{"id":113346,"date":"2025-05-19T03:35:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T03:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/113346\/"},"modified":"2025-05-19T03:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T03:35:20","slug":"the-9-fat-traps-lurking-in-your-kitchen-and-the-healthy-swaps-to-help-you-hit-your-weight-loss-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/113346\/","title":{"rendered":"The 9 fat TRAPS lurking in your kitchen – and the healthy swaps to help you hit your weight loss goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

YOU\u2019VE overhauled your diet and started exercising, yet you are still not losing weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a familiar predicament, and one many of us face as we approach shorts season.<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/a><\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

We reveal nine ways you could be destroying your chances of being slim ahead of the summerCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

While eating well<\/a> and being active<\/a> are important when trying to lose weight<\/a>, they are not the only things to consider.<\/p>\n

Experts say there are several sneaky saboteurs that can destroy your chances of being slim for summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These are nine of the worst\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009<\/p>\n

1. COOKING SNACKS<\/p>\n

NEXT time you are making dinner<\/a>, be mindful of how much you eat as you go.<\/p>\n

A spoonful of sauce here, a handful of cheese there, you might not realise how many calories you are consuming, and that is before you have even had your meal.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

Cooking snacks before a meal such as a spoonful of sauce can quickly add upCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

Dr Aileen Alexander, an NHS<\/a> GP<\/a> and founder of Nourish weight-loss coaching, tells Sun on Sunday Health: \u201cWe often don\u2019t start cooking until we\u2019re hungry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s a slice of cheese (100 calories) or a piece of buttered toast (200 calories), the calories can quickly mount.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try to have a dedicated dinner time and set an alarm to begin cooking before then.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can also plan a high-protein afternoon snack, such as Greek yoghurt, to stop you becoming over-hungry,\u201d Dr Alexander says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you must snack when you cook, grab peppers or carrot sticks.\u201d<\/p>\n

40 Day Health Challenge pro reveals top tips to avoid snacking2. MORNING COFFEE<\/p>\n

A COFFEE can\u2019t pack in that many calories, can it? <\/p>\n

Well, it depends what you go for. While a cup of black coffee contains only two to five, your go-to high street order will be considerably more.<\/p>\n

\"Starbucks<\/a><\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

Be mindful of your morning coffee, a Starbucks Grande Caramel Frappuccino contains 362 caloriesCredit: Starbucks<\/p>\n

A Starbucks grande caramel frappuccino, for example, contains 380 calories (as well as 54g of sugar), and a large Costa latte with caramel contains 348 calories (and 32g of sugar).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the same as a filling, high-protein meal,\u201d Dr Alexander says.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, a small cappuccino with skimmed milk carries less than 100 calories.<\/p>\n

It can be hard to quit your favourite drink altogether, but is there a sugar-free option? Can you size down? Can you limit yourself to just twice a week?<\/p>\n

3. KIDS\u2019 LEFTOVERS<\/p>\n

MINIMISING food waste is great, but if you are not accounting for the leftover chicken nuggets you eat from the kids\u2019 plates, then your calories will soon creep up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMindless snacking doesn\u2019t happen when you\u2019re hungry, it happens because you\u2019re not fully paying attention to what you\u2019re doing,\u201d says Dr Alexander.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

Calories can creep up if you’re eating your kids’ leftovers<\/p>\n

Pack your kids\u2019 leftovers in a lunchbox<\/a> to give to them when they are next peckish.<\/p>\n

Or add the leftovers to your own plate and serve yourself a smaller portion of whatever you are having.<\/p>\n

4. \u2018HEALTHY\u2019 SNACKS<\/p>\n

IF you get peckish between meals<\/a>, it is great to snack on nutrient-filled foods, but you can have too much of a good thing.<\/p>\n

Nuts and seeds, for example, are packed with vitamins and minerals, but they are also high in fat and calories. <\/p>\n

\"Hands<\/a><\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

Snacking on nutrient-filled foods is great but only if in moderation, as just 30g of nuts can amount to 200 caloriesCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cJust 30g of nuts can amount to 200 calories, and most of us eat far more than that,\u201d Dr Alexander says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re opening a share bag with dried fruit, this quickly adds up.<\/p>\n

\u201cLimit yourself to a small handful, and pair it with fresh fruit.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. BIG PORTIONS<\/p>\n

