High-Calorie Foods That Will Make You Gain Weight

Obesity ranks topmost among the health concerns of the modern age. Obesity is an invitation to innumerable medical issues, be it type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, joint pains, or infertility due to PCOS, to name a few.

Increased awareness about the problems associated with obesity has resulted in a large percentage of people becoming mindful of what they are eating. We are providing below a list of high-calorie foods that result in weight gain and are thus better avoided for the achievement of your weight loss goals.

What are High-Calorie Foods?

Cutting down on your calorie intake is the first and foremost step toward weight loss. The daily recommended calorie intake is 2000 calories per day, but if you wish to lose weight, you need to limit your daily calorie intake to 1500–1800 calories only. Thus, avoiding or limiting foods that are calorie-dense seems to be the most logical approach. You need to incorporate low-calorie, high-fibre, high-protein, low-carb foods into your diet and avoid foods that only add to the calorie count without any significant nutritional benefit, commonly called "empty calories." Junk food, processed food, bakery items, and foods loaded with added sugar and salt are some examples.

High-Calorie Foods for Gain Weight

Gaining weight is as difficult as losing it. Here’s a list of the top calorie weight-gaining foods that you can include in your daily diet.

• French Fries
• Potato Chips
• White Bread
• Soft Drinks and other Sweetened Beverages
• Bakery Items
• Ice Cream
• Burgers and Pizza
• Beer

French Fries

French fries are one of the most popular finger foods across the globe. Though potatoes are healthy and filling, French fries made from potatoes are not, because when the potatoes are deeply fried, they add a lot of calories and fat, which makes them unhealthy.

You can opt for fresh salads, fruits, pickles, or chutney as a side dish instead of French fries.

Potato Chips

Potato chips are another food item that ranks high on the list of the most unhealthy foods. They are high in calories, as well as in salt, fat, and sugar content. It has been documented in a study that potato chips lead to more weight gain than any other food. Do not get lured by the "baked" or "roasted" versions either. All kinds of potato chips are unhealthy and contain acrylamides, which increase the risk of cancer.

So, stay away from potato chips if you are serious about your weight loss, and alternatively, opt for boiled potatoes.

White Bread

White bread is made from highly refined wheat flour and thus has a very low fibre content. It is a high-calorie food with high carbohydrate content, which causes spikes in blood sugar levels. Moreover, the protein and nutritional value of white bread are very low. The effects of white bread were studied in terms of weight gain, and it was concluded that eating even 2 bread slices a day caused a significant rise in weight.

Choose from many healthier varieties of bread that are easily available, such as whole grain bread, brown bread, etc.

Soft Drinks and other Sweetened Beverages

Drinks such as carbonated soft drinks, certain sports drinks, and fruit juices contain high quantities of added sugar and almost no nutrients. This makes them very high-calorie foods. These sugary drinks are counted among the unhealthiest foods available. They do not make a person feel full, so a person ends up eating a normal meal and consumes these extra calories as add-ons, resulting in weight gain. Studies have shown a significant correlation between consuming sweetened beverages and weight gain in both children and adults.

If you want to be successful in your weight loss attempts, you must ditch these sugary drinks. Instead, go for drinks such as coconut water or buttermilk, or eat whole fruits rich in fibre.

Bakery Items

Cakes, cookies, and pastries are another example of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods because they contain lots of added sugar and are made from refined flour. Many bakery items also contain trans fats, which are very harmful and can lead to heart attacks and other diseases. Bakery products do not satiate hunger, so you crave more!

A healthy and tasty alternative to bakery items is grabbing a piece of dark chocolate to satiate your sweet cravings.

Ice Cream

Ice cream is hard to resist, but you must strictly limit your portions to no more than half a cup if you do not want to stray from your weight loss journey. Ice creams are calorie-dense with very high sugar content, minimal protein, and no fibre.

To cool off from the heat, freeze fresh fruits, or blend Greek yoghurt and the fresh fruit of your choice and freeze.

Burgers and Pizza

These popular fast foods are one of the major culprits for weight gain among a large number of people, especially the younger generation. They are made from refined flour and cheese, which makes them a high-calorie food, and if processed meat is added, it gets even worse. The pizza sauce also contains a lot of salt and sugar.

You can make your pizza at home with whole grain bread, lots of vegetables, less cheese, and homemade pizza sauce.

Beer

Alcoholic beverages such as beer are high in calories and have almost no fibre or protein. A 12-ounce can of beer contains 153 calories. The light beer has 103 calories. Thus, you can enjoy an occasional can of beer or a glass of wine, but regular consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to weight gain, especially beer belly, which is very unhealthy.

Conclusion

Obesity should be prevented at all costs. Regular exercise with mindful eating and avoiding high-calorie foods is the key mantra to losing weight. By giving up these foods, you will gift yourself a healthy future, and you will love the energetic, full-of-life version of yourself.Book an obesity profile from a certified lab to know your overall health status and devise an informed plan to achieve the desired health goals.