just throw it away; run water over it, ruin it. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that you’ve licked your binge,” says Caroline Apovian, MD, director, Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center. Don’t think about the money you’re wasting. If the cookies don’t go into the garbage, they’re going straight to your hips.

Go nuts. Drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts (6 walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts). Within 20 minutes, this can extinguish your craving and dampen your appetite by changing your body chemistry, says RD’s “Health IQ” columnist Michael F. Roizen, MD.

Jolt yourself with java. Try sipping a skim latte instead of reaching for a candy bar. The caffeine it contains won’t necessarily satisfy your cravings, but it can save you the calories by quenching your appetite, says Dr. Roizen. And the warm richness and ritual can distract you.

Let it go. Since stress is a huge trigger for cravings, learning to deal with it could potentially save you hundreds of calories a day. This will take some practice. You can try deep breathing or visualizing a serene scene on your own, or you can speed things up by buying one of the many CDs that teach progressive muscle relaxation. A good one is Relaxation/Affirmation Techniques, by Nancy Hopps.

Take a power nap. Cravings sneak up when we’re tired. Focus on the fatigue: Shut the door, close your eyes, re-energize.

Get minty fresh. Brush your teeth; gargle with mouthwash. “When you have a fresh, clean mouth, you don’t want to mess it up,” says Molly Gee, RD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Distract yourself. If only ice cream will do, it’s a craving, not hunger. “Cravings typically last ten minutes,” says John Foreyt, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine. Recognize that and divert your mind: Call someone, listen to music, run an errand, meditate or exercise.

Indulge yourself — within limits. Once in a while, it’s OK to go ahead and have that ice cream. But buy a small cone, not a pint. Try 100-calorie CocoaVia chocolate bars and 100-calorie snack packs of cookies, peanuts or pretzel sticks. The trick is to buy only one pack at a time so you won’t be tempted to reach for more. And since even 100 extra calories can sabotage weight loss if you indulge daily, strike a bargain with yourself to work off the excess calories. A brisk 15-minute walk will burn 100 calories or so.

Plan or avoid. Vary your usual routine to avoid passing the bakery or pizzeria. If you know you’ll be face-to-face with irresistible birthday cake, allocate enough calories to fit it into your diet.

How To Lose 10 Pounds in Six Weeks

Posted on April 16, 2008 by admin

Here are five simple food substitutions that can help you lose more than 10 pounds in the next six weeks.

1. Stick to one serving of cereal.

For most people, a typical pour of breakfast cereal is equal to two servings. If you’re trying to lose weight, trim calories by accurately measuring one serving into your bowl (usually that means ¾ – 1 cup, however, cereal serving sizes vary so you must regularly check the package labeling on your favorite brands and varieties).

For those who eat a daily bowl of breakfast cereal, follow my lead, and you’ll save about 150 calories by cutting back on cereal and at least 50 calories in extra milk every morning. That’s 8,400 calories saved and 2.5 pounds lost at the end of six weeks!

2. Skip your late night snack.

We all feel the need to munch in the evening, and although a p.m. snack can be perfectly appropriate (diet-friendly p.m. snacks should not exceed 150 calories), for many people, the evening tends to be the time of day we blow it on calorie overload – comfort food central; ice cream, cookies, potato chips, popcorn and more!

On average, people gobble down way more than 250 calories after 8 p.m. Exercise some willpower and skip your nighttime snack altogether. Sip an herbal tea, floss/brush your teeth and close down the kitchen for the evening. You’ll save at least 250 calories each day and after six weeks, you’ll have cut 10,500 calories and dropped three whole pounds!

3. Scratch the butter/margarine.

Cut out a total of one tablespoon of regular butter or margarine from your toast, veggies, potatoes, dinner rolls, etc. each day. At 100 calories per tablespoon, you’ll save 4,200 calories and drop over one pound in six weeks. What if you can’t give up the butter or margarine? At least switch to a soft tub spread that says “reduced fat” and “trans-fat free” on the label – it’s half the calories of the full fat versions, so you’ll still drop over ½ pound.

4. Lose the mayo and cheese on your sandwich.

Omit the slice of cheese and mayonnaise on your sandwich (use mustard instead – only five calories per teaspoon) and you’ll save about 200 calories per sandwich. If you eat a sandwich a day, you’ll end up saving 8,400 calories and find yourself 2.5 pounds lighter after just six weeks.

