Habits are behaviors that have become wired in our brain. Habits are so ingrained in us that we don’t even realize some of them are getting in the way of our good efforts. For example, our habit of watching Netflix on the couch every day after work until midnight makes us tired and less productive the next day. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to pinpoint the habits that are getting in the way of your progress. If any of the ones we’ve mentioned below apply to you, you need to stop doing them right away if you’re trying to lose weight.
1. Focusing more on exercise instead of food
People often overestimate how many calories they’ve burned from working out in the gym (even calorie trackers aren’t accurate) so they end up eating back the calories they lost and more. Besides, most calories you burn come from your basal metabolic rate (BMR)—basically the amount of calories your body burns when at rest. While building muscle does increase BMR, it’s not enough to give you lasting weight loss unless you also make changes to your diet.
2. Eating too little
When you starve yourself during the day, you are more likely to over-eat at night. Moreover, restricting your calories will eventually slow down your metabolism. Instead of eating less, you should be more focused on eating the right kinds of food. All calories are not created equal and our bodies have different hormonal responses to the types of food we consume. The quality of the calories is crucial and it is what feeds your body with information to either store or burn fat, promote inflammation or good health.
3. Counting calories
A lot of people who are so preoccupied with counting calories forget to savor their food or make conscious food choices. They overlook the many signals their body gives for fullness or hunger. If you want your weight loss to be sustainable you should look beyond calories and focus more on the quality of your food choices and portion sizes.
4. Sacrificing sleep for exercise
Dragging yourself out of bed every morning to exercise is not always a good thing. If you have to lose sleep just to exercise, don’t do it. Sleep is very important for weight loss. If you’re only getting a few hours of sleep just so you can have time to exercise then you could be doing more harm than good. It causes inflammation to your body and mess with your hunger hormones.
Lack of sleep throws ghrelin and leptin out of whack. One study found that people who sleep for only 5 hours per night had reduced leptin levels and increased ghrelin compared to those who sleep 8 hours per night.
5. Snacking mindlessly
Think a small bag of potato chips is harmless? Think again. Eating 12 chips equates to getting 130 calories. Did you know it takes a 160-lb person 30 minutes to burn this amount of calories?
Eating mindfully can help reduce calories without causing any feeling of deprivation. Pause before you start eating and ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just bored, stressed or tired. Then make the best choice for your answer.
6. Drinking calories
A glass of red wine every night, and iced latte during a hot afternoon.. these are all great but remember how much calories a grande at Starbucks contain – 290 calories and 35 grams of sugar! A glass of red wine contains 120 calories. Avoid these things if you’re trying to lose weight.
Aside from what’s listed in this article, here’s a video from Love Sweat Fitness sharing how she lost 45 pounds by getting rid of 5 destructive habits: