9 Bad Eating Habits and How to Break Them
Overeating and weight gain are caused by more than just a lack of willpower. It's sometimes that sneaky bad habit you picked up without even realizing it, like rushing out the door without breakfast some mornings or munching chips while watching your favorite TV show. The next thing you know, one small bad habit has added up to a significant amount of weight gain. Worst of all, you may not even be aware of what you're doing to your diet.
Here are some easy solutions for some of the most common dietary and lifestyle habits that can lead to weight gain.
The Bad Habit: Mindless Eating
Brian Wansink, Ph.D., a Cornell University food psychologist, found that the bigger the plate or bowl you eat from, the more food you consume unconsciously. Wansink discovered in a recent study that moviegoers who were given extra-large containers of stale popcorn ate 45 percent more than those who ate fresh popcorn from smaller containers carrying the same amount.
The Solution: Choose smaller plates to eat from. Try using a salad plate instead of your big dinner plate, and never eat directly from a container or package.
The Bad Habit: Nighttime Noshing
According to diet lore, eating late at night is almost never a good idea if you're trying to lose weight. Despite the fact that many experts believe this old adage is a myth, a new animal study supports the notion that it's not just what you eat, but also when you eat that matters. Mice fed high-fat meals during the day (when these nocturnal animals should have been sleeping) gained significantly more weight than mice fed the same diet at night, according to Northwestern University researchers.
The Fix: Is this a diet take-out joint? After dinner, tell yourself that the kitchen is closed for the night and brush your teeth — a freshly cleaned mouth will make you want to eat less.
The Bad Habit: Endless Snacking
Snacking around the clock, often on high-calorie meals high in empty carbs, is a bad habit that many people have. It's not just a problem for adults, according to a recent study from the University of North Carolina: kids are snacking more and more on unhealthy junk food like salty chips, soda, and candy.
According to Jessica Crandall, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, keep only healthy snacks within reaches, such as hummus, carrots and cucumber slices, air-popped popcorn, yogurt, and almonds. Don't keep potato chips or cookies on your desk or in your pantry that you know you'll eat.
The Bad Habit: Skipping Breakfast
You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but you may decide that you don't have time to eat because you have so many other things to do. When you skip meals, your metabolism slows down, according to Crandall, and breakfast gives you the boost of energy you need to get through the day. You'll probably overeat later if you don't get this fuel. Over a two-year period, Chinese schoolchildren who skipped breakfast gained significantly more weight than those who ate a morning meal, according to a new study.
The Solution: Have healthy breakfast meals on hand that you can eat on the go, according to Crandall. If you're short on time, go for easy foods like whole fruit, yogurt, homemade cereal bars, and smoothies.
The Bad Habit: Emotional Eating
You've had a bad day at work, so when you get home, you open the refrigerator and eat something unhealthy — not a good diet strategy. Crandall explains, “You put food in your mouth as a coping mechanism.” A number of studies show that people's feelings, both positive and negative, can cause them to eat more than they should, which is a common weight-loss roadblock.
The Solution, according to Crandall, is to find a new stress reliever. “If you're stressed out at work, go for a walk instead of eating or call a sympathetic friend when you get home "she proposes "You can let off steam and relieve some of your stress.” You can do whatever you want as long as it takes you away from the kitchen.
The Bad Habit: Eating Too Quickly
Whether you're snacking or eating a meal, wolfing down your food doesn't give your brain time to catch up with your stomach. It takes 15 to 20 minutes for your brain to register that you're full until you've started eating. If you consume your meal in less than 10 minutes, you may consume much more than you need. Japanese researchers discovered that eating too quickly was strongly linked to being overweight in a study of 3,200 men and women.
The Solution: To eat more slowly, place your fork down between bites, take smaller bites, and chew each bite thoroughly. Additionally, drinking water during your meal will assist you in slowing down and feeling fuller.
The Bad Habit: Not Getting Enough Sleep
Is it possible that not getting enough sleep would sabotage your weight-loss efforts? Yes, according to a recent study conducted by Tokyo researchers. Men and women who slept five hours or less per night were found to be more likely to gain weight than those who slept seven hours or more per night.
The Solution: Create a daily routine for yourself, and try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, even on weekends. Keep the room dark and cozy, and avoid watching TV or using computers for at least an hour before going to bed. If you need more incentive to go to bed early, keep in mind that the better you sleep, the better the number on the scale will be in the morning.
The Bad Habit: Vegging Out With Video Games
If you're watching TV, sitting in front of a computer, or playing video games, you don't just have to worry about mindless snacking in front of the screen. According to a new study, teenagers who spent one-hour playing video games ate more the rest of the day, resulting in weight gain. The researchers aren't sure why boys who play video games eat more, but they believe that sitting in front of a computer all day could have a similar effect on adults, leading to snacking.
The Solution: Take frequent breaks from your computer — every 15 to 30 minutes, get up and walk around the room or office. When the workday or your favorite TV show is over, remember to keep track of what you eat so you don't overeat.
The Bad Habit: Eating Junk Food
You already know that junk food is bad for your waistline, but the effect could be even worse. Several animal studies have discovered that high-fat, high-sugar foods are addictive to rats' brains, similar to cocaine or heroin. Another study discovered that eating comfort food actually makes people feel happy.
The Solution: According to Crandall, eliminating your favorite indulgences from your diet would only make you crave them more. The key to weight loss success is to figure out what you really want and then eat it in moderation as special treats rather than every day.
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