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Sep 17, 2014|Health & Fitness, Health Tips, Weight Loss

Habits That Make and Keep You Fat

weight loss failure

Can’t seem to figure out why all those hours at the gym aren’t paying off or why all those “low-fat” foods and diet sodas aren’t helping shrink your waistline? Perhaps you’re doing one of these 20 habits that make you fat without even realizing it.

The author of Eat This, Not That, David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding, wrote about the 20 habits that you need to pitch if you really want to lose the weight in their article ” 20 Habits that Make You Fat ” on Yahoo! Health.

Here are the 20 fat habits you need to replace right now if you want to lose weight.

  1. Eating “Low-Fat” Foods. Sure they save you some calories but they also replace harmless fats with low-performing carbohydrates that digest quickly causing a sugar rush and insulin surge.
  2. Not Seeking Nutritional Advice. Seek the advice of the nutritionally knowledgeable in the same way you’d seek law advice from an attorney or home insurance advice from your insurance agent
  3. Sleeping Too Much or Too Little. Shoot for an average of 6-7 hours of sleep each night. This is the optimal amount for weight control.
  4. Eating Free Restaurant Foods. Sure those breadsticks, biscuits or chips and salsa might taste delicious but these free restaurant foods are fantastic for adding bulge to your waistline. None of these calories have any redeeming nutritional value so avoid eating them.
  5. Drinking Soda – Even Diet. Drinking 1 to 2 sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight by 33%. And diet soda isn’t any better. Compared to non-soda drinkers, diet soda drinks waistlines increased 5 times faster.
  6. Skipping Meals. 17% of Americans admitted to skipping meals to lose weight. Not good. Skipping meals actually increases your odds of obesity.
  7. Eating Too Quickly. It takes 20 minutes for your body to catch up to your eating and alert you that you are full. Scarfing down your food in less than 20 minutes increases your odds of overeating and packing on the pounds.
  8. Watching Too Much TV. In a study by the University of Vermont, participants who reduced their TV time by just 50% burned an extra 119 calories a day on average. So turn off the TV, get off your butt and burn those extra calories.
  9. Ordering the Meal Combo. Making it a meal means making your waistline expand. Bundling your food items in a meal usually means you’re not opting for healthy choices but choices that are laden in unhealthy calories.
  10. Facing the Buffet. If you eat at a buffet, face away from the food. This helps you not fixate on the food so you don’t overindulge.
  11. Eating Off Larger Plates. Large plates equate to more food, more calories, and more body fat. Keep your portions in check by using smaller plates.
  12. Putting Serving Dishes on the Table. It’s a lot harder to opt for seconds, thirds and fourths if the serving plates on the table. Keep them off the table and keep your calories per meal in check.
  13. Choosing White Bread. Whole grains are far more nutritionally packed than white bread plus in a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when obese subjects incorporated whole grains into their diets they lost more abdominal fat over the course of 12 weeks.
  14. Taking Big Bites. Big bites equal to more food consumption. Cut food into smaller pieces so you can increase your satiety and enjoy your food more thoroughly. Smaller bites equal smaller waistline.
  15. Not Drinking Enough Water. Water is essential for your body to function. You can also drink 1-2 glasses of water before meals to feel fuller quicker. Doing so helps you reduce the odds of overeating
  16. Having Overweight Friends. When a friend becomes obese your chance of obesity increases by 57%, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Don’t ditch your overweight friends, just get in the habit of doing healthy activities with them.
  17. Eating Too Late. Your body burns fat while you’re sleeping but only if it isn’t too busy processing a full stomach.
  18. Not Using a Scale. Consistently looking at your body weight reinforces your weight loss goals and makes it difficult to cheat while on your diet. Know your weight and weigh regularly.
  19. Drinking the Fruity Beverages. Most fresh fruit drink recipes have been replaced by fruit syrups packed in high-fructose corn syrup. General rule – stay away from fruity beverages.
  20. Eating When Emotional. A University of Alabama study discovered that those who admitted to eating because of emotional stress were 13 times more likely to be overweight or obese. If you’re an emotional eater, try to find a healthier alternative to dealing with your emotions. Instead of turning to food, try strength training, playing a sport or treating yourself to a spa day or massage.

drinking water

Do You Know of Any Other Habits That Have Contributed to Your Excess Pounds or Ability to Lose Weight?

For more information on each of these fat habits and for research findings, read the full article by David Zinczenko.

20 Habits that Make You Fat

And for more information on how you can lose weight through a medical weight loss program that has helped hundreds of Central Florida residents lose their excess weight, call Calla Slimspa today. 407-644-7546

Photo courtesy of Mindless Eating in Front of the TV

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