If you’re exercising and leading an active lifestyle, you should be hitting your goals for weight loss or staying in shape. But if you’re not seeing the results you’d hoped for, despite your best fitness efforts, it could be due to the little habits you’ve developed without even being aware. It’s always the little details that yield big results. Read ahead for some seemingly innocent habits that could be contributing to your weight gain.
5 Habits That Are Wrecking Your Diet
- Skipping Breakfast – It may seem like a good idea at first, cutting back on calories and only grabbing a coffee or tea to start the day. But skipping breakfast will only lead to snacking mid-morning or splurging on a bigger lunch. Instead, begin your day with a satisfying breakfast and make it hearty if you need to. There are more hours in the day to burn off breakfast than lunch or dinner. Plus you’ll eat more balanced portions at lunch and snack less throughout the morning.
- Eating Lunch at Your Desk – Many people eat lunch while they work in an effort to save time. But the fact is that eating while focusing on your computer, whether you’re really working or just catching up on daily news, will likely lead to overeating. If you’re distracted and not paying attention to your food, you won’t be paying attention to hunger cues either. Step away from your desk, even for ten minutes, and pay attention to what you’re putting in your mouth.
- Watching TV During Dinner – Just like lunch, if you’re parking yourself in front of the TV when dinner time rolls around, chances are you’ll be overeating and taking in more calories than your body really needs, even if you’re dining on healthy food. If you’re overlooking your body’s natural hunger cues and only filling it out of habit, you’re likely to increase your intake to levels that just aren’t necessary or healthy. Instead, set aside some time for a peaceful meal, enjoy the flavors and colors, and eat only what you really need.
- Snacking Between Meals – Snacking between lunch and dinner may seem innocent enough if it’s a small amount, but a few small bites here and another few nibbles there may lead to a whole lot of extra food intake. If you need to have a snack to make it between meals, set aside a particular time (10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., for example) and only eat during those times – and be aware of what you eat when you do. Choose some healthy, but filling snacks, like nuts, berries and veggies, to satisfy your hunger without throwing away all your good efforts.
- Drinking Your Calories – Often times, we forget that liquids take up calories, too. Having wine, for example, may be an easy dinner habit, but don’t forget that a couple of glasses will easily fill high caloric values (one glass, on average, contains 123 calories). Sodas and juices are also filled with tons of sugars and fillers that your body could really do without. If you are craving flavor and/or carbonation, try sparkling water, which often come with 0-calorie flavor options.
