Many people strictly use calories as their guide to weight loss, however not all calories are created equal. This is especially true when it comes to carbohydrates specifically, as eating two different types can have vastly different effects on our weight.

On top of that we have to worry about carbohydrates and sugars being added to our foods in the form of sweeteners, which are major contributors to weight gain. The one of the major keys to weight loss success is choosing the right carbohydrates over the wrong ones, limiting the ones which cause us to gain weight.

Which Carbohydrates Should I Avoid?

1. Bagels

Bagels are a favorite breakfast food, as they are easy to prepare and provide us with plenty of energy. The problem with bagels is that they severely lack as far as nutritionist concern outside of their high calorie content.

This means that while bagels can be a great source of energy, these feelings come and go very quickly.  Bagels lack of significant amount of fiber, which means that although sugars which we are consuming are highly much immediately dumped into our bloodstream.

This results in a quick list of energy however one which inevitably leads with a crash.  Consider that with the fact that many bagels are at least 300 calories minimally, regularly choosing to eat this food is an easy way to gain weight.

2. Smoothies

Smoothies can be extremely healthy and relatively cheap meals if you prepare them on your own, however many of us opt to buy them at some type of restaurant.  While these drinks probably do have some type of fruit in them, almost all them have a good amount of sweetener added to them, while lacking fiber.

This combination has a similar effect on our blood sugar levels as do bagels, except this can be even worse.  Since the sugars in its movies tend to be simple sugars as opposed to the longer chain carbohydrates which are found and bagels, the bloodstream is immediately overwhelmed with excess sugar.

If you have to have a smoothie when you’re out shopping at your health food store or at a restaurant, your best bet is to choose options which are more vegetable based than fruit based.  This will help reduce your consumption of sugars, and help you better maintain your weight.

3. Any Baked Goods

It doesn’t matter if the muffin, bagel, danish or whatever bake good you’re eating is reduced fat or reduced calories.  If this is the case there adding something in place of those fats and sugars to add to the flavor, which inevitably means the addition of some type of sweetener or process fat.

These types of foods are generally ones you want to avoid because like the bagel, they are loaded with carbohydrates while severely lacking in other nutrients.  Next time someone at the office is offering a free doughnut or free muffin, try to think back to this article and make an alternative choice.

4. Yogurt with Fruit/Granola Added

Any type of yogurt that’s pre-packaged with a separate container for fruit, granola, or any other toppings is another type of food you generally want to avoid.  Companies know that yogurt can be an effective weight loss tool, and use this to their advantage.

They market products that contain some type of additive along with the yogurt to enhance the flavor, whether it be fruit with added sugar, granola with added fat, or other unhealthy topping.

Instead of buying the pre-packaged fruit and yogurt, you’re better off buying the yogurt separately.  Buying them together in one product usually ends up in the meal costing about three times as many calories as it should be, and definitely can contribute to weight gain.

5. Wraps

Pretty much everyone knows by now that white bread isn’t a healthy food, which gave rise to alternative types of products such as wraps.  Many people believe that using a wrap further sandwich as opposed to using white bread is a healthier alternative when in fact this is not necessarily the case.

The next time you’re out shopping, pick up a package of wraps and take a look at the nutrition label.  More often than not these wraps containing over 30 g of carbohydrates in just one wrap, which amounts to 120 calories by itself.  On top of that many of these wraps don’t contain a good amount of fiber either, which makes them a barely better choice than white bread if so at all.

6. White Rice

White rice is a food staple in many different cultures, however it is a food that we definitely want to avoid as far as weight loss is concerned.  While white rice isn’t too nutritionally different than brown rice, the one major difference between the two lies in their fiber content.

When we eat foods like brown rice which are both high in carbohydrates and fiber, this slows down the digestive process and more evenly provides the body with a supply of energy.  Conversely in the case of white rice, there is little to no fiber which means that all of these carbohydrates are very quickly absorbed by the body.  This leads to the body taking this access energy and storing it as fat, which of course greatly contributes to weight gain.

7. Fruit Snacks

People really seem to be won over by products which claimed to be fat free, which they tend to choose over those snacks which contain fat.  This can be extremely misleading because these products usually contain a significant amount of sugar in place of these fats, in order to preserve flavor.

These types of snacks pretty much only contain sugars with no other nutritional value, making them a food that just isn’t necessary in our diet.  Eating a piece of fruit instead can satisfy your sugar cravings while being a much healthier option.