There are so many people like you who haven’t been able to maintain their physique despite their best efforts. Every time you look in the mirror, you feel there’s so much to be done to get better! You are always fighting that seemingly unending battle where you keep switching between getting in shape and then faltering back and becoming overweight. There is one factor that could be the culprit behind this – bad habits. Those bad habits which you have followed for years and have remained here for long!
So what are these bad habits that you should kick out of your life? These 5 habits are the worst of the lot, and there is a very good chance that you could be a victim of them.
1. You Are Excessively Stressed Most of the Time
It is well known that stress has a big impact on our metabolism. So when you are stressed, your mind and body start craving for more and more food. When you have a problem and you are stressed, you find ways to deal with it. And eating is one of the most common of these ways. The results can be devastating for your health. So make sure that you get relief from stress to eliminate your cravings.
2. Habit of Skipping Meals
It is one of the biggest misconceptions of our time that you can lose weight and by eating less. What most of us don’t know that even if we skip meals and stick to just one meal a day, our body is going to try and get all the essential fats and nutrients from it.
Thus, the effects of skipping meals can be too bad!
Then we have almost a trend-like thing where many people simply skip their breakfast. The fact of the matter is that breakfast is your most crucial meal!
So, if you skip your breakfast to lose weight, what is going to happen is that you will keep eating more and more throughout the day!
The best thing you should do is to follow this formula:
– Eat 5 small-portion meals per day
– Don’t eat anything after 8 pm
Your meal-skipping idea could be a cause why you are unable to lose weight.
3. Eating your Food Too Fast
The old people used to say that we should chew our food slowly and fully before it is swallowed. They had a good reason for it too. If you have the habit of eating your food too fast, you are giving invitations to long-term problems and being overweight could be one of them.
The old say that you must chew your food 30-40 times before it swallowed down. Many have doubted this method, but it has been found that it is the most effective method for eating food.
Our body requires around 30 minutes for digesting food and realizing that that we are full. Don’t hurry with it and go slow about it. The more time you take, the less food you will consume, thus helping you with weight loss.
4. Depriving Your Body of Sleep
When you stay up late, it can play havoc with your hormones, causing imbalance. The two hormones which are specifically targeted are ghrelin and leptin.
Our body needs ghrelin for stimulating hunger, and leptin for to send the signal to the brain that you are full. But when there’s sleep deprivation, they are not able to do their normal function for maintaining your health. When you wake up late, you must have noticed that you need to eat more. So make sure that you get your minimum of 7 hours of sleep daily.
5. Taking Excess Caffeine
When you take excess caffeine, it can significantly increase the production of stress hormones. The stress hormone is called cortisol. The stress hormone increases cravings for foods containing high amounts of fats and sugar. In other words, drinking more caffeine will indirectly cause weight gain. So the next time you drink caffeine, you should know that it can bring harm even while keeping you awake.
6. Consuming Excess Processed Foods
You could be overweight because of all the processed foods you are consuming. They are loaded with fats and sugar and offer no benefits at all. If you are eating cakes, chips, cookies and frozen foods, you are getting all the calories which are causing weight gain. If you start avoiding processed foods, you will start noticing significant changes in your weight and on the mirror.
7. You are Not Drinking Enough Water
Another reason you are unable to lose weight is because you are not drinking enough water. Water is without doubt the most basic of your body’s needs, but its alarming that so many people are not bothered about getting enough of it.
Many people think that they could drink beverages in place of water. But this is contributing only to further weight gain. When you drink at least 2 liters of water daily, your metabolism becomes faster. Another way it benefits you is by making you feel fuller for longer.
In fact, there are some other health benefits too. Water helps in minimizing the risk of headaches and heart attack. It also helps in detoxifying your body.
8. Spending All Your Shopping Time in the Centre Aisle
This is where grocery stores keep all their processed foods and drinks. Stop shopping here! This one step is going to bring big changes in your weight-loss mission. You will no longer be putting in the unhealthy foods and drinks into your body.
You should start getting rid of one or more of these bad habits and your weight-loss plan will start taking off the ground. Adding a few exercises into it can further help speed up weight loss.
Source: Family Health Freedom Network