HABIT 1: Poor Preparation
Be prepared. Having a refrigerator and pantry stocked with the right
foods -- lean proteins, whole-grain carbohydrates, fruits, non-starchy
vegetables and healthy fats -- means you'll be prepared to eat what you should
when you should. Similarly, entering a restaurant armed with a plan will keep
you on the right track when dining out.
Preparation also means knowing your cravings and having healthy
alternatives on hand to curb them, says Molly Kimball, a nutrition writer and
registered dietician in New Orleans. If sweets are your weakness, for example,
keep fresh fruits or single-serve, sugar-free pudding cups on hand to satisfy
your sweet tooth without taking a huge caloric hit.
HABIT 2: Not Drinking
Enough Water
Drinking the right amount of water promotes overall health, from skin,
bones and joints to the digestive system, memory and brain function. But
Kimball says proper hydration can also help when you're concerned about weight.
"Fatigue is one of the first signs of mild dehydration,"
Kimball said. "A lot of people misinterpret that sluggish feeling as
hunger, and they eat to boost energy."
The impact of hydration on weight loss, however, goes beyond the
prevention of misinterpreted body messages. A study published in the November
2008 issue of "Obesity" showed a definite association between
increased water intake and increased weight loss. In another study, its results
presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, researchers from
Virginia Tech confirmed that dieters who drink two 0.4litre of water before
their three daily meals lose about 2.5 kg more than dieters who do not drink
pre-meal water.
So how much water is the right amount? Different bodies need different
amounts of water. A good guideline is to divide your weight in half and drink that
number of ounces per day. So a 180-lb. person would shoot for 90 oz. That is a
81kg person going for 2.66 liter
HABIT 3: Not Getting Enough
Protein
People who get too much of their daily caloric intake from carbohydrates
are going to have a hard time losing weight. Kimball recommends including a
source of protein with every meal. The body uses twice as much energy
processing protein as it does carbohydrates and fat, meaning when you eat
protein, your body actually burns more calories digesting it.
Low-fat meats such as skinless chicken, pork tenderloin, lean cuts of
beef and ground turkey and seafood are excellent sources of protein. Kimball
says you can also sneak protein into your meals in the form of eggs, cheese,
peanut butter, nuts, Greek yogurt, or low-sugar protein bars and powders.
HABIT 4: Consuming Too Many
Liquid Calories
Calories that enter your body in liquid form are inefficient calories.
They count against your daily total, but they don't make you feel full. Kimball
advises against drinking your calories.
"No fruit juice, soft drinks or sports drinks," Kimball said.
Instead, drink water, tea or coffee without sugar. If you must have
sweetened drinks, Kimball has no problem with sugar-free soft drinks or
low-calorie powdered flavored beverages.
Liquid calories often come in the form of alcoholic beverages, and those
should be limited, too. If you can't do without, Kimball recommends sticking
with wine, light beer, or liquor with a noncaloric mixer like water, club soda
or diet soda. Women should limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day, and
men should stop at two.
HABIT 5: Not Getting Enough
Sleep
You don't even need to be conscious to work on losing weight. Getting
the right amount of sleep seems to be a major factor in achieving and
maintaining a healthy weight.
A study released in 2006 by researchers at Case Western Reserve
University tracked the weight and sleeping habits of 68,000 women over 16
years. The women who reported sleeping five hours or less nightly weighed an
average of 5.5 lbs. more than the women who slept seven hours or more at the
start of the study.
The reason is hormones, specifically leptin and ghrelin. Separate
studies conducted by the University of Chicago and Stanford University
suggested that sleep deprivation causes a reduction in leptin levels, while
also causing ghrelin levels to rise. High ghrelin stimulates the appetite,
while low leptin makes you feel unsatisfied after eating, leaving you hungrier
during your waking hours and, likely, heavier.
HABIT 6: Skipping Breakfast
It can be hard to make time for breakfast during the rush to get out the
door in the morning, but if you're interested in losing weight or keeping it
off, you should make the effort to fit it in. Breakfast kick-starts your
metabolism, forcing it to begin burning calories.
But many people simply don't have an appetite first thing in the
morning. Kimball says that's fine -- just make sure you eat something within
the first two hours of waking.
She says the perfect breakfast combines complex carbohydrates with
protein and a bit of healthy fat. Try two scrambled eggs with a slice of
whole-grain toast, a cup of Greek yogurt with a handful of berries and chopped
nuts stirred in, or a bowl of oatmeal topped with berries and a splash of skim
milk with two slices of center-cut bacon on the side. If you're usually in a
rush in the morning, stock up on low-sugar protein bars and have breakfast
during your morning commute.
HABIT 7: Poor Record
Keeping
You want to lose weight, and you've been trying to maintain a healthy
diet, but the pounds are not coming off. The problem may be that you're eating
more than you think. A food diary can be an effective solution.
"Write down everything that goes in your mouth," Wynne said.
According to Wynne, the act of recording what you consume in a food
diary is effective on multiple levels. First, you get the full picture of your
daily caloric intake -- it's impossible to forget the handful of candy-coated
chocolates you eat every time you pass your co-worker's candy jar if it's right
there in black and white. Knowing you'll have to write it down might make you
reconsider that late-night bowl of ice cream. Also, once you've kept your diary
for a while, you'll probably begin to notice patterns -- like a caloric uptick
every time you have dinner at your uncle's house -- enabling you to make
adjustments for particular situations.
How you record your daily food intake is a matter of preference. Some
prefer an old-fashion pen and notepad, while others choose to use one of the
many food diary applications available online.
HABIT 8: Not Lifting
Weights
You will not achieve your weight-loss goals easily through diet and
cardio alone. A regimen that combines weight training and cardiovascular
training optimizes the ability to shed weight.
Studies have demonstrated a significant relationship between resistance
training and weight loss. While both weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise
burn calories and boost the metabolism, cardio only raises the metabolism
during the exercise and for a short time after. Weightlifting, however,
increases metabolism during the exercise and for a long time after. This
"afterburn" -- the continued burning of calories from lifting weights
after the training session has ended -- can last for hours, even days.
During the recuperation period, the muscle metabolism is still burning
energy, and that's when it's time to perform cardiovascular activities.
Combining low-repetition exercises (weightlifting) with high-repetition
cardiovascular exercise will stress muscles in a complementary way to increase the
total fat-burning effect.
HABIT 9: Throwing in the
Towel
Cut yourself some slack. It's one of the most important things you can
do when you're trying to lose weight. Missteps happen. You succumb to a craving
and have an unhealthy lunch. Forgive yourself for it and get back to your plan
right away.
"If you blow a meal, it is not a free pass to blow the rest of the
day," Wynne said.
Those who give up for the rest of the day, week, month or year due to a
momentary setback will never achieve lasting weight loss. Mistakes happen, and
the weight-loss battle is won and lost by how you respond to those mistakes.
The best way to do it, Wynne says, is to forgive yourself for the lapse in
willpower and move on at once, immediately resuming your healthy lifestyle.
Healthy Habits for a
Healthy Life
If you see yourself in any of these 10 habits that make you fat, the
best time to start changing them is right now. For every bad habit, there's a
good habit. And the only way to turn healthy choices into healthy habits is repetition.
So start shedding your unhealthy habits, and you'll be shedding weight soon
enough.
