5 bad habits in your lifestyle make you overweight and how to change them

 

 If you have bad habits in your lifestyle, this will lead you to gain weight. And you later ask why you gained this weight? How do I return to my normal weight and graceful body?!

 Knowing these habits can help those who want to lose weight, determine which bad lifestyle habits we practice and help us reverse them.

 

Here is a list of the 5 most common of these habits and some suggestions about how to change them.

 

Habit 1: Being inactive.

 Being overweight, maintaining weight and losing weight is based on a very simple principle

If you consume more calories than you need over the long term you'll put on weight (approximately ½ kilogram per extra 3,500 calories).

If you consume the same amount of calories than your body needs to function and perform the activity you do each day, you'll maintain the same weight.

And if you consume fewer calories that your body burns to function and perform the activities you do each day, you'll lose weight.

Simple isn't it.

 

So if it's so simple, why are so many of us overweight and don't know why or what to do about it? It just doesn't make sense.

 If you are overweight and largely inactive, you have one or more of the other five habits below. So you must be serious about exercising.

And it doesn't matter what you do, just that you do something. Anything!

If the thought of exercise scares you, start off simply by walking around your block each day and when you can do that, walk around 2 blocks, then 3, then 4, then 5 and so on until you're walking for at least 30 minutes per day.

If you do this and you're careful not to eat more than you currently are (always be aware that our body wants to maintain its current weight or status - known scientifically as homeostasis - and because you'll be burning extra calories your body will tell you that it needs more food) I promise you will start to lose weight (slowly but surely) and you'll feel great.

In fact, once your self-esteem and enthusiasm for life starts to return, chances are you'll find yourself being more adventurous with the activities you try than you ever imagined and you'll give bike riding, jogging or working out at your local gym a go.

 

Habit 2: They eat a lot outside the home.

 

There are two potential evils at work here as far as our weight is concerned:

1. Restaurants serve larger portions that we need.

2. Restaurants serve food that primarily appeals to our taste buds.

 Basically, restaurants do not work in business to help us lose weight; they are at work to earn money for their owners. In order to compete with other restaurants and home-cooked meals, they offer great meals that are value for money and sacrifice everything else for taste until we choose to dine there.

 

If you have to eat a lot outside the home and want to lose weight, try some of these suggestions:

 

·   If you must eat an entrée, have a salad

·   Order an entrée sized meal for your main course

·   Remember to drink a cup of water before and during your meal

·   Limit the glasses of alcohol you consume with your meal

·   If you're going to get sweets, make them the exception rather than the rule and share them with others on the table

·   If your meal does not come with vegetables, order it as a side dish and eat it first

·   If your meal comes with a dense calorie sauce, order it on its side and use only half of it in your meal.

·   Reduce the amount of bread you eat with your meal (especially white bread).

·   If you cannot order an entrance-sized meal as a main meal, move a quarter or half of the meal to one side and leave this portion uneaten at the end of the meal

·   Try a vegetarian meal for a change or an Asian style dish with fish, rice and vegetables

·   If you have a choice, go for grilled or baked food rather than fried

 

Habit 3: They eat quickly and eat very large portions.

 

The right amount of food is that which fills the plate right? Wrong!

We actually need far less food to survive than most of us think. Combine larger portions than we need with the fact that most of the food on our plate these days is very calorie dense and it's not hard to see why most of us are now overweight.

 

Here are some suggestions to help you reduce your portion sizes:

·   Simply serve yourself less

·   Use smaller plates

·   Slowly reduce the size of your portions over a number of weeks

·   Start accepting that it is perfectly ok to throw uneaten food away

·   Change the ratio of food on your plate (increase the amount of vegetables for example and decrease the amount of meat or chicken)

·   Change what's on your plate (for example, if there aren't any vegetables, make room for some)

·   Don't allow yourself to eat seconds

·   As soon as the meal is finished, put all leftovers in containers in the fridge or in the bin

Habit 4: Missing chances of burning less obvious calories.

Why is it that the spaces in car parks closest to the front door of shops always fill up first? Or that we get upset if we misplace the remote control for the TV?

Simply because none of us wants to walk any further than is absolutely necessary or exert any more energy than it absolutely necessary.

If you are trying to lose weight, you have to adopt a different outlook and approach, you need to start looking for and creating opportunities to walk more and exert as much energy during your day as possible.

Instead of watching TV, try:

·   Washing the car

·   Walking the dog

·   Mowing the lawn

·   Doing the dishes

·   Walking to the shops or a friends place

·   Take the stairs instead of the escalators or lift

If you work in an office:

·   Go for a 10, 20 or 30 minute walk at lunch

·   Conduct the odd meeting walking around the block instead of in a stuffy meeting room

·   Walk to the shops for lunch instead of driving

·   Catch the bus or train to work once or twice a week instead of driving

 

Habit 5:  They eat many foods that are low in calories and nutritional.

In plain English, they just can't say no to a bar of chocolate, packet of chips, a donut or a slice of birthday cake.

In fact, many overweight people snack on large amounts of junk food in between meals. For example, it's not uncommon for very overweight people to visit a popular drive-thru and pick up a burger and fries on the way home for dinner.

If you are going to lose weight and keep it off, there is no point denying yourself the foods you like, chocolate for example. Just don't eat it as often and don't eat as much.

5 bad habits in your lifestyle make you overweight and how to change them