It can feel extremely frustrating when you’re doing everything you’re told to do to lose weight and not see any change. You’re going to the gym, getting your steps in and going on a calorie deficit. And then you see the numbers go up at your weekly weigh-in.
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Your scale isn’t broken. Weight loss tends to fluctuate depending on your water intake, muscle mass and even if you’re nearing your menstrual cycle. But if you’re consistently seeing your body fat increase, it might be time to take another look at your meals and where you could be packing in extra calories without realizing it.
Registered dietitians tell Parade there are a lot of subtle ways people are taking in more calories than they plan to consume. Spotting and avoiding these hidden calories can prevent you from sabotaging your weight loss journey.
Related: Habits People Who Never Gain Weight Swear By
5 Small Ways Hundreds of Calories Creep Into Your Diet
1. You’re not thinking about portion sizes
People tend to eat with their eyes, not their stomachs. That means if your plate’s huge, you risk piling on too much food.
“Many people underestimate how much they are eating,” says Ro Huntriss, RD, a registered dietitian and chief nutrition officer at Simple App. “Oversized restaurant portions and large home-served plates can lead to consuming hundreds of extra calories without noticing.”
Related: 18 Reasons Why People Overeat
2. You’re overly generous with the olive oil
Don’t get us wrong, olive oil is healthy for you. But while it’s a healthier fat than others, it’s still dense in calories.
“Consumers are getting the message that mono-unsaturated fats are more healthful than saturated fats. They are switching to olive oil, adding avocado to their salads and snacking on nuts,” explains Dr. Mindy Haar, Ph.D., RDN, a registered dietitian and assistant dean of New York Institute of Technology’s School of Health Professions. “These are all great changes, especially when the new pattern replaces less healthful choices. However, one fact that consumers often miss is that all fats, no matter the type, provide 9 calories per gram.”
A tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories. And it’s easy to go overboard when you’re freely drizzling when you’re sautéing or roasting foods.
Related: What Happens to Your Body if You Eat Olive Oil Every Day
3. You’re using a lot of condiments
Condiments are more calorie-dense than people expect, saysDr. Jonathan Poyourow, PhD, RD, a chef and professor at Johnson & Wales University. Items such as ketchup, mayonnaise and salad dressings are loaded with added sugars and fats.
“One tablespoon of mayonnaise has around 90 to 100 calories, and restaurant-style salad dressings can be over 150 calories per 2-tablespoon serving,” he explains. “These condiments are rarely measured accurately, so many people unknowingly double or triple their calorie intake.”
Huntriss adds that creamy dressings and aioli are one of the biggest culprits in ruining a calorie deficit. Even in small portions, the hidden fats are high in calories, ranging from 150 to 300, depending on the serving size.
Related: What Happens if You Eat Hot Sauce Every Day?
4. You’re relying too heavily on low-fat or organic snacks
Just because something is labeled as natural or organic doesn’t mean it is low-calorie. Dr. Poyourow says items such as “healthy” smoothies, acai bowls, granola bars, plant-based snacks, and even gluten-free baked goods can be calorie bombs with their high sugar and fat content.
Again, these are not bad for you, but keep in mind how much you’re eating. The same goes for foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free.
Registered dietitian Dr. Catherine Metzgar, Ph.D, RD, says fat-free and low-fat products can give the illusion of being ‘freebies,’ where people have a free pass to snack on as much as they want without consequence. This can lead to a slippery slope of eating larger portions or snacking more frequently than you normally would.
“They also tend to be less satisfying, which can cause people to eat more overall or seek out additional snacks soon after,” Dr. Metzgar adds. “We often fear fat, but it actually helps to keep us full and stabilize blood sugar and hunger.”
Related: 57 Best Low-Calorie Snacks for a Healthy Treat
5. Liquid calories count too
Are you tracking what you’re drinking along with your food intake? Soda and alcohol are obvious culprits, but we’re talking about healthy drinks too.
“Specialty coffee drinks, smoothies, and even wellness shots can pack 100 to 400 extra calories per serving,” says Poyourow. A lot of those calories are empty calories.
Huntriss says these drinks, along with sweetened teas and juices, are loaded with sugar and do little to curb hunger. So you end up searching for more food to feel full.
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Sources
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Ro Huntriss, RD, MSc, MRes, is a registered dietitian and chief nutrition officer at Simple App.
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Mindy Haar, Ph.D., RDN, a registered dietitian and assistant dean of New York Institute of Technology’s School of Health Professions.
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Jonathan Poyourow, PhD, RD, CSCS, CSSD, WCEC, WCCE, is a chef and professor at Johnson & Wales University.
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Catherine Metzgar, Ph.D, RD, is a registered dietitian and director of coaching operations at Virta Health.