Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: you’re down to those stubborn last 3 lbs of your weight-loss goal and have been for weeks. Is your sweet tooth getting you into trouble again? Here’s the thing: Those soft drinks and iced teas you indulge in on your cheat days make up only 2% of the average Filipino’s diet anyway, so they’re not really the culprits. Go double-check your diet and see if you’ve been bingeing on the following saboteurs—common fare for dieters plus staple Filipino foods—that are actually ruining your weight goals:

Rice

I know… and we’re sorry about this: We Filipinos love our rice, no doubt about it. But studies have shown that high consumption of white rice increases the risk of diabetes, due to its high glycemic index. White rice is highly processed, and so it is stripped of its fibers. Which means it is high in carbohydrates—something you promised yourself you’d cut back on, right? Rice is pretty much the diet-plateau culprit, so think twice before asking the waiter to refill your unli-rice order.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats raise the level of cholesterol in the blood. Meat and dairy products are loaded with saturated fats: pork, poultry (especially the skin), butter, cheese, palm oil—the list goes on and on and on. Keep track of the foods you consume so you can monitor closely the amount of saturated fats you’ve been ingesting, because this is sneakily in pretty much everything.

Full-Fat Dairy Products

While recent studies have shown that full-fat products could be better for you than their non-fat counterparts, excessive amounts of the full-fat variety could still be harmful. According to experts, you should take into account the products you consume that have full-fat dairy as ingredients (cheese, Greek yogurt, coffee creamer, etc.). These could easily add up the amount of calories you consume.

Protein Drinks

Sure, you need protein to build muscle mass. But you may have been packing on more unwanted calories along with those proteins. You see, a lot of these protein drinks contain ingredients that could be contributing to your unexplained weight gain.

Your Gluten-Free Diet

Dietary trends make us think that we’ve been eating the wrong foods all this time. Take the gluten-free diet craze for example. You would think gluten-free desserts are less harmful, but the fact is many gluten-free products pack more calories than their wheat-filled counterparts.

Breakfast Cereals

Sure, cereals maybe good for you. But if you consume them in a large bowl, with added dried fruits and nuts, you could easily derail your dietary goals. Keep in mind that the things you add to your cereal bowl ups its calorie content. And, of course, (serving) size matters.

Whole-Wheat

You may have bought into the idea that brown is healthier than white. While that is true for the most part, you should read the label carefully. Most whole-wheat products are so processed that they don’t have any nutrition left in them. In fact, what’s being branded as ‘whole grain’ could mostly contain refined flour. Look for the percentage of whole grain on the label. Look for those that say “100% whole grain.”

Nuts

Snacking on nuts may be sensible, but you do have to watch out for the portions that you consume. Nuts are densely packed in calories, and snacking on them throughout the day could be sabotaging your diet.

What other food can you think of? Share them with us below!