Hello everyone! Today we are going to talk about some common yet unknown eating habits that are making it tough for you to lose weight. Now, of course, we know junk food, sodas, and sweets are the key villains of weight gain, but today we are not going to talk about these. There will be some habits you would have followed unknowingly but are highly concerning for weight management. So, wanna check what’s making it tough for you?
Understanding the Breads
So it turns out it's not only your pizza, burgers, or subway sandwiches, but also naan, kulcha, rice, paranthe, and more. While the Indian/homemade versions always seem healthier to us, the picture stands different when we see the extra carbs hiding underneath. The naan, paranthe, kulcha, etc., as long as made with maida and lots of oil, are equally harmful as any other junk food or weight gain foods. Frequent consumption of these may lead to insulin resistance in the body and hence fat storage, which is one of the major weight gain causes.
It may not seem to have preservatives or other chemicals, but the extra calories and carbs make it equally concerning. So, what to do? Well, if possible, cut it off completely. If not, then try to take it less frequently.
Nashtaa Toh Khaake Jao!
When was the last time you had a healthy breakfast? Hmmmm, the sound of silence. Yes, having breakfast in the morning sets good energy levels in the body and helps metabolic activity. Skipping breakfast and having meals at irregular intervals can disturb this balance of metabolism, leading to bad food habits and skipping breakfast weight gain. And no, having the refrigerated leftovers as breakfast might not be of any help. Of course, you can pre-prep the materials the night before, but try not to consume the ready-to-take meal from the last night.
Late Night Eating Habits
How many of you love binging at night? And how many of you like to take some savoury, saucey, delicious, warm snack with the binge? Us, bro, us! So, the problem here is late-night strain on the mind combined with unusual eating times. After dinner, our body goes into rest mode, and so do metabolic and digestive activities. If we push it to digest more food late at night, it leads to disturbance. Problems like nausea, bloating, indigestion, and acidity may start to occur. Stop binge eating now, and avoid eating anything after 11 p.m. to avoid overeating problems and to maintain a healthier metabolism.Liquid Calories Weight Gain
Jal lijiye, lekin sugar nahi! When we skip on hydration, our body substitutes it by craving more food, leading to unnecessary carbs and calories. Sometimes, we ignore water like a YouTube ad and consume more tea, coffee, and other beverages, adding to more sugar and caloric intake in the body. This is often known as liquid calories weight gain. A simple tip is to consume regular water or coconut water for better hydration and skip the sugary drinks, thus avoiding poor diet choices that contribute to unhealthy eating habits.
Emotional Eating
Sometimes, when we eat with overwhelming emotions, it causes disturbance in digestion, as we are psychologically still processing the situation and feelings. These could be anger, anxiety, sadness, or even tension. Although it is very natural as humans to process emotions at our own pace, having food while being overwhelmed is not an appropriate choice. When you feel so, pause for a few moments, take a few deep breaths, and go for a short walk outside. Sit peacefully or talk about it to a close friend or family member. Once you feel the weight being lifted, go for having your meals.
When it comes to stress, many people tend to choose sweets or sugary treats to fix that dopamine (happy chemical) in the brain. And this is where the stress overeating problems contribute to weight gain. It's crucial to avoid emotional eating that leads to hidden calories from foods that don't nourish your body.
Distracted Eating
Watching TV, YouTube, social media reels, and shorts while having food is a bad idea. This distracts our mind from the ‘eating activity’ taking place. As mentioned, digestion begins in the mouth, so we have to be very mindful while eating and chewing the food properly for smoother digestion. Distractions can lead to overeating problems because we often don't notice how much we're consuming.Mind the Proportions
A little piece of chocolate is fine, but the entire bar is not. A half cup of soda a week is fine, but 2-3 glasses are not. A slice of cake is fine, but half a cake is not. We have to make sure that we don’t fill our plate with empty calories that won’t add to any nutritional value. Just pick your cravings and favorite items, and portion them for mindful and monitored consumption.Conclusion
The real key is to observe these patterns in day-to-day life and eliminate the major ones gradually. Only quitting junk, or high-calorie foods won’t make a lot of difference when the habits remain the same. So, dear sweeti-pies, take care of yourselves and make mindful choices when it comes to eating habits! Follow some weight loss eating tips, such as practicing portion control and hydration, to make healthier lifestyle changes.FAQs
- Can skipping breakfast really affect my weight loss journey?
Skipping breakfast may not give any positive impact to your diet or weightloss journey, as breakfast is the first meal of the day that helps body start its metabolic activity, and gives you energy for the rest of the day. -
How can I control emotional eating habits?
Tackling emotional eating can be bit challenging, but definitely can be solved. Start with little steps, confront your emotions, spend a few minutes with yourself in untangling the overwhelming emotions. If needed, talk to a close one, or write it down on a page. After this if possible take a 2 minute walk. Once you feel slightly better, then only proceed with having your meals. Eating too much or too less because of overwhelming emotions can disrupt the eating patterns and metabolism in long run, furthermore, it may feel like a relief temporarily, but it is only a placebo, doesn’t really solve any concrete issues.
Hence, try to face your emotions yourself, before involving food.
- How long does it take to see results after improving eating habits?
It varies for everyone. Some people may see sooner results while others may see it after longer time. It depends on many factors such as eating habits so far in life, food allergies, vitamin or mineral quotient in body, metabolism, genetic factors, and physical activities. -
Is eating late at night bad for weight loss?
Eating late at night, right before sleeping may cause issues like bloating, acidity and nausea as that time is menat for the slow down of digestive and metabolic processes, having food may create imbalance. -
Are all processed foods bad for weight loss?
Most of processed foods should not be the part of weight loss diet. Those are prepared with high amounts of unhealthy fats, and sugar.