Do certain "fat-free" and "low-calorie" foods actually help

Do certain %26quot;fat-free%26quot; and %26quot;low-calorie%26quot; foods actually help with weight-loss? I%26#039;m trying to lose weight, but I%26#039;m finding it extremely difficult to give up the foods I like. I%26#039;ve tried willpower, Weight Watchers, and just about every sort of dieting technique I can think of, but eventually I cave every time. It%26#039;s a little easier for me to do what I%26#039;ve been doing recently, which is to replace ice cream with fat-free frozen yogurt, soda with unsweetened tea (or sometimes diet soda), fried chicken sandwiches with grilled chicken sandwiches, and regular dressing with fat free dressing. My question is, will making these changes actually help me to lose weight, or are they just as bad as the %26quot;regular%26quot; foods? I%26#039;ve heard that some are actually worse because of the sugar and salt content, so I would like to hear some more opinions. Thanks in advance for your answers.

Nothing is for sale, just great info;)

I think so...I use fat free salad dressings every time I eat salads because it makes a big difference in calories. On the other hand, I always see fat people drinking diet soda..but they are obese... Obese people think it%26#039;s okay to eat MORE since they are eating fat free foods...and they end up eating more.

you actually have the right idea in terms of making healthier choices everytime you%26#039;re faced with food. that will be successful in the long run where fad diets fail.

whether or not that food helps with weight loss will depend on a lot of factors. for instance, %26quot;fat free%26quot; doesn%26#039;t mean low calorie. often times, they%26#039;ll add in a bunch of sugar and/or salt to make up for the flavor. so despite having less fat, it might have more sugar than the normal counterpart, and the calories end up being the same in the end. there are exceptions to this of course, like low fat/fat free dairy. it%26#039;s identical to whole dairy, just minus fat. things like that WILL help you control your daily calorie intake. same goes for lean meats in place of fatter/fried meat.

you have to take into account the total calories that is in something. if its less than the %26quot;normal/bad%26quot; version, then it%26#039;ll help you lose weight. aside from that, you want to look for foods that have nutritional value like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. for instance, whole wheat bread is going to contain more fiber than white, so you want whole wheat in that case. once again, comes back to making a healthier selection from options available to you.

i also want to say that you need a balance of all the major 3 macromolecules (fat, carbs, protein). no %26quot;low%26quot; anything diet will be good for you since it%26#039;ll restrict the kind of nutrition you can take in. i%26#039;m a first year med student, and a health nut.

I think that in general, eating low-calorie and low-fat foods will help you lose weight, especially when combined with an increase in exercise.

However, make sure to read the labels. Some fat-free foods can still be packed with calories.

If you want to eat even healthier, try to avoid sugars too. Sugars are pretty much empty calories that provide no nutritional value.