10 Habits that Hamper Your Weight Loss
10 Habits that Hamper Your Weight Loss
You may have countless ideas on how you can help yourself lose weight but you also need to be conscious about what you are doing that is actually hampering you from your ultimate body goals. Registered dietitians or RDs know for sure that certain habits can sabotage your weight loss efforts and it is time you pay attention to them as well for a full chance at success. So yes, it has to take more than just exercising on a regular basis or maintaining a healthy diet. You have to be able to identify what habits slow down your progress and then unlearn these bad habits so you do not keep gaining weight over time. They have to be kept under control for your own health and safety in relation to your physical and mental wellness.
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Here are 10 habits that may be standing in your way towards achieving your much-desired weight loss:
1. Hanging on to stressful events
Stress is a part of everyday life but how you respond to them is very important especially when you are trying to shed those pounds off for good. When you are in a stressful situation, your body responds by secreting the hormones called cortisol. This is the body’s way of naturally raising your energy levels so that you can deal with those stressful times. However, when you are constantly stressed out, your body will also tend to secrete excess cortisol and this is what you want to avoid. The more cortisol is released into your body, the more glucose is also produced. This excess glucose is then automatically converted to fat which explains the stored fat that ends up in your waistline after you feed on and hang on to your stress.
Make a difference this time and unlearn the habit of hanging on to your stress for too long. Feeling worried and stressed out can seem like dealing with your problems at first but in the end, you are just adding to your problems by stressing out. Instead, learn to manage stressful situations better. Pigging out is a big no-no. Pick activities that will help you vent pent-up frustrations such as talking to a trusted friend, going for a run, swimming, and dealing with the problem that is making you feel stressed head on.
2. Taking breakfast for granted
When you check on the current research that exists about whether or not to do breakfast, you can get confused as to which side to take. But Samantha Cassetty, a Registered Dietitian, have had actual experience with clients whose weight loss progress was stalled when they skimped on their breakfast. In particular, they do not consume enough protein with the light breakfast that they usually take and end up missing the opportunity to replace all the protein that was broken down the night before. When this is your daily morning habit and you skimp on your protein, it can develop into you having a sluggish and lazy metabolism over time – and you already know what that implies.
Not only that, when you consume inadequate amounts of protein, you are bound to go hungry faster and feel deprived of the physical and mental energy that you need to go through your day. Having a piece of fruit or some muffins can seem like a good way to diet but the consequences to your achieving a healthy weight loss is not going to be worth it. On the other hand, when you enjoy a full breakfast that is rich in protein, you become more energetic, feel full for longer, become less irritable, and is able to happily finish your tasks for the day. Samantha recommends that you target at least 20 to 30 grams of breakfast protein each day with hard-boiled eggs or cottage cheese and you’ll be good to go.
3. Not having enough sleep hours
If you think that weight loss does not have anything to do with the amount of sleep you get, think again. Lack of sleep is simply not conducive to weight loss at all. For one, it makes it really hard for your body to break down the carbs. When that happens, your insulin levels increase with your blood sugar levels. Both excesses of sugar and insulin in your body ultimately lead to an increase in your fat storage especially around the waistline. Moreover, when you do not have enough sleep, you are sure to feel tired all day long. You will notice that your mind will be sluggish as well and you will tend to reach for any sugary food or beverages that will give you a quick energy boost. Obviously, that is no way to lose the weight that you desire.
Adulting can be demanding on your hours but you have to break this habit of sleeping only for a few hours if you want to transform your body for real. Make 7 hours and more of sleep a non-negotiable part of your daily schedule. As much as you can, go to bed earlier so you can achieve this. When you find it hard to sleep, try doing more physical activities during the day that is sure to make you fall into a deep slumber at night. Before bedtime, do some emotional and mental unloading so you can fall asleep faster. The mineral magnesium also plays an important role in helping you gain enough sleep. Add more leafy greens, almonds, tofu, and other magnesium-rich foods to your diet for that deep and peaceful slumber each night.
4. Binging on processed foods
What makes junk food so tempting to eat even when you already know that it’s not good for you? Processed foods are everywhere and convenience makes them even more tempting to consume. However, this habit is certain to hinder you from shedding those extra pounds in a big way. Thing is, processed foods are full of various chemicals and pesticides that are obviously bad for your body. And when you consume all these junk habitually, your liver will be forced to work doubly hard just to get rid of the toxins that you have ingested and keep on ingesting.
Your liver as an organ, may be one of the toughest as it could handle any extra workload you throw at it but this is not without a cost. When it is too busy flushing out the toxins, working on regulating your metabolism can be put aside and your liver will not be as effective in performing this function. This is something that you do not want to happen when you are trying to lose weight. What you want is for your liver to do its job right with your metabolism so that it can process as much calories as it can and prevent more fat from getting stored in your body. If you really want to lose weight, it is time to consciously choose fresh and unprocessed foods up against the junk. Discover the wonderful world of organic products. Eat more at home where you know for sure that only fresh ingredients were used. Trash the junk and go all the way with the fresh.
5. Nurturing an all-or-nothing mindset
Let’s face it, nobody is perfect and unless you can accept that for yourself you will always feel guilty after you enjoy some foods that you aren’t supposed to be enjoying in the first place. The worst part about feeling guilty in this way is that it can make you want to resort to rebound eating and binge the whole day thinking you’ll just restart with your diet plan the next day. Yo-yo dieting is a habit you need to let go of permanently if you want to make a significant difference in your weight loss journey this time. If you’ve had those days where you were not able to resist the temptation of having a revel bar for instance, deal with it in a more proactive way. Mary Jane Destroyer, R.D. emphasizes how no one food can actually lead you to gain weight but if you believe that you already blew it anyway and eat some more or continue with the feasting the whole day, then that is where the dangers begin to loom.
