Filling your kitchen with healthy food products and carefully planning your meals is considered by many as the first step towards developing healthy habits. Unfortunately for many of us, these exercises and diet plans seem to be ineffective even after doing everything properly. There are many instances where your diet plan is not working. Or are you doing something wrong and you still can’t figure it out?
If you are overeating and gaining weight it is not just because of your lack of will power to stop yourselves from doing it. It means you have certain bad habits that got developed without even your knowledge- like running out of the door at certain mornings skipping your breakfasts or munching some unhealthy chips while watching your favorite television show. Soon you will realize that this little bad habit of yours can help you put in a lot of weight.
One thing you need to learn is to break these bad habits and to come up with good results. To find a solution to this you must initially find the problem that you are facing. Scan the list and identify the everyday eating habits that add empty calories, unwanted fat, or added sugar to your diet. Figure out which of these unhealthy habits look familiar to you. You will be surprised to realize how much these habits were influencing your well-being.
Skipping Breakfast
If you think that skipping breakfast can help you reduce your calories, then you are wrong. Studies suggest that eating breakfast can actually help you lose weight[1]. Regular breakfast eaters are more successful at weight losing and keeping obesity away when compared to those who skip breakfast. Those who eat breakfast get more fiber, iron, vitamins A and C, calcium, zinc, and riboflavin. Are you not hungry when you get up? Well eating breakfast doesn’t have to be the very first thing that you have to do each day. But be aware of one thing, when you do eat your meal, include in your meal all the elements including fibers and proteins that will help you sustain for a few hours.
Mindless or Distracted Eating
It’s common to reach for your mobile phones when we are eating. There are people who also read a newspaper or watch television while eating. These are all distractions that will take your attention away from the food you eat. Understanding how satisfied you are with your food can prevent you from overeating. It is better to be mindful and aware when you eat and understand how hungry and satisfied you are.
Not Drinking Enough Water
From your brain cells to every other organ in your body including your skin, water is a crucial element. Your body requires at least eight glasses of pure water daily to burn the fat. Along with satisfying our thirst, it also helps reduce hunger and flushes out many toxins. However, water is depleted when you consume other beverages like soda and coffee. Always carry a bottle of water with you and drink water at regular intervals.
Eating on the Run
Having a snack at your desk, eating while you are driving, enjoying a high-calorie smoothie or latte while you are jogging or walking is all too easy. But, it is better to sit down and eat to avoid distracted eating habits.
Instead of eating out of a box or a plastic container, it is better to set your table and plate your food. Make sure that you include healthy snacks like fresh fruits, pre-cut veggies, whole-grain crackers, or nuts in your diet.
Eating Junk Food
It’s a known fact that junk food doesn’t help your waistline. But, the effects of such food items are even higher. A study conducted on animals reveals that high-fat, high-sugar foods can be as addictive as cocaine or heroin[2]. Though comfort food can trigger feelings of happiness in humans, they are only temporary and might lead to various other health problems.
Eliminating all your favorite indulgence from your diet is not the ideal solution, as it will only make you crave for more. The key to weight-loss is to identify what you really want and infuse that in your diet in moderation as special treats and not on a daily routine.
Emotional Eating
Think of you having a bad day at work. When you reach home, you open the refrigerator and start eating. Such a type of diet where eating is more of a coping mechanism can trigger many health issues. Studies have confirmed that emotions- positive or negative, can cause people to eat more than they should[3].
It is best to find a stress buster other than food. If you are stressed out at work and when you get home, take a much-needed walk instead of munching. You can also even call a friend to come over and talk.
Eating with Guilt
We mostly think of food as something that helps you lose or gain weight. Rather than understanding the food we eat in terms of numbers or putting it on a scale, it is better to actually enjoy the food. If you think of eating as something that you do without guilt or something that is enjoyable without being a judge you will stay active, you are less likely to overeat and more likely to have a better diet and maintain weight loss.
Following Food Pages
Scrolling through your social feeds can affect your healthy diet plans even more. Pictures of delicacies from the pages you follow can also trigger the craving for those food items. Even if we are not physically in need of food, our bodies will signal to our brains that we are hungry.
