A list of bad habits that make you fat, and how to get rid of them.
Nowadays there are many different weight loss methods and diets that you can use to lose fat, but the reason these don’t work for many people is due to bad habits. Habits are forms of behavior which are locked into the subconscious mind. In today’s video we will discuss many of these habits and how to get rid of them.
Habit 1 – Lack of Sleep
The body cannot function properly if you do not get enough sleep. Not sleeping effects cortisol levels in the body and causes you to be hungrier. This is a hormone which regulates your appetite.
Solution – Get at least 8 to 9 hours sleep per night. This may involve going to bed earlier, as we often lose sleep when we wake up a few times during the night.
Habit 2 – Unconscious Snacking
Often when we are watching the TV or perhaps YouTube we can be snacking on junk food, and not taking any notice on how much we are eating.
Solution – Be fully conscious when eating any food. Do not let yourself be distracted by television or games when you eat. You will enjoy your food more and be less likely to binge if you keep these activities separated.
Habit 3 – Shopping When Hungry
The modern life style can be very busy and we can often forget to eat before we go food shopping. This can make us more likely to grab high energy junk foods, as our bodies are craving sugar for energy.
Solution – Always enjoy a nutritious meal before going shopping to buy your groceries. You will make much wiser choices with your food when you are not hungry.
Habit 4 – Thinking About Being Fat
The mind has a mysterious way of making us want things that we think about often. Imagining ourselves being fat may cause us to crave more junk food and feel hopeless.
Solution – Begin imagining yourself to be slim and healthy. Do this at least three times per day instead of thinking about being fat. This will motivate you and change your subconscious focus.
Habit 5 – Emotional Hunger
Stress and anxiety can be too major causes of weight gain. We may eat to distract ourselves from the sad feelings which we feel inside our bodies and minds. This also affects cortisol levels and causes cravings.
Solution – Daily meditation. Learning to breathe deeply for 20 minutes a day without performing any other activities, causes stress levels to reduce and anxiety to settle. Over time, this can heal many emotional problems.
Habit 6 – Diet Soda Drinks
Many people believe that drinking diet soda is healthier because it has less calories. However studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners in soda can make you hungrier, and affect the digestion process in a bad way.
Solution – Drink water infused with fruit. You can purchase a water infuser bottle, and add your own choice of fruit. Refrigerate these for 12 hours and then enjoy a tasty yet healthy treat, and avoid soda all together.
Habit 7 – Supersized Meals
Our eyes are often greedier than our stomachs, and we tend to give ourselves too large a portion. The human body does not need vast amounts of foods to be healthy.
Solution – Cut your meals size down by one third (1/3). Begin by separating this on the side of the plate, and only eating two thirds. In time, simply put less food on the plate to begin with. You can also use smaller plates to encourage yourself to serve less.
Habit 8 – Eating Too Fast
It takes 20 minutes for the body to realise that it is full, so we often continue eating even though we do not need any more food. This causes us to eat too many calories.
Solution – Slow down and enjoy every mouthful of food. Enjoy the textures, flavours and be fully present. Do not let yourself become distracted from your food. Take notice of your bodies signals, and you will know when it is time to stop eating.
Habit 9 – Forcing It Down.
During war times, it was important for people to not waste food as this was scarce. Many grandparents who have experienced world war 2 have taught their children never to waste food, so we feel obliged to eat everything on the plate. This is not healthy when you have a constant supply of food.
Solution – The body sends a signal when it is full. You can feel this if you pay attention. Simply stop eating at this point, and do not feel like you must eat everything.
Habit 10 – High Salt Intake.
Eating too much salt to flavour our meals causes the body to store fluids, also known as water retention. This can make us feel bloated and cause high blood pressure.
Solution – Use healthy spices on you meals instead of salt. Black pepper is a common alternative, which is very tasty. You can also use paprika, dried mint, ginger powder and many more healthy spices seen on channel.
Habit 11 – Eating Before Bed
Eating late at night is yet another bad habit, which is usually caused by boredom. You are less active at night therefore the calories are not burnt off, and are stored in fat deposits.
Solution – Try not to eat any food after 7pm at night. This gives the body enough time to metabolise the food before you begin resting. This will also help you to sleep better at night. If you do feel cravings, enjoy a herbal tea.
Habit 12 – Not Drinking Enough Water
It is easy for our minds to trick us into thinking that we are hungry, when we are in fact thirsty. This makes us gain more weight, and the body has a hard time digesting the food.
Solution – Drink a glass of water with every single meal. This will flush out the kidneys and liver, and help your body to break down foods more effectively. Adding ice also helps the metabolism.
Habit 13 – Being Sedentary.
The modern lifestyle allows us the luxury to sit around a lot, and watch television or play video games. Sitting too often causes weight gain because our muscles are not active enough.
Solution – Take the time to walk at least 20 minutes a day, and take regular breaks if you work in an office to stretch the muscles in the body. Moving around causes the muscles to release lipoprotein lipase which helps your body to process fats and sugars.
Habit 14 – Not Eating Breakfast
Many people skip breakfast due to not have enough time in the morning. This causes cravings throughout the day, as the body does not have enough energy to metabolise.
Solution – Eat a balanced breakfast with complex carbohydrates and healthy proteins. Fish, tofu, eggs, bananas and grains, Greek yoghurt and peanut butter are all excellent to start the day. Alternatively, you can make fresh fruit juice with pineapples and apples.
Habit 15 – Avoiding Fat
It is commonly believed that fat foods will cause you to gain weight. However the truth is that natural healthy fats will actually cause your body to slim down and stay healthy.
Solution – Enjoy healthy fats from avocados, flax seeds, cold pressed olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. These are a great source of energy which your body can process.
Putting It All Together
Remember that to get rid of bad habits, it is important to replace them with healthy habits, or else new bad habits will be formed.
It takes 30 days to fully break a habit, and you should never try to change more than 2 at once.
Re-watch the video and find which habits apply to you. Make a list, and work on 1-2 each month, and you will be slim in no time.
Diet and Exercise
There are many different diets available for losing weight. If you wish to keep the fat off, it is important that you replace unhealthy foods with tasty and healthy alternatives. This way your body will get used to the new foods. Eating should be interesting and fun. Be sure to see our channel for some unusual and delicious foods.
Exercise is also recommended to speed up the metabolism. Getting out of breath for 10 minutes a day can work wonders for the digestive system.
If you are extremely overweight, swimming is an excellent and gentle way to begin exercising once or twice per week.
Enzymes
Many people gain weight because they simply do not get enough natural enzymes from raw foods. Enzymes found in raw vegetables and fruits actually cause your body to break down food and get more nutrients. We recommend buying a juicer and making green juices daily to get these live enzymes into your diet.
Herbal Teas
There are a great range of herbal teas which you can use to prevent fat build up. Green tea and peppermint tea are excellent choices, but there are many more which can be found on our channel.
Extra Advice
Losing weight is more than just a process of dieting and exercise. Your state of mind is important to keep you on track.
Remember to imagine yourself slim and at your ideal weight every single day. Feel as though you have already reached your goal. This will keep your mind focused and motivate you.
Be sure to see our other weight loss videos for more tips and techniques.
CONVERSATION