5. Delete the extras:

It’s amazing how much extra food we can munch on without realizing it – a grab of this/that off our kid’s plate, an extra packet of ketchup or salad dressing, a bite of your co-worker’s dessert… before you know it, you’ve consumed an extra 800 calories!

Be super mindful and delete the “extras” and you’ll be able to trim a significant amount of calories off your weekly total. Also, pay attention to your beverages (alcohol included) – as well as what’s going into your coffee and tea. By trimming 1000 extra calories off each week (about 150 per day), you’ll save a total of 6000 calories and drop 1.75 pounds at the end of six weeks!

Follow all five tips and you’ll potentially lose more than 10 pounds at the end of six short weeks. Here’s the math: 2.5 pounds + 3 pounds + 1 pound + 2.5 pounds + 1.75 pound = 10+ pounds lost!

Toronto Weight Loss

“Weightism” More Widespread Than Racism

Posted on April 12, 2008 by admin

We all know it is illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of age, race, gender or sexual preference, but researchers from Yale have found that widespread discrimination exists against the overweight and obese. I am quite certain that this information is nothing new to anyone who has ever struggled with their weight.

The dirty looks you get when you buy fast food, the snickering as you try to squeeze your way into a packed elevator, people staring at you before you enter an airplane hoping their seat is not next to you. This type of stigmatism and stereotyping is terrible to experience, but demonstrates that weight discrimination does exist even in a society that believes in freedom form racial or gender discrimination. Talk about double standards…

Statistics show that more than half of the population of North America are either overweight or obese so what explains this phenomenon? According to Rebecca Puhl lead author of the Yale study bias against the overweight and obese “remains very socially acceptable in our culture.” According to Puhl even though we live in a society where obesity has reached epidemic proportions our culture still places a premium on fitness. Fitness within our culture symbolizes values such as hard work, ambition and discipline if you are thin you are thought to possess these characteristics.

Conversely, if you are overweight or obese then you must be weak and lack self discipline.

What is even more interesting about this study is that researchers found that women were more at risk for experiencing weight discrimination with their chances increasing once their BMI hit 27 putting them in the overweight category. Men on the other hand were not at any increased risk for discrimination until their BMI reached 35 which would place them in the obese category.

It is important to note that overweight and obese people are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and others on an extensive list of serious health related issues. Weight, is not as cut and dry as eating less and exercising more, for many people genetic factors play a role in their struggle with weight. For those people there are a growing number of surgical options both non-invasive (Lap Band surgery) and invasive (Gastric Bypass Surgery). Expert panels from places such as the National Institute of Health have concluded that it is very difficult for certain people to sustain weight loss long-term without surgical intervention.

Studies have indicated that obese people with this predisposition are likely only to sustain a 10% loss of body weight. For a person who weighs 400 pounds that is a weight loss of only 40 pounds which would still leave them at risk for poor health later in life.

Sources:
ABC News:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4568813&page=1
Yale University:
http://www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/08-03-27-03.all.html

Top 10 Celebrity Weight Losses

Posted on April 12, 2008 by admin

Living in a culture seemingly obsessed with pencil thin, smaller-than-a-minute celebrities the difficulties many face with regards to excess weight can often be overlooked. Everyone understands the health risks associated with being obese, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, heart failure and osteoarthritis the list can go on and on…

Here is a list of formerly obese/overweight celebrities that have shed those unwanted pounds through a variety of methods, some more safe than others.

Making the decision to live a healthier more fulfilled lifestyle easier so as avoid all of those nasty side effects listed above!

Star Jones

Former co-host of ABC’s “The View” shed a reported 160 pounds in three years placing her highest weight at 307 pounds. There was much controversy surrounding Jones as she literally shrunk before our eyes on television. She was unwilling at first to admit her method of weight loss but later admitted to having gastric bypass in an effort to reach her ideal weight.

Khaliah Ali

Daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Khaliah Ali who is 5 foot 8 was 325 pounds at her heaviest point. Having had a weight problem for her entire life Ali looked for a way to end years of yo-yo dieting. Opting for Lap-band surgery over Gastric bypass Ali remarked in an ABC news interview that “I wanted a tool…it’s adjustable, it’s reversible, I needed those options. The bypass wasn’t for me.” She made the right choice for herself and is now at a more healthy weight of 158 pounds.

