6 Eating Habits That Make Weight Loss Harder
Bad Eating Habits To Avoid
Have you always struggled with weight? Are you gaining weight? Is your brain swimming from looking into the hundreds of diets, eating plans, and weight loss schemes on the market? You are not alone. More than 23% of adult Americans are either overweight or obese.
As we get older, weight problems become more common because the metabolism slows down naturally. Also, many do not burn the food they eat because they lack healthy exercise habits. And many of us have bad eating habits that have been around for some time, and those are sometimes the biggest culprits in weight gain and being overweight.
1Eating Too Fast & On The Run
Eating too fast is a sure-fire way to eat too much. The reason for this is that the brain takes about 20 minutes to register satiety, so if you gobble down your meal in ten minutes, the brain does not have time to realize that you are full, so you tend to overeat. Several brain receptors communicate through the release of hormones when the body begins to receive nutrients, and this communication process takes time to complete and register that you are satisfied and full and have eaten, in essence, enough food.
The key is to take small bites, chew slowly, and pay attention to your food. Distractions, eating on the run, or while doing activities, such as driving and watching TV, are culprits in eating more than your body needs. Paying attention to what you eat and how much is better achieved when you focus on your meal, not on making the next right turn or your favorite TV show. On top of the physiology of the brain registering satiety, there is also the psychological fact that when you eat on the run, you are paying less attention to what you are eating; therefore, you are more likely to overeat.
2Eating Three Big Meals Daily
Many eat more food than their body needs in one sitting. This is a typical culprit in obesity and overweight conditions among kids and adults. The traditional consumption of three big meals per day with snacks in between is not the best option for those who want to maintain a healthy weight and definitely not for those who want to lose weight. Do you know that bodybuilders, whose main goal is to maintain the ideal level of body fat, eat several small meals per day? They do.
Eating every three hours or five to six very small meals per day that consist of lean protein, whole grain (brown rice), vegetables, or with just lean protein and vegetables is the most effective way to keep healthy body weight and to lose body fat as well. There are many benefits to eating several small meals versus three large ones. It increases and boosts your metabolism and keeps the blood sugar balanced. It also eliminates ravenous hunger (another culprit in overeating) and crazy cravings because the blood sugar is controlled.
3Large Plates And Bad Portions
To control portions, use a six-inch or smaller plate for all your meals. You would be surprised at how such a small portion will satisfy you while controlling the calories and the amount of food you eat. Plus, on such a small plate, a little bit of food looks like a lot more to the mind.
Eating snacks directly out of the bag is one of the worst eating habits. It almost always ensures that you will eat too much of that cookie or those chips. Limit intake by serving yourself a limited portion on a plate or in a bowl and take it with you where you plan to eat it but leave the package behind.
4Emotional Eating And Starvation
Emotional eating or overeating plagues many. People eat when they are sad, stressed, angry, or bored. This results in the intake of food as more of a drug than for its intended purpose, which is for nutrition. Find healthy outlets for those emotions, such as exercise, yoga, therapy, a bath, talking to a friend, or mediation (just to name a few), and leave the tub of ice cream for an occasional treat.
Skipping meals and starvation is something to avoid at all costs. When you skip meals, your blood sugars drop, and so, when you do eat, you will be ravenous and will likely eat way more food than your body needs. Eating breakfast is most important, and studies have shown that those who regularly eat a meal in the morning weigh less than those who don't.
5Eating Late At Night
One of the most common bad eating habits is eating late at night, right before bed. This is because metabolism is at its lowest when you're asleep. So filling up on food right before sleeping will not give the body the opportunity to burn it off as it does throughout the day.
Most people tend to eat junk and typically have late-night cravings. Hence, it's important to eat a balanced dinner and avoid eating at least two to three hours before bedtime. If you must have a snack, make it healthy, for example, a half a piece of fruit with a large glass of water.
6Eating More Than You Burn Each Day
Lastly, one of the worst eating habits people have is eating more calories than they burn each day. While this is more of a lifestyle than a habit, it is a deeply ingrained habit that becomes one's lifestyle. Many are unaware of just how many calories there are in the food they eat, nor do they know how many calories they burn per day.
It is important to use an online calorie calculator that takes into consideration your weight, age, height, and daily physical activity. This will help you figure out how many calories you can eat per day to maintain or lose weight. Those that have active jobs or do an hour of cardio every day can have a lot fewer calories to maintain or lose versus those who are sedentary all day, work at an office, and don't exercise at all.