They say God is in the details…and so is weight loss. While we make all sorts of big plans (‘Join a gym! Quit junkfood! Never even look at a chocolate cake again!’) we forgot about those little habits that can sneak in 300, 500, even 1,000 calories without us even noticing. The good news is that if we conquer these habits, we shed pounds faster and even easier. Go through this list and see how many calories you save!
Skipping meals
This often happens to busy people. We miss the alarm, so we skip breakfast and end up scarfing down a huge lunch because we’re so ravenous. Or, we get so caught up at work that we don’t realize it’s 3 pm and haven’t had anything to eat the whole day.
Skipping meals slows down your metabolism. Your body gets so used to erratic eating schedules that it stores all calories like a miser, unsure of when you’ll remember to feed it once again. Plus, if you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything—and in triple, quadruple portions. Your body will also be weak that you’ll naturally crave sugary foods, which give quicker bursts of energy (and then lead to a sugar crash).
The best habit is to eat once every four hours (try these low calorie snacks). This will help improve your metabolism and control your cravings.
Don’t eat too fast
It takes at least 15 minutes for your brain to realize that it’s full. So by the time you realize you’ve had enough, you’ve already gone overboard (and probably feel sluggish and guilty, which isn’t fun at all!).
The trick is to eat more slowly. This not only lets you enjoy and savor your food, you will become more attuned to your body and how much you really need to eat. Dieting isn’t about depriving yourself, after all—it’s about eating the best food in the best amounts.
Don’t eat while doing something else
Most of us multi-taskers are used to grabbing a bite while working at the computer, watching TV, or even driving (not the smartest thing you should do, by the way—you could end up seriously hurting yourself or somebody else). But here’s the deal: unconscious eating gives no real pleasure or satisfaction. (To put it crudely but accurately, it’s like having sex without a real orgasm.) It also leads to overeating, because you’re not really watching what you’re eating.
Smartest and easiest habit to make: only eat at a table, and when you eat, just eat.
You watch the scale too much
Weighing yourself too much everyday can lead to frustration and discouragement. But pounds can fluctuate depending on the time of the month or even how much water you drank that day. And, experts say again and again that it’s not the pounds but the inches that matter: you may even gain weight, as you gain muscle mass. Plus, some o the best benefits of a healthy diet are not seen, but felt. You’ll experience a burst in energy levels, lower risk or heart disease and cancer, and better stress management. Limit your date with the scale to once a week.
You don’t get enough sleep
All those late nights will wreak havoc on your appetite levels. Your body tends to overproduce ghrelin, which increases appetite, and lowers leptin, which suppresses appetite. So you feel hungry even if you’re not!
Get at least eight hours of sleep, or if that’s not possible, squeeze power naps in the middle of the day.
Photo from topnews.ae