Top 7 Easy Foods to Overeat

1.     Peanut butter

PB is just too damned good. It always keeps you going back for more...More and more calories. That hefty tablespoon may or may not be 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons. I usually measure 2 tbsp for each semi-heaping tablespoon cuz it’s just so dang easy to under-measure and over-eat. If you really want to find out what an actual tablespoon looks like, go here:

What 1 tablespoon of peanut butter looks like This quick delicious snack can turn ugly quickly with more and more spoonfuls....

2.     Hummus

I used to eat tubs of this stuff from Costco until I realized it was one of the main reasons I couldn't lose weight, and I just can’t stop once I start. When coupled with chips or other high calorie dipping sources, this can easily make you go way over your calorie count for the day. An actual serving size isn't too bad at about 50 - 80 calories for 2 tablespoons, but if you're not careful...those tablespoons can easily become half cups, and full cups before you know it.

One of the other common mistakes make is people thinking that hummus is a good source of protein. At 1g per tablespoon, you can surely find a better source of non-animal protein - such as hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast, or even just some good ole' green veggies. Hummus is okay in moderation (like anything), but don't confuse this with a healthy option for getting your protein levels up for the day. If you are a vegetarian struggling with weight loss, this could be one of the biggest culprits.

Solution: Stick to the serving size, and just buy a small container if you know you'll overeat with the oversize container.

3.     Cookies

Depending on the cookie, these can be roughly 100-150 calories a pop (or more), and they are so easy to just keep eating when a plate is starting you in the face. I can eat them like Pringles. Just can’t stop.

This can be a dangerous snack in terms of overeating calories, and it's so easy to scarf down 5-6 things in a row mindlessly. Can you really just have 1 or 2? If not, it may be wise to pass for something that has a fixed amount. A big plate of cookies wins many a battle.  You know that going in, but for some reason, you let it defeat you. Cookies are okay if you make the room in your calories for the day, and count these towards your fat calories. Just be aware of how much you are consuming. It's always the 'how much' that'll get ya....

Solution: don't buy a big box if you know you'll crush an entire sleeve. It may be more money per cookie buying an individual or duo pack, but you'll save yourself some room in your jeans.

4.     Ice cream

        – I just can’t give this one up, though I opt for frozen yogurt (or fro-yo as the kids like to call it) because it's considerably less calories than regular ice cream, plus I've actually started to prefer that taste.

Recently, there have been some of those low calorie pints (ie Arctic Zero, Halo Top) so you can put away a pint at a meager 150-300 calories without feeling too, too gluttonous. If this is going to set you off in an eating frenzy, it might not be the best solution for you.

If you leave about 20% of calorie room for some ice cream or chocolate, you will be more likely to stick to your diet in the long run. Find what works best for you.

5.     Candy

        – Put a bowl of candy in front of me, and chances are I’m gonna want to eat it. 10 calories here, a handful here there, an easy 70-80 calories….there goes my calorie deficit…..I’d rather just have a piece of fruit which at least has some nutritional value and fiber that’ll help me feel full.

         - Willpower sucks, so don't rely on it, and don't test it. Constant temptation will lead to inevitable binges. If you struggle with this, and want some candy, get a smaller size bag so you don't do as much damage.

Solution: Aim for candy that has a fixed amount of calories, like a small chocolate bar. You will most likely end up eating less than by eating a bar of chocolate than having a piece here and there, and here and there, etc... You will likely be more satisfied as well.

6.     Chips

         – tortilla chips was one of my biggest weaknesses when it came to snacking. If you put a bag of Tostidos in front of me, I could easily put away the whole bag in one sitting at a whopping 1400 calories plus dip(s).  I’ve since recognized this as a food I simply cannot partake in.  Ok, maybe just a handful….

7.     Nuts

       -  one of the easiest ways to crush calories. This “healthy” snack can easily put away about 750-1000 calories in the duration of a Bohemian Rhapsody listen, or even before the heavy part of the song kicks in (you know the part…Scalamoosh, scalamoosh, can you do the Fandangoh-oh-no I just blew my diet!

A handful can turn into 4 handfuls in no time when you have a big bowl or container to tempt you. With that kind of calorie neglect, you can easily surpass a giant bowl of ice cream's worth of calories by trying to eat healthy, when you would've consumed less eating the ice cream. This is why labeling foods healthy and non-healthy doesn't really mean anything to me anymore.

Measure your portions in advance and take them with you in small bags if you want to incorporate these on a fat loss plan. Because fat equals 9 calories per gram, you need to be mindful of the portion sizes.

Bonus Track

8) Avocados/Guacamole

Avocados are another one of those "healthy" foods that will do some damage on a low calorie diet. Because they are a good source of mono-unsaturated fat, people think they are a great healthy choice...However, if you are on a fat loss plan, and don't have too many calories to work with in the first place, you really have to be careful with the amount of avocado you are consuming. Heck, even one a day will put you 250-350 calories in the hole for the rest of the day depending on the size.

This holds especially true if you are making it into a big bowl of guacamole that is oh-so-tempting, and hard to stop eating once you start. Save this for when you are in a maintenance phase, and you have a tad more calories to work with...They are not great to include on a fat loss plan, but are pretty good for bulking or maintaining.

Conclusion:

Not all foods that you think are healthy are good for diet adherence. Some of these examples are obviously higher calorie, but they can actually be incorporated into a diet if you're crafty enough. The fun part of dieting is plugging in that 20% of your daily calorie goals with foods that you enjoy. If you have struggled with diet adherence in the past, realize that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Just remember that dieting is a numbers game.