Al Roker

Known for his audience interviews and daily weather reports on the “Today Show”, Roker reportedly weighed in at 320 pounds at his heaviest. In 2002 after the loss of his father, Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost 100 pounds.

Wynonna Judd

Country vocal star Wynonna Judd achieved success in the 1980’s with the country music duo The Judds and comes from a long line of talented stars. Judd suffers from an eating addiction, for which she sought treatment at the Shades of Hope treatment centre in Texas. She has since undergone a lifestyle makeover and lost quite a bit of weight, although she is remaining quite close lipped about any actual numbers, citing that she is more concerned with health then “social beauty”.

Oprah Winfrey

After years of yo-yo dieting (which we all know ages our insides) Oprah has seemingly conquered her weight issues. A self confessed “Carb Junkie” Oprah has managed to curb her compulsive eating and maintain a healthy weight through the help of personal trainer Bob Greene’s diet and exercise regime.

Randy Jackson

Easily recognizable as one of the more likeable judges on American Idol, Randy has struggled with his weight for his whole life. Speaking with Oprah, Jackson admits that after being diagnosed with diabetes he was forced to take the extreme measure of undergoing gastric bypass surgery to preserve and improve his health. Weighing in at 329 pounds prior to the procedure Jackson has since lost 100 pounds and is on the road to a healthier lifestyle.

Carnie Wilson

Best known for her membership in early 90’s singing group Wilson Phillips, Carnie is rumoured to have weighed as much as 300 pounds during the heart of her stardom. Since then Wilson is reported to have shed 150 pounds from her 5’3 frame through gastric bypass surgery.

Roseanne Barr

First becoming a household name on long running TV Series Roseanne, with then husband Tom Arnold, it was easy to see Roseanne was struggling with her weight in front of the world. Reaching the age of 45 and an all time high of 230 pounds, Roseanne was frightened by the health consequences she faced if she didn’t correct her obesity. Roseanne underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost approximately 100 pounds.

John Popper

An American musician and front man to rock band Blues Traveler John popper has struggled with his weight for years weighing as much as 400 pounds at times. As a result of years of compulsive eating Popper developed diabetes and suffered a near heart attack in 1999 with a 95% arterial blockage. To try to improve his overall health John underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost approximately 200 pounds.

Joseph R. Gannascoli

Gannascoli who played lovable mobster Vito Spatafore in HBO’s famed television series “The Sopranos” has been said to regularly jokes about his weight. Obesity is a serious problem though and not only did Gannascoli attempt to gain control of his weight by participating in weight loss reality show “Celebrity Fit Club” he is rumoured to have gone through with the less invasive gastric banding procedure to help him control his weight for life.

Top 5 Ways to Suppress Your Appetite

Posted on April 6, 2008 by admin

Here are some practical, easy, everyday ways to keep your appetite under control:

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation causes an imbalance in certain hormones, including ghrelin (which increases appetite) and leptin (which decreases appetite). When we don’t get enough sleep, our levels of ghrelin go up (weight gain) and levels of leptin go down (so we are hungrier). That said, adults should aim for at least seven hours of shuteye each night.

Eat Protein and Fiber at Meals

Compared to carbohydrate and fat, protein takes more time to digest and therefore keeps you full longer. Fiber helps by absorbing water, and then expanding in your stomach – literally creating bulk to make you feel fuller and have less room for more.

Less Variety, More Satisfaction

Keep less variety of snacks foods in the house and you’ll be much better off. Research has shown the greater your options, the greater your appetite.

Don’t Be Left in the Dark

When you go out to dinner, sit in a well-lit part of the restaurant. That’s because when you’re eating in a well-lit area, you’re more likely to consume fewer calories. You are more self conscious and feel others can see what you’re eating, so you’re likely to curb your appetite accordingly. In a dim corner of the room… well, anything goes.

Play Mind Games

Serve up your food on small plates and smaller food portions will look more volumous. Be sure to keep your snacks out of sight at home and at work (out of sight, out of mind). Also, wear great smelling perfume or cologne and light scented candles when you have the opportunity. Interesting smells can often take your mind off of food.

Top 10 Health Foods That Aren’t

Posted on April 5, 2008 by admin

Healthy food may be making you fat.

