Top 10 Foods Highest in Calories to Avoid for Weight Loss

High-calorie foods with low nutrient value (referred to as "empty calories") are widely consumed throughout the world, particularly in the typical "Western" diet.

Highly processed foods that are high in calories increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. (1,2)

Avoiding the high-calorie foods listed below is a great way to improve your health and help manage your weight.

High-calorie foods to avoid include fast foods, processed meats, desserts, candies, fatty meats, white bread products, snacks, sugary drinks, alcohol, and condiments. The daily value (DV) for calories is 2000 calories per day. (3) Those wanting to lose weight should aim for 1500-1800 calories per day. Consuming too few calories can lead to undesirable health effects such as hair loss (4), so keep your calorie targets in a healthy range.

For more information see the articles on low-calorie high fiber foods, high protein low carb weight loss meal plans, and the BMI weight loss calculator.

Looking to gain weight or pack on healthy lean muscle? Check out the list of healthy high calorie foods.

List of Unhealthy High Calorie Foods to Limit or Avoid

• 1. Fast Foods (Onion Rings) + Add

  Calories per Order	Calories per 100g
  1246 calories	356 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Applebee's, crunchy onion rings. (Source)

  Other Fast Foods High in Calories

  • 1197 calories in McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast with Syrup and Margarine
  • 1061 calories in a Burger King Double Whopper with Cheese
  • 961 calories in Denny's Spaghetti and Meatballs
  • 906 calories in a Taco Bell Taco Salad

  See the ranking of 200 fast foods with the most calories.

• 2. Processed Meats (Kielbasa Sausage) + Add

  Calories per Large Link	Calories per 100g
  1232 calories	333 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Cooked Kielbasa Sausage. (Source)

  Other Processed Meats High in Calories

  • 428 calories in 3oz of pepperoni
  • 283 in a bratwurst sausage
• 3. Desserts (Dulce De Leche) + Add

  Calories per Cup	Calories per 100g
  958 calories	315 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Dulce de Leche. (Source)

  More High Calorie Desserts

  • 537 calories in a slice of chocolate cake with frosting
  • 382 calories in a cup of ice-cream
  • 367 calories in a slice of upside down pineapple cake
  • 290 calories in a slice of blueberry pie

  See all baked foods high in calories.

• 4. Candies (Chocolate Candy) + Add

  Calories per 6oz Package (3/4 Cup)	Calories per 100g
  811 calories	477 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Candies, semisweet chocolate, made with butter. (Source)

  Other Candies High in Calories

  • 490 calories in a 3.5oz Hershey's Payday Bar
  • 458 calories in a 3oz bar of white chocolate
  • 450 calories in a 2.8oz bar of Hershey's Pot of Gold Bar
• 5. Fatty Meats (Pork Chops with Fat) + Add

  Calories in 1 Pork Chop	Calories per 100g
  525 calories	255 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Braised Pork Chops (With Fat). (Source)

  More Fatty Meats High in Calories

  • 495 calories in a rack of pork ribs
  • 400 calories in 3oz of braised beef ribs
  • 290 calories in a steak with fat
• 6. Bread Products (Soft Pretzels) + Add

  Calories in 1 Large	Calories per 100g
  493 calories	345 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Soft Pretzels. (Source)

  More High Calorie Bread Products

  • 262 calories in 1 piece of naan bread
  • 261 calories in 1 bagel
  • 231 calories in 1 slice of pan dulce
  • 168 calories in 1 cornbread muffin
• 7. Snacks (Corn Chips) + Add

  Calories per Cup Crushed	Calories per 100g
  490 calories	557 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Extruded Corn Chips. (Source)

  Other Snacks High in Calories

  • 426 calories in 3.5oz of shrimp crackers
  • 416 calories in 3.5oz of rice crackers
  • 293 calories in 1 cup of low-oil tortilla chips

  See all high calorie snacks

• 8. Sugary Drinks (Cream Soda) + Add

  Calories per 16oz Bottle	Calories per 100g
  252 calories	51 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Cream Soda. (Source)

  Other Sugary Drinks High in Calories

  • 246 calories in a 16oz glass of horchata
  • 207 calories in a 16oz cola
  • 202 calories in a 16z root beer
  • 197 calories in a 16oz sprite
  • 166 calories in a 16oz ginger ale

  See the list of all high calorie drinks.

• 9. Alcohol (Dessert Wine) + Add

  Calories per 5oz Glass	Calories per 100g
  236 calories	160 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Sweet Dessert Wine. (Source)

  Other Alcoholic Drinks High in Calories

  • 206 calories in 1 bottle of high alcohol beer
  • 154 calories in 1.5oz of coffee cream liqueur (Baileys)
  • 153 calories in a 12oz can of beer
  • 129 calories in a 5oz glass of Zinfandel
  • 127 calories in a 5oz glass of red wine (Burgundy)

  Less alcohol means fewer calories. Although it was previously believed that a small amount of alcohol consumption was beneficial for health, newer research indicates that any level of alcohol consumption causes health risks. (5) In addition, alcoholic drinks are highly caloric and can lead to weight gain. For more, see the list of beverages high in calories.

• 10. Condiments (Salad Dressing) + Add

  Calories in 2 Tblsp	Calories per 100g
  132 calories	399 calories

  Nutrition Facts for Creamy Poppyseed Salad Dressing. (Source)

  Other Condiments High in Calories

  • 67 calories in a tblsp of syrup
  • 56 calories in a tblsp of jam or preserves
  • 29 calories in a tblsp of BBQ sauce

Printable One Page Sheet

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From the Nutrient Ranking Tool

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.

• Foods High in Calories
• Foods Low in Calories
• Vegetables High in Calories
• Fruits High in Calories
• Vegetarian Foods High in Calories
• Nuts High in Calories
• Grains High in Calories
• Beans High in Calories
• Dairy High in Calories
• Breakfast Cereals High in Calories
• Fast Foods High in Calories

View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Related

• Low-Calorie High Fiber Foods
• High Protein Low Carb Weight Loss Meal Plans
• BMI weight loss calculator
• Healthy High Calorie Foods

Data Sources and References

1. Rauber F, Steele EM, Louzada MLDC, Millett C, Monteiro CA, Levy RB. Ultra-processed food consumption and excess weight among US adults PLoS One. 2020 May 1;15(5):e0232676. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232676. eCollection 2020. 32357191
2. Nardocci M, Leclerc BS, Louzada ML, Monteiro CA, Batal M, Moubarac JC. Consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with obesity, diabetes and hypertension in Canadian adults Can J Public Health. 2019 Feb;110(1):4-14. doi: 10.17269/s41997-018-0130-x. Epub 2018 Sep 20. 30238324
3. USDA - Calories on the Nutrition Facts Label
4. Finner AM. Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use Dermatol Clin. 2013 Jan;31(1):167-72. doi: 10.1016/j.det.2012.08.015. Epub 2012 Oct 18. 23159185
5. [No authors listed] Association Between Daily Alcohol Intake and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2315283. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.15283. 37159205