Sometimes small changes can make the biggest impact on your weight loss journey. Are you eating healthy and working out but not seeing the results you want? These 10 bad habits could be the culprit. These bad habits can be ingrained and secretly causing those pounds to pack on, or become impossible to lose. Change your habits to change your life!
1. Eating in Front of the TV
Eating on the couch while watching television makes it very difficult to monitor calories and portions. Try to eat your dinner on a plate, at the table. Finish your meal and then put away the food to avoid overeating or mindless snacking.
2. Not Drinking Enough Water
Often dehydration can be disguised as hunger. If you are feeling hungry all the time, your body may be needing water – not food. Make sure to drink around 3L of water a day to stay hydrated and feel full.
3. Skipping Breakfast
Make sure to eat something healthy first thing in the morning to jump start your metabolism. Skipping breakfast makes you more likely to eat extra throughout the day. Stick to eating breakfast foods low in sugar and high in protein and fiber.
4. Topping Healthy Food with Unhealthy Toppings
Eating a salad for lunch is great…but as soon as you start adding high calorie dressings, croutons, and cheese on top….it’s not so healthy any more. Be careful with toppings that can turn your salad from a healthy meal to one with lots of empty calories.
5. Missing the Protein
Protein rich foods break down slowly and keep you feeling full longer. If your diet is low in protein, you may feel hungry more often. Starchy carbs and high sugar foods cause blood sugar to spike but then hungry will set in again very soon. Stick to low glycemic foods with protein to keep you full and satisfied.
6. Lack of Sleep
When we are tired and sleep deprived – sugar and caffeine are the first things we reach for. Make sure you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night to avoid sugar cravings.
7. Excessive Eating Out
Eating out is such a fun way to spend time with friends and family…but unfortunately it is also an easy way to rack up extra calories. Alcoholic drinks, fried appetizers, big portions and giant desserts are just a few of the roadblocks when eating out. Try to limit eating out to once a week to have more control over your food choices.
8. Not Writing it Down
If you want to lose weight and you are not writing down what you eat…this is definitely a great thing to try. Often just keeping track of what you eat and the calories can be eye opening. Keep a food journal or use an app such as My Fitness Pal to track your food and help you make good choices.
9. Unhealthy Snacking
Healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts, or vegetables and humus are great to eat throughout the day. Candy bars, sodas, and the occasional donut people bring into the office…not so much. Be careful with your snacking because these high snacks can add up over time.
10. Overeating at Night
One of the things I hear all the time from my clients is, “I do great eating healthy during the day, but then at night it all goes down hill.” It is easier to stick to a healthy routine during the day when you are busy and at work – but then at night when you are relaxing….in comes the chips and queso. Be careful with nighttime eating. Plan to eat a healthy dinner and then make it a rule that you do not eat ANYTHING afterwards.
These are some of the big struggles that many people face when dealing with weight loss. Some of these habits may seem impossible to change, but if you work with addressing a few each week – in time you can get them ALL under control! Just take things one step at a time, and remember that baby steps is still progress and that is all we need. One day at a time!
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