YOUR dinner plates could also be destroying your weight-loss goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied found buffet diners using bigger plates<\/a> ate 45 per cent more food than those with smaller ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing a smaller plate, or one with a large rim, could save you 500-plus calories depending on what you\u2019re eating,\u201d says Dr Alexander.<\/p>\n

\u201cFilling your plate with 50 per cent veg first will help you to reduce your carb and fat portions, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. CHEAT DAYS<\/p>\n

IF you are on a weight-loss plan<\/a> with scheduled “cheat days<\/a>” (where you eat more than your usual calorie allowance), you may end up ruining your slimming success.<\/p>\n

Meghan Foulsham, nutritionist at Fresh Fitness Food, says: \u201cCheat days encourage a binge-restrict cycle<\/a>, meaning you restrict \u2018unhealthy\u2019 foods<\/a> during the week, saving them for the weekend when you\u2019re \u2018allowed\u2019 to eat them, which often ends up being to excess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Meghan suggests including \u2018cheat\u2019 foods in your day-to-day diet, just in smaller amounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning to eat in a balanced way means you are more in tune with your hunger and satiety signals and you are less likely to overindulge and regain weight down the line,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

7. CONDIMENTS<\/p>\n

IT can be easy to overlook the calories in mayonnaise, ketchup, salad cream or even healthier-sounding condiments such as olive oil mixes and vinaigrettes, but these can soon rack up.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance, a tablespoon of mayonnaise adds about 90 calories, while similar serving sizes of tartar sauce or salad dressings can be around 70 calories,\u201d says Georgia Chilton, nutritionist at Fresh Fitness Food.<\/p>\n

\"French<\/a><\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

Don’t overlook the calories in condiments such as mayonnaise or ketchupCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in reality, when are you actually sticking to the recommended portion size?\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cTo avoid excess intake, focus on using herbs and spices for flavour and swap shop-bought dressings for home-made alternatives, using things such as fresh lemon or lime juice.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. BREAKFAST (OR LACK OF)<\/p>\n

TRYING to save calories by skipping a meal<\/a>? This could seriously backfire.<\/p>\n

Meghan says: \u201cFor some, skipping breakfast provides an easy solution \u2014 they are not hungry in the morning anyway, so they consume their calories in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor others, fasting can lead to a vicious cycle of overeating then over-restricting to compensate, which often leads to eating more than if you had eaten breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you can, opt for something small, such as an egg on wholemeal toast or a bowl of Greek yoghurt with berries.<\/p>\n

9. TV TREATS<\/p>\n

BEING able to multitask isn\u2019t always a good thing.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re watching TV<\/a> while munching on sweet popcorn or chocolate, you might actually eat more.<\/p>\n

Studies repeatedly show that we overeat when we are distracted, as we pay less attention to our hunger and fullness cues.<\/p>\n

If possible, remove the sofa snacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If not, Georgia says: \u201cChoosing pre-portioned snacks instead of eating straight from the bag can help to control your intake.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can also try alternatives like vegetables with hummus.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW MANY CALORIES DO I NEED TO EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT?<\/p>\n

THE key to a healthy diet is eating the right amount for your body.<\/p>\n

This will depend on several factors, including your size, age, gender and activity levels.<\/p>\n

If you eat or drink more than your body needs, you will put on weight. <\/p>\n

If you consume less, you will lose it.<\/p>\n

The NHS recommended daily calorie intake for men in the UK is 2,500, while women should have around 2,000.<\/p>\n

When trying to lose weight, the average person should aim to reduce their daily intake by about 600 calories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"YOU\u2019VE overhauled your diet and started exercising, yet you are still not losing weight. It\u2019s a familiar predicament,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[442,443,444,786,28790,105,302,210,211,445,12946,213,118,1890,16,15,446],"class_list":{"0":"post-113346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-body-shapes","9":"tag-diet-nutrition-and-weight-loss","10":"tag-fitness-and-exercise","11":"tag-food-and-drink","12":"tag-food-hacks","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-heart-disease","15":"tag-mental-health-and-illness","16":"tag-nhs","17":"tag-obesity","18":"tag-section-healthhealth-news","19":"tag-sun-club","20":"tag-the-sun-newspaper","21":"tag-the-sun-on-sunday","22":"tag-uk","23":"tag-united-kingdom","24":"tag-weight-loss-success-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114532406064086704","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}