Dear Friend,
Weight gain has always been a hot topic. Every day you hear about a new pill, exercise program, or superfood that promises to help you get rid of the excess weight. Unfortunately, losing weight isn’t as simple as reaching out for a miracle anything. Just as it takes months and years to put on the weight it takes the same amount of time to drop it.
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If you’re pretty impatient about shedding your unwanted pounds, you may not have liked that answer—but sadly, it’s the truth.
It takes plenty of work to lose weight, but it’s even harder to reach your weight loss goals if you are continuously taking part in habits that contribute to weight gain. What I’m trying to say is, even if you are doing one right thing to lose weight and at the same time doing another 10 things that promote weight gain, how are you supposed to achieve the desired results and finally rid yourself of that weight?
If you’ve embarked on a healthier lifestyle of a balanced diet and exercise, but haven’t seen the expected results on the scale (and in the mirror) then you may unintentionally be sabotaging your own weight loss efforts by these small but harmful lifestyle and eating habits.
In this post, you will discover some common lifestyle habits that are making you gain weight without your slightest suspicion. And in two weeks, you will learn about some diet-specific habits contributing to weight gain. (Trust me, it’s much more than eating unhealthy foods.)
By recognizing and changing these lifestyle habits, you can have greater success of losing those lingering five pounds—in partnership with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Lifestyle habits that contribute to weight gain
1.You’re constantly running late. This keeps your stress levels high which, in turn, can slow down your metabolism.
2.You don’t have a snack drawer, so you run off to a vending machine or convenience store and often choose high-fat and high-sugar foods.
3.You don’t drink enough water—which means you often mistake thirst for hunger.
4.You stay up late. This increases the level of hunger hormones.
5.You watch cooking competition shows and replicate the recipes, which are often high in fat and calories.
6.All of your celebrations are centered around food. Try finding healthier ways to celebrate life’s joyful moments, preferably something that involves burning calories.
7.You skip meals, meaning your calorie intake is lower—which can promote muscle loss and slow down your metabolism. This results in less fat burning.
8.You spend too much time sitting. Try getting up at least once every hour.
9.You don’t weigh yourself. Although the number on the scale may be scary, it can actually serve as a motivator to stick to your weight loss plan.
10.You don’t use self-checkout when grocery shopping. When you wait in line, you’re more likely to buy the snacks displayed around the cash register. These snacks aren’t present at self-checkout.
11.You’re addicted to social media. Constantly viewing images of other people in bikinis looking fit is actually detrimental to your own body image and weight loss goals. Furthermore, staying up late scrolling through social media translates into unhealthy late-night snacking.
12.You constantly dress up for work, but here’s a bizarre finding: Employees who wear jeans rather than suits and skirts tend to walk an additional 500 steps a day.
13.You shop for groceries using a basket instead of a cart. Regardless of how many items you need to buy, studies have shown carrying a heavy basket leads to a higher risk of purchasing unhealthy foods, compared to putting grocery items in a cart.
14.You hang out with other people who are unfit. You may not think your friends’ unhealthy habits can rub off on you, but they can. Studies have shown that eating with larger people makes you eat more calories than you normally would.
15.You don’t take the stairs and opt for escalators or elevators.
As you can see, these habits are very simple and probably make up a part of your daily routine, but unfortunately, by following these habits you are slowly adding on more pounds without realizing. Changing these lifestyle habits can get you started on the weight loss goals you’ve been wanting to achieve.
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As mentioned, part two will arrive in two weeks and will look at food and diet habits that are helping you put on the pounds.
Until next time,
Emily Lunardo
Emily Lunardo studied medical sociology at York University with a strong focus on the social determinants of health and mental illness. She is a registered Zumba instructor, as well as a Canfit Pro trainer, who teaches fitness classes on a weekly basis. Emily practices healthy habits in her own life as well as helps others with their own personal health goals. Emily joined Bel Marra Health as a health writer in 2013.
