Bad habits. Everyone has them. But did you know there are some bad habits that stop you losing weight?
If you are trying to lose weight but don’t seem to be able to, it could be down to some bad habits. You might not even be aware that you have them, but these bad habits could be stopping you from achieving your weight loss goal.
Luckily bad habits can be changed. It might take a bit of extra effort, but it is possible. When it comes to weight loss, it’s essential.
10 Bad Habits That Stop You Losing Weight
To help keep you on track and motivated with your weight loss goal, we’ve rounded up the 10 most common bad habits and ways to get rid of them as you may have at least one of these bad habits that stop you from losing weight.
1. Snacking
The odd snack here and there may only feel like a light bite but these extra bites tend to add up pretty quickly, and soon enough you can add hundreds of extra calories a day to your diet. That’s the equivalent of inviting an extra ½ pound to your waistline every week. Snacking on unhealthy foods is one of the bad habits that can hurt your weight loss goals. Try to stay on track by reaching for healthier and more nutritious foods - our favorite snack is frozen blueberries!
One way to get rid of this bad habit is to keep a food journal. By tracking what you eat, you can avoid thoughtless snacking. Or if you do feel like snacking, grab a glass of water. More often than not, we can mistake dehydration with hunger, and so we would always recommend having some water.
2. Eating Fast Food
It’s cheap. It’s easy. And for most people, it’s a way of life. However, fast food is one of the worst habits to have when it comes to weight loss. For starters, the ingredients are frightening and the nutritional value is barely measurable. There’s nothing good that comes from fast food if you’re trying to lose weight. Even if fast food is a weekly treat for you and your family, it all adds up eventually.
Finding the willpower to avoid fast food is difficult. The best advice for trying to avoid fast food is preparation and planning, as often fast food is bought as it is convenient. Why not keep some healthy exante products in your car just in case you are ever tempted when driving by a drive-thru?
3. Distracted Eating
I’m sure we can all be guilty of passively eating at times, perhaps you are at your desk at work or watching TV while you eat. Unfortunately this type of distracted eating may add to weight gain as it can prompt you to eat more. If you don’t pay attention while you are eating, you are not savoring your food and controlling your intake.
Overall, try and be mindful while you eat, mindfulness includes noticing the colors, smells, flavors and textures of your food. It also means avoiding distractions like the television or working on your laptop.
4. Eating Too Quickly
Eating too quickly can often lead to overeating and weight gain. Your brain needs time to process signals of fullness. It can often take 20 minutes for the brain to realize you're full, so if you eat a meal quickly in 5 minutes, you may still feel hungry and react by grabbing another portion or making a dessert which can lead to weight gain!
We'd recommend slowing down the pace in which you eat, make sure you really chew your food and breathe between mouthfuls, maybe eat with a smaller fork or spoon, drink water in between bites, or perhaps even try eating with your non-dominant hand!
5. Skipping Breakfast
For most people, mornings are busy and fast-paced. Skipping breakfast seems like an easy way to save some time. However, your body needs fuel in the morning to kick-start your metabolism, raise your blood sugar and set you on a better path to weight loss success.
If time is an issue, trying making a meal replacement shake for breakfast. They’re quick, easy and tasty. Our shakes are full of vitamins and minerals, it’s even got extra enzymes to help digestion and there are no artificial ingredients.
6. Drinking Calories
Alcohol is just one of many ‘drinking problems’ you need to be aware of. Soda, juices and other drinks can often be full of empty calories and they can be lacking any nutritional value also.
To avoid the wrong drink choices, you need to change your mindset about water. Don’t think of it as a boring drink. Think of it as a super drink that is going to help benefit your skin, hair, nails and weight loss also. Buy a cute water bottle, set a goal for daily water intake, make sure you always have your water bottle handy and start sipping your way slimmer. Or maybe try the exante Boost drinks, they are our range of tasty low calories weight loss drinks that are formulated with unique appetite controlling ingredients.
7. Forgetting Your Diet At Restaurants
More often than not, when you go to a sit- down restaurant with your family or friends, your diet can be forgotten or temporarily ignored. However, just because you are at a restaurant doesn’t mean you have to pick the naughtiest choice on the menu. It is often a struggle - you see the menu full of amazing and often calorific options and the temptation is just far too great.
Instead, we would strongly recommend, when you decide on a restaurant you are going to, check out their menu online. When your willpower is strong, look through the menu beforehand and rationally decide on what sounds tasty but also healthy. Choose you menu option, make a note of it, and when you go to the restaurant, don’t even look at the menu, just order your choice. Then the chances of derailing your diet will be decreased. You will still enjoy your tasty dinner option but without the guilt of purging.
8. Emotional Eating
Sad. Stressed. Angry. Lonely. Frustrated. Just a few of the many emotions that make you turn to food to fill that emotional void. But filling that void with food won’t last and once the ‘food high’ wears off, you’ll find yourself back where you started and ready to begin the vicious cycle again. Emotional eating is one of the bad habits that stop you losing weight as it often leads to over-eating and binge eating a variety of unhealthy food.
Breaking free of emotional eating can give a big boost to your weight loss goals but it’s easier said than done. You need to think of different coping strategies when emotions start to take over. Usually, if you try to be active, it can often take your mind off your stress or anger, for example. We would recommend going for a run, trying yoga, calling a friend, or cleaning, etc.
9. Not Getting Enough Sleep
You need adequate amounts of sleep to help keep your hunger hormones in check. A lack of sleep can often lead to bad habits that stop you losing weight. Even though you can function on too little sleep it doesn’t mean that you should. When you’re sleep deprived, your hormones will change and cause an increase in appetite.
To get more sleep, try going to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning…even at weekends! A routine can help to prepare your brain for sleep.
10. Going To The Grocery Store Hungry
When you are hungry and surrounded by aisles of tempting food it is very easy to be derailed from your diet. When you feel your tummy rumble, high-calorie foods may be more tempting than usual which then can facilitate an array of bad habits that stop you losing weight. Luckily, this habit is easy to break.
All you need to do is ensure you eat before you go to the grocery store so that you won’t be tempted to indulge in food that is lacking in nutritional value and that is high in sugar, calories and fats.
Get Rid Of Those Bad Habits That Stop You Losing Weight
Busting these bad habits that stop you losing weight will take a little bit of learning and a lot of self-control, but it will be worth it in the end.
It’s important to remember that your bad habits are only habits. They’re not you and they’re not permanent unless you let them be.
If you want to see success, pick one habit to work on at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself by taking on too many life changes at a time. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight and the same goes for diet and behavior changes. They happen slowly and steadily and that’s just the way it should be if you want to see permanent success.
