How to Get Rid of Bad Habits that Contribute to Weight Gain

Everyone has their own bad habits.

Maybe you bite your nails. Or you might always be running just a couple minutes late, despite your best efforts to be ready on time. You could be a shameless gossip.

But these habits – while admittedly a little distasteful – aren’t making you gain weight.

Other bad habits aren’t as waistline-friendly. In fact, some of your bad habits are downright dangerous to your midsection and can quickly lead to unwanted pounds piling on.

What’s even scarier is that you may not even be aware that you’re guilty of these bad habits.

You may think you’re doing everything right and are absolutely puzzled as to where this excess weight is coming from.

On average, we gain about a pound or two every single year as we get older (and some people may gain more!). While that may not seem like much at first, it can quickly add up.

Even a modest weight gain on an otherwise healthy person can strain your heart and increase your risk of disease.

The pressing questions are these: where is this mysterious weight gain coming from, and what can be done to stop it?

What Are Your Bad Habits?

Many people don’t pay much attention to their bad habits.

After all, most of your icky habits are probably done in the privacy of your own home. Without witnesses, who can call you out on them?

Just because nobody is watching, though, doesn’t mean that your body isn’t keeping count.

If you’re engaging in any of these bad habits, you could be gaining weight and not even realize it.

Do any of these sound like you?

1) You eat in front of the television.

Think of the last meal you ate. What was it? How did it taste?

If you’re like most people, you may have a hard time remembering what you ate. The problem is that more and more people are choosing to eat while distracted.

And this is most definitely not happening at the dining room table.

More likely than not, it happened on your favorite spot on your couch, in front of your TV set or your computer.

Guilty as charged, right?

Studies have shown that if you’re not paying attention while you eat, you’re more likely to overdo it and overeat during mealtimes.

If you’re distracted while eating, your satiety is greatly reduced.

Curious how to stop overeating? Mindfulness.

When eating a meal or snack, make sure you’re fully aware of your actions. Focus on the tastes and smells of your food.

Listen to your hunger cues. If you start to feel full, then stop eating.

By avoiding distractions when eating and staying mindful, you can help ward off weight gain.

2) You’re not getting enough sleep.

It may come as a surprise to you that being sleep deprived can cause weight gain.

Not only can it slow down your metabolism, but it can also make you hungrier. It’ll also increase your cravings for high-calorie, carb-filled foods.

When you’re tired, you’re not going to be reaching for that healthy chopped salad. Your brain is going to tell you it wants a cookie, and it wants it now.

It needs that quick burst of energy that carbs can give it.

The bottom line is that you need a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night to be healthy and stay slim.

If you’re struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep, you may need to take a hard look at your diet and lifestyle.

Avoid caffeine before bedtime, as it can keep you up at night. Also avoid anything that can stimulate your brain and make you restless, such as your blue-light emitting smartphone.

Finally, try meditating before bedtime. It has been shown to help you relax, without requiring the aid of chemical sedatives.

3) You’re drinking your calories.

Even the most careful eater may not be aware of the sheer number of calories in their favorite drinks.

While an ice-cold soft drink may hit the spot on a hot summer’s day, it can also hit you with a whopping 150 calories and nearly 11 teaspoons of sugar.

Yikes!

Even your midday pick-me-up coffee beverage could be full of hidden calories and sugar. The worst part of these drinks?

They aren’t doing anything for your satiety levels! You’ll still be hungry after drinking them.

These sugar-filled calorie bombs are terrible for your health and your body weight.

Instead of consuming them, you really can’t go wrong with a glass of water. Or, if you can’t stand water, you can reach for sugar-free fizzy drinks like sparkling water or unsweetened herbal teas.

The bottom line, though? Stay away from sugary drinks if you want to stay svelte!

4) You shop when you’re hungry.

You may be a mindful eater. You may have zero problems getting enough sleep at night. You may drink so much water, you’re mistaken for a fish.

But if you’re munching on all the snacks in your pantry once the sun goes down, you’re still back at square one when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight.

Here’s a little-known secret that can help you not only lose the weight, but keep it off. If your favorite junk food is not in your house, you can’t eat it!

If you make the very innocent mistake of shopping when hungry, your judgment may become impaired by your appetite.

Suddenly all good intentions fly out the window, and instead of filling your cart to the brim with healthy foods, you’re instead sneaking in a package of chips or cookies.

Or both.

It’s best to do your grocery shopping when you’re comfortably satiated. Plan a time that’s comfortably between meals, not when you feel like you’re on the brink of starvation.

You should also bring a shopping list with you and actually stick to it.

By avoiding these temptations at the grocery store, you can avoid binging on them later on. In turn, you’ll be able to keep the weight off with seemingly no effort at all. 

What’s Causing Your Weight Gain?

Fat doesn’t just magically come out of nowhere. With a few exceptions, it’s typically generated when you eat in excess of your calorie needs.

At the end of the day, overeating is largely to blame for your weight gain.

Most people aren’t consciously trying to sabotage themselves. You want to be slim. You want to be healthy.

It’s just these nagging bad habits that are triggering your overeating and weight gain.

By paying closer attention to yourself, you can help ward it off for good.

Practice mindfulness. Get enough sleep. Stay away from drink calories. And don’t shop when hungry.

If you follow these four key suggestions, you may find that your weight gain has stopped in its tracks. You may even start to notice it reversing – you’re actually losing weight!

It doesn’t take much. You just need to undo these bad habits.

And just like habits can be made, they can just as easily be broken.