Hold on: I’m not talking about broccoli and bell peppers here. I’m talking about a lot of the foods that are sold to us as “low-fat,” “low-carb,” or otherwise “healthy” fare. The food industry invests $30 billion a year in advertising, and much of that is used to dupe consumers into believing bogus bites are somehow good for us.

The truth is, behind every low-fat label and celebrated salad is a list of ingredients that would give even the most relentless glutton reason to reconsider.

In researching the best-selling book “Eat This, Not That!,” the title for this new blog with my co-author Matt Goulding, we were shocked to find that the foods so many health-conscious eaters in this country consider to be smart choices are actually the most responsible for our ever-expanding waistlines.

Many of the “low-fat” or otherwise “healthy” options we examined packed several hundred extra calories in them! Translation: Get duped into eating one pseudo-healthy food a day, and you’ll have an extra 30 pounds (or more) to work off by the end of the year.

We’ve identified six of the most misunderstood foods in America, so that next time you think you’re doing your body a favor, you actually will be – by looking for something else that actually is healthy.

1. Bran Muffin
440 calories
23 grams of fat
35 g sugars

Made primarily with sugar, refined flour and hydrogenated oil, it’s like starting your day with a candy bar. Actually, it’s like starting your day with two candy bars, since this misunderstood muffin has more fat and calories than two Kit Kat bars.

2. Chicken Caesar Salad
900 calories
60 grams of fat

Caesar salads suffer the consequences of two natural disasters: a flood of fatty dressing and a blizzard of Parmesan cheese and croûtons. All told, it’s a caloric catastrophe – equal to scarfing down 20 Chicken McNuggets!

3. Tuna Melt
950 calories
55 grams of fat

Plain tuna out of the can is healthy; tuna drenched in mayo, shrouded in melted cheese, and slicked with another layer of dressing is not. You’d be better off eating three six-inch roast beef sandwiches from Subway!

4. Chicken Wrap
700 calories
35 grams of fat

How wraps got such a good rap is beyond us, since they’re really just over sized tortillas, packing up to 400 calories on their own – that is, before the onslaught of cheese, meat, and dressing it houses! You’d get the same number of calories from 20 strips of bacon.

5. Turkey Burger
850 calories
50 grams of fat

At home a turkey burger might be a decent choice, but in the restaurant world it means high-fat ground turkey, heavy mayo, melted cheese, and a big, pillowy bun. It’s the equivalent of three 8-oz sirloin steaks.

6. Fruit Smoothies
600 calories
120 grams of sugar

Unless it says 100 percent fruit, your “fruit” smoothie is likely made with ice cream, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and a few token chunks of banana. All told, this popular afternoon snack has as much sugar as six Haagen Dazs Vanilla and Almond ice cream bars. Ouch.

7. Granola Bars
200 calories
15 grams of sugar

Ever wonder what keeps a granola bar together? The makers of one of America?s favorite (and most misunderstood) snacks use mostly high-fructose corn syrup as their glue, which in turns quickly raises blood sugar and cancels out any of the potential benefits you might otherwise get from the oats.

8. Pasta Salad
300 calories
14 grams of fat

When the main ingredient for a snack or a side is pasta, you’re asking for trouble. That’s because pasta is made from highly-refined flour, which means quick-burning carbs and a huge spike in blood sugar. Not only does it save you a hundred calories, but the egg salad replaces those troublesome carbs with healthy protein, which helps fill your belly faster and keeps your metabolic fires effectively stoked.

9. Yogurt with Fruit on The Bottom
190 calories
30 grams of sugar

You wouldn’t start your morning with a can of Coke, would you? Then you should pass on these troublesome yogurt cups since they contain as much sugar as a soft drink. Almost all of that comes directly from the “fruit” is mostly high-fructose corn syrup. Yogurt and fruit can be a great way to start your day, but do it yourself by mixing a cup of nonfat plain yogurt with a half cup of mixed berries.

10. Bagels with Cream Cheese
700 calories
40 grams of fat

Bagels are bogus. The bread is bad enough, containing 300 calories and 60 grams of carbohydrates, but tack on the liberal cream cheese smear ( popular breakfast chains, up to 4 ounces for a single bagel!) and you’re “harmless” breakfast snack just got worse than a Whopper.

For even more ‘healthy’ foods that actually expand your waistline, check out these other surprising foods.