When you’re struggling to shed those unwanted pounds, it can be a challenge to stick to a diet that’s guaranteed to benefit you. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there, after all.

Some websites and fitness consultants will tell you to consume one thing, while other sites will advocate the consumption of the complete opposite. How do you know what you’re putting into your body will ultimately assist you in your effort to drop those pounds and get healthier? One way is to keep things simple and eat what Jesus would eat…seriously…it’s all laid out here in the Salvation Diet, and it works!

Personal fitness coaches aside, which few of us can afford anyway, it’s hard enough to stay on target with your own personal goals without getting lost in the tide of eternally fluctuating opinions. Well, without wading too deep into the controversy and getting stuck in the mud, there are some foods that are universally acknowledged to help, and some that are universally recognized as hindrances to your weight loss goals.

We’re going to discuss a few of the “don’t eat” foods here. These are foods you want to avoid like the plague while you’re making the effort to shed that excess fat.

With that in mind, here are a few of the worst foods to eat when you’re trying to lose weight:

1. Whole-fat Dairy

This includes whole-fat milk, cheese, and butter. I know, I know. It’s a serious sacrifice for a lot of people. But the simple fact of the matter is that an eight-ounce glass of whole fat milk is almost as caloric as the equivalent quantity of soda. So keep your distance from whole-fat dairy if you’re trying to lose weight.

2. Potato Chips

Potato chips definitely rank up there as one of the absolute worst foods to eat when you’re trying to lose weight. One ounce of potato chips is 150 calories (on average), and the sad truth is that when those bags (or cans) pop open, very few of us can stick to a simple handful.

In general, snack foods tend to be incredibly dangerous, because it’s hard to resist the temptation to consume them constantly throughout the day.

3. Refined Grain Products

This includes white bread, white rice, white pasta, and all-purpose flour. White bread was originally created for royalty that wanted purer foods than everyone else.

What no one realized at the time was that by refining grains, you’re actually sucking all of the nutritional value out of them and leaving empty calories. A small quarter cup of white rice, for example, will add 150 calories to your daily intake. Always go for whole grain if you’re trying to lose weight.

4. Soda

Look, soda is horrible. There’s no way around it. It has to be at the top of the list of “worst foods for you”, right next to all other foods that contain high fructose corn syrup.

You only need to execute a simple Google search to find a number of disturbing alternative uses for Coca Cola (some of which include using the beverage as a rust remover and an industrial solvent). So even if you’re not interested in losing weight, the beverage is absolutely horrific for your body’s general health.

But with an average caloric quantity of over 200 per 20 ounce bottle, you have an excellent reason to forego soda entirely. If you’re really craving that carbonated poison, at least make the switch to zero calorie, diet soda. But if we’re being honest, that’s really horrible for you too!