An all-or-nothing mindset will only make you want to eat more than you need, thinking that you can just go back to your weight loss diet tomorrow. Keep doing this and you will simply gain back the weight that you have lost earlier. Mary Jane instead recommends that you adopt an 80/20 strategy where you allot 20% for indulgences for those days when temptations are the hardest to resist. In this way, you will not resort to binge eating as a habit and be able to maintain a well-balanced and sustainable diet over time.
6. Having too much alcohol
There is good in alcohol when done in moderation as it is beneficial for the body but when you have too much, then the health risks likewise increase. While on a diet, alcoholic beverages such as dessert wines and some beers have high caloric content that they also endanger your weight loss goals. Make a habit out of drowning yourself in alcohol and you have a recipe for disaster. Your typical beer has about 150 calories in it and if a 6-pack is an ordinary consumption for you, then you will have to start thinking twice. Do not forget that alcohol actually packs more calories than the infamous carbs or proteins when put side by side in equal amounts.
Not only that, alcohol likewise causes a reduction in your blood sugar levels followed by an upsurge in your appetite. And as you keep getting tipsier through the night, your decision-making ability and will power gets compromised as well. Ultimately, you will tend to eat more and that will be the end of your weight loss resolve for the day. Social and occasional drinking is understandable but constantly intoxicating yourself is a bad habit you need to break if you are decided at losing weight. Avoid situations and places where you are bound to consume lots of alcohol. Choose alcoholic beverage such as pure spirits that have zero to low calorie content. Go ahead and drag your drinking buddy to a healthier new hobby that will give you the same satisfaction.
7. Exercising to make up for food intake
There are many ways by which one chooses to deal with the guilt of having eaten too much and one is to work out or exercise really hard. While this seem like a logical strategy to employ, this is not going to help with weight loss in the long run. Meanwhile, the opposite could apply to you where you eat more because exercising makes you hungrier. Again, this seems like a natural thing to do but also does not help with you losing weight. The right approach to exercise is not just to burn calories or to give you an excuse to eat more. You exercise because you want to be healthy and thus exercise should be coupled with the right diet if you want to stay in that healthy zone for good.
It is important that you make a habit out of exercising for the right reasons because otherwise, all your weight loss efforts are going to be for no good at all. Exercise to your health and choose the kind of physical activities that give you emotional satisfaction as well. Go for a walk with a friend, learn to golf and chat with business partners, or take up swimming with your kid and be as healthy and as happy as you can be.
8. Skipping meals
We took up breakfast earlier but the truth is that, it really holds true for all other meals of the day. Missing meals is a common habit of those desiring for a lower number on the weighing scale. What you need to know however is that, missing any meal actually hampers any progress that you were supposed to make had you not skipped lunch or dinner. Skipping a meal never leads to weight loss and that is a fact. You see, when you fail to eat adequately or forgo a meal, your body reacts by slowing down your metabolism. Your body will do everything for it to survive and when you are starving yourself, it will switch to survival mode. After a few hours of not having anything, you are bound to get really hungry and consume a big meal. Now, this is where your body is going to store the food that you ate as fat so that it can prepare for that time when you will skip a meal again.
This vicious cycle of a habit obviously hinders you from achieving your body goals and you need to say goodbye to it for good. So instead of skipping meals and starving yourself, try spacing your meal time into five or six smaller meals. This way, you do not go hungry for long but you also do not eat like you have not eaten for years. One of the most sustainable ways to lose weight is to stick to a low-calorie diet that is well-balanced and leave you fuller for longer after every meal.
9. Drinking less water
If there is any compound on the face of the earth that is most important, then that would be water. All forms of life exist because of water and even the human body is mostly made up of water. Drinking enough water on a daily basis has been repeatedly emphasized in health publications and in weight loss archives. And rightly so because the body is not able to function in an optimal manner unless you drink enough water every day. It is water that detoxifies the body and helps you get the nutrients where they are needed the most. The best part about water when you are trying to lose weight is that, it contains zero calories. Moreover, it makes you feel full after each meal and this is important when you want to stick to your diet and have to leave the table feeling fully satisfied.
Some people make a habit of drinking less water and going for low-calorie beverages. But this is to say that any beverage that is not water typically contain artificial sweeteners that slow down your metabolic rate and increase your appetite. To break this habit, get yourself a good water bottle that you can bring anywhere with you. Avoid diet sodas at all cost even if they say low calories. In case you are craving for sweets, you can try fruit-infused water to help you get past the cravings.
10. Allowing your diet to make you feel miserable
Change can be hard especially when it requires changing your diet even if it is for the better. However, successful weight loss isn’t just about the numbers as your emotional well-being is likewise an important factor to consider. Registered Dietitian, Isabel Smith points out how having an unhappy life will make losing weight very hard on you. If your diet is too rigid that you have to avoid enjoying meals with people you love to the point of making you unhappy, then it might take its toll on your mental health and stop you from achieving your goals.
What you should be making a habit out of instead is pairing happiness with weight loss by surrounding yourself with satisfying relationships. Your positive connections should be composed of supportive loved ones who make you feel good enough to help you succeed while you are enjoying meals with them. Overall, the goal is not only physical change but holistic transformation and your current diet should be able to support this.
Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, Liift 4, 21 Day FIX®, Body Beast, Insanity, P90X®, 21 Day Fix Extreme, T25 and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!
