15 Unexpected Habits That Make Weight Loss Harder Than It Needs To Be
A few habits that can make weight loss harder than it needs to be include being overly restrictive with your diet, sitting too much, and eating while distracted
Olha Danylenko / Getty Images
Losing excess body fat can improve physical and mental health, but reaching your weight loss goals can be challenging.
Though there are plenty of ways to lose weight safely and effectively, some common habits could be making weight loss harder than it needs to be.
1. Being Overly Restrictive
Being overly restrictive with your diet could make weight loss harder by triggering overeating.
Completely cutting out your favorite foods when trying to lose weight could backfire by intensifying cravings, making it easier to overeat.
Research shows that people who follow restrictive diets are more likely to overeat highly palatable foods, like sugary foods, than unrestrained eaters.
Taking a more balanced approach to dieting and allowing yourself to enjoy your favorite foods from time to time could help you stay on track and reach your weight loss goals.
2. Over Exercising
While exercise is important for weight loss and can improve physical and mental health, exercising too much can increase hunger, causing you to overeat.
It's best to create a sustainable exercise routine that makes you feel good and isn't overly taxing on your body.
Though the exact amount of exercise needed to lose and maintain weight varies from person to person, the CDC recommends that adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination every week. Including at least two days of strength training per week is also recommended.
Consider working with a personal trainer if you need help developing an exercise plan.
3. Skipping Meals
Skipping meals isn't always harmful, but studies show that skipping certain meals, like breakfast, may increase food cravings. This can lead to overeating later in the day.
Though some people may find success using methods like intermittent fasting for weight loss, most people can typically lose weight while eating three balanced meals per day.
4. Following Fad Diets
Fad diets are designed to induce short-term weight loss. They are often overly restrictive and very low in calories, with unnecessary rules and guidelines that can take the pleasure out of eating and increase stress levels.
Rather than following a fad diet, it's best to follow a balanced eating plan that provides your body with the nutrients it needs while creating a small calorie deficit to promote slow, consistent weight loss.
5. Not Eating Enough Protein
Choosing more filling foods, like protein-rich foods, can help reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness, which can help you lose weight.
Protein increases feelings of fullness by slowing digestion and increasing levels of satiety hormones, like glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CCK), and peptide YY (PYY).
Adding more protein-rich foods to your diet, like Greek yogurt, fish, and lentils, is a simple way to support weight loss.
6. Slacking on Fiber
Like protein, fiber increases feelings of fullness after eating, helping you consume fewer overall calories.
Studies show that a high-fiber diet is an effective way to boost weight loss. To increase your fiber intake, incorporate foods like beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds into weight-loss-friendly meals and snacks.
7. Sitting Too Much
People who live sedentary lifestyles are more likely to be overweight than people who lead more active lifestyles.
Losing weight could be much harder if you spend most of your day sitting. If you have a desk job or spend a lot of time sitting, it's important to stay active throughout the day to burn extra calories.
If you work a desk job, set a timer to go off every hour or so to remind you to take a short walk. If you work from home, consider purchasing a standing desk or a treadmill desk to increase your daily steps.
8. Relying on Takeout
Research shows that people who cook more meals at home have a healthier body weight and better diet quality than those who frequently eat out.
Restaurant and takeout meals tend to be much higher in calories and have larger portions than home-cooked meals. Plus, home-cooked meals are associated with better overall nutrient intake.
If you currently eat most of your meals out or frequently get takeout, set a goal to cook at least one meal at home per day. As this becomes easier, try to increase the number of meals you prepare on a weekly basis.
9. Drinking Your Calories
If you regularly drink calorie-containing beverages, like alcohol, energy drinks, soda, and sweetened coffee drinks, you may be taking in more calories than you realize.
Some coffee drinks, like lattes and frappuccinos, can contain as many calories as a meal and pack as much sugar as a candy bar.
Drinking calorie-free beverages, like water, and choosing lower-calorie beverage options, like unsweetened lattes, can help you control your calorie intake.
10. Refusing Help
If you're struggling to lose weight, seeking help from a healthcare provider is a good idea.
Healthcare providers like doctors and registered dietitians can identify factors that may be contributing to weight gain and making it harder for you to lose weight, and help you develop a personalized diet and exercise plan specific to your goals and health needs.
Doctors can also rule out certain health conditions that make weight loss harder, such as Hashimoto's disease and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
11. Being Unrealistic
Setting realistic weight loss and body composition goals is important when trying to lose weight. While it's understandable to want to lose weight as quickly as possible, most experts recommend a rate of weight loss of 4-8 pounds per month.
Losing weight slowly and consistently using a smaller calorie deficit can counteract compensatory changes related to weight loss, such as loss of muscle mass, increased appetite, and reduced basal metabolic rate (BMR), the calories you burn while at rest.
12. Negative Self-Talk
Weight loss can be a frustrating process, but it's important to practice self-kindness, even when you're not on track with hitting your goals.
Research shows that self-criticism is linked to negative feelings about weight, while positive self-talk is associated with more positive weight-related feelings and a lower body weight. This means that being kinder to yourself can help you reach your weight loss goals.
13. Not Managing Stress
Most people eat more calories when they're under stress. Stress has also been shown to increase intake of foods associated with weight gain, like sweets and fast food.
Managing your stress levels by prioritizing self-care, incorporating stress-reduction techniques into your day, and reducing known stressors whenever possible may make weight loss easier.
14. Neglecting Walking
Increasing the number of steps you take each day is one of the easiest and most effective ways to create a calorie deficit. If you're not a fan of workout classes, running, or biking, walking is an excellent way to increase your cardiovascular exercise.
Though calorie burning varies, you generally burn around 1 calorie for every 20 steps you take. If you aim to walk 2,000 extra steps per day, you'll burn around 100 calories, which can help you lose weight.
15. Eating While Distracted
Eating while distracted increases calorie intake, both immediately and later in the day. Eating while watching TV or scrolling on your phone is an example of distracted eating.
Minimizing distractions while eating helps you be more aware of your hunger levels and feelings of fullness, which can prevent overeating and encourage weight loss.
A Quick Review
Weight loss can be difficult, and common habits can make weight loss even more challenging.
Being overly restrictive with your food choices, sitting too much, eating while distracted, relying on takeout food, and being overly self-critical are just a few habits that can make weight loss harder than it needs to be.
This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Jillian Kubala, RD
