Foods to Avoid When Building Lean Muscle or Lose Weight

Having a balanced and healthy diet plays a key role in losing belly fat.

Knowing what foods to avoid when trying to lose belly fat. Knowing what foods to avoid when trying to lose belly fat is just as important as knowing what foods you should be eating. 

Knowing what foods to avoid allows you to remove them from your diet and gain optimum benefits from your diet and exercise regimens.

Top 5 Saturated Fats to Avoid

Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods. Most of which come from animal sources, including meat and dairy products.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats, so below are my top 5 saturated fats to avoid.

1. Red Meat

Lamb, beef and pork are all high in saturated fat. Even lean cuts of beef contain 4.5 grams of saturated per 100-gram serving.

2. Dairy Products

Dairy products make up about a quarter of the saturated fat we eat. Creams are the worst dairy products with 1 cup containing 28 g of saturated fat.

Whole milk also contains a lot of with one cup containing 4.5 grams of saturated fat. 1% milk contains a third of the amount as whole milk, containing only 1.5 grams.

3. Pies/Sausage Rolls (Pastries)

Pastries contain a large amount of carbohydrate and fats, which together makes them very high in calories.

A 150g meat and potato pie, contains around 500 calories on its own, so eating just 2 pies already takes you to half your daily calorie intake in a single meal.

4. Butter

Butter is very high in saturated fat and calories. The American Hearts Association recommends no more than 13 grams of saturated fats per day, and a tablespoon of butter has almost half that.

5. Baked Goods

Baked goods such as biscuits, cakes, and brownies are high in saturated fats. A large amount of baked goods contain milk, cream or butter, which all contain saturated fats.

Top 5 Sugary Foods/Drinks to Avoid

Experts believe that sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

The World Health Organisation recommends that only 5% of our daily calorie intake should consist of added sugar, which for an adult is around 30g a day.

Here are my top 5 sugary foods/ drinks to avoid.

1. Fizzy Drinks/Fruit Juices

Fizzy drinks often have high levels of unwanted sugar and calories with no vitamins or minerals. Drinking high-sugar drinks in excess can lead to weight gain.

For example, one 350ml can of Coke contains 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar, which converts into around 10 teaspoons of sugar.

2. Chocolate

Chocolate is high in sugar and saturated fat. It is a high calorie food, and too much can result in excess weight.

One chocolate bar averages 250kcal, which is equivalent to 10 per cent of a man’s and 12 per cent of a woman’s recommended daily intake.

3. Cereals

Almost all breakfast cereals are marketed as healthy, but a good deal of may not actually be ideal for optimal health and most cereals are loaded with sugar and refined grains.

However, not all cereals are bad. If you are going to eat them, pick cereals that have at least 3 grams of fibre per serving, as eating fibre can have numerous health benefits.

4. Sauces

Most bottled sauces are very high in sugar and salts. For example, one tablespoon of BBQ sauce contains 8g of sugar and one tablespoon of tomato ketchup contains 3g of sugar.

Some sauces have fewer sugars than others so it is important to read the labels before buying them and check how much sugar they contribute per serving.

If you are a person that loves sauces and doesn’t want to cut them from your diet, home made sauces are a much healthier option and contain less sugar.

5. Bagels

An average-size bagel contains approximately 7g of sugar, which is the equivalent in calories and sugar of five slices of white bread.

Personally I don’t include bread in my diet either but if you don’t want to cut it fully out of your diet, then whole meal bread is a good replacement.

5 Other Foods/Drinks to Avoid!

1. Alcohol

Alcohol is high in calories, and so are the mixers that are used in many drinks. Calories from alcohol are empty calories as they do not provide any nutritional benefit to the body.

Drinking alcohol puts stress on your body, increasing antioxidant demands. This means that the antioxidants that are normally used to help muscle recovery are instead used to help metabolize the alcohol.

2. Refined Carbs

White bread, pasta, cakes and sweets are examples of refined carbs. They are easily absorbed into the bloodstream and cause increases in insulin and blood sugar levels, which could result in slower muscle growth.

Eating too many refined carbs can also contribute to a reduction in energy levels, which can result in tiredness, causing a poor workout performance.

3. Pizza

One slice of plain pizza on average contains around 400 calories. Including toppings, it can go up a few hundred more calories on top of this.

Some pizzas also include added sugar in the dough and sauces. They are heavily processed and contain unnecessary amounts of fat.

4. Ice Cream

One serving of ice cream contains around 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 2 grams of protein. Most people eat 2 to 3 servings in one sitting.

The fat content in one serving is 22-percent of the daily recommendation, which means in one sitting you could be having 66% of your daily recommendation.

5. Pre-made Smoothies

Many pre-made smoothies contain a large amount of calories, with one smoothie averaging between 500 to 1000 calories and are overloaded with sugar.

If you are a smoothie lover, like myself, getting your own ingredients and making your own smoothies is a much healthier option. This way you can choose your ingredients wisely and you might also find that you enjoy them more than pre-made smoothies.

Conclusion: A Well Balanced Diet

All the foods listed in this article are in some way, bad when trying to put on lean muscle or lose weight. These foods can sabotage your hard work and prevent you from reaching your goals.

It is important to fuel your body with healthy foods. Eat foods with lean protein sources, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. These nutrients will help you build muscle and stay lean. Avoiding processed foods, sugary drinks, and alcohol will help you reach your goals faster.

Despite these foods being bad for your diet, do not kick yourself if you have a bad day on your diet and eat/drink one of the things in this article, as having a one of cheat meal will not do your body any harm.

I hope this article helps you in your way reaching your goals. If you have any questions or comments about the article, leave a comment below and I will be happy to answer them as soon as possible.