Are There Certain Foods I Should Avoid To Ensure I Don't Gain Back Weight?

February 1, 2009 -- b>Question: Are there certain foods I should avoid to ensure I don't gain back weight?

Answer: The key issue when choosing foods to avoid weight gain is how much you have to eat before you feel full and satisfied, before you achieve what we term satiety. And there are a number of factors that influence the number of calories it takes to feel full. Generally, foods closer to nature fill us up on fewer calories; they're higher in volume, higher in water content, higher in fiber. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains.

There's also an advantage of soups and stews, because they fill us up with a large volume of fluid.

Foods with opposite properties -- highly processed foods, refined foods -- that take away volume, take away fiber, increase the glycemic load by refining grains, those are all properties that increase the number of calories it takes to feel full.

Therefore, those are the foods that you want to avoid if you're trying to lose weight or you're trying to maintain weight after losing it.

So generally, highly processed foods pack more calories into smaller spaces, increase the number of calories you have to eat to feel satisfied. If you eat close to nature, you'll get a lot of help in maintaining your weight.