by Heather Russell

Created on: November 09, 2009

Losing weight can be frustrating enough, but when you realize that you are gaining weight even though you are dutifully buying only "diet" foods, you can end up wanting to throw the scale at the wall. Unfortunately, this is an all-too common occurrence.

There are two main reasons that you may be gaining weight even though you only eat foods billed as "diet," "reduced-fat," or "low-carb."

The first reason has to do with food labeling. It's very easy to spot the "diet" versions of food; they have the above catchphrases splashed across their labels, which often feature the color green more prominently than their original counterparts.

Unfortunately, this type of labeling often leads people to think that they have a free pass with these particular foods. Keep in mind, if the label claims that the food is "reduced fat" or "reduced calorie," it simply has less fat or calories than the original; it could easily still be unhealthy!

A common mistake dieters make is assuming that any "diet" food can be eaten in unlimited supply without weight gain, when this is obviously untrue. A calorie is still a calorie, and being careful about your intake is the only surefire way to lose weight.

In addition, when companies reduce the fat in a product, they often add more sugar to make up for the flavor lost. Remember, sugar is fat-free, but still very high in calories, so it's possible that your "low-fat" or "fat-free" option may have more calories than the original.

The second reason that eating diet foods can cause you to gain weight is that these foods often leave you unsatisfied. Because these foods are often over-processed and filled with preservatives, they lack the taste and texture of real, unprocessed foods. As a result, your body doesn't receive the same signals through scent, texture, and fullness that it would when eating real food, and might not send your brain the signal that you've eaten enough calories and are satisfied. Because of this, you may overeat and take in more calories than you think.

Also, unsatisfying diet food often leads to cheating on a diet. If you are left unsatisfied after a meal or snack of diet food, you are more likely to seek satisfaction by eating the food you really wanted in the first place, therefore exceeding your calorie limit for the meal.

Dieting and weight loss are very personal issues, and no two people will lose weight the same way. However, if you do notice that you are putting on weight even though you are diligent about eating only diet foods, take a step back to more realistically assess your behaviors and to take back control of your health.

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