Bad habits! Bad habits always lead to consequences and such consequences can only be avoided if and only if those bad habits are abandoned. As for this case, the bad habits that make you fat are:
- Skipping meals
- Eating too quickly
- Distracting yourself while you eat
- Lack of sleep
- Sitting all day
- Drinking beer or alcohol
...And the consequences of these bad habits are listed below:
- You develop fat on your belly, thighs, arms and so on.
- You become fat and overweight
- You may become obese and have obesity-related issues
Hence, let's move on to check why they are bad habits and how to curb these habits.
1. Skipping meals
I know some of us will begin to argue right now that skipping meals will make you look fit and lose fat and weight very fast but actually there's no place for argument.
Many studies show that people who skip meals are more likely to become obese than those who do not skip any meal.
The truth, which almost everyone already knows, is that skipping meals, such as breakfasts, slows down your metabolism and makes you eat too much food later in the day as a result of hunger. Your body needs food! You have to fuel it. You can't use a car without any fuel, can you?
The same thing applies to your body.
You need to give it food and the food, just like fuel, will provide your body with energy needed to do work.
How to curb it: Eat three square meals per day. The meals should mostly contain fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and protein.
Useful Resource for you:
7 Nourishing Foods That Make Up A Healthy Diet
What Foods Should I Avoid To Speed Up Weight Loss
2. Eating too quickly
Eating too quickly is a very bad habit because it makes you overeat and your food may not be digested properly.
Your stomach takes about 20 minutes to send signals to the brain that you're full but before that time, you probably would have overloaded your stomach with food which causes indigestion and bloating of the stomach.
How to curb it: Eat very slowly but not slower than a snail.
Take the food in your mouth, and chew it slowly before swallowing. This will make you spend more time on eating and feel full quickly. It will also aid proper digestion of foods which further makes your body to obtain more nutrients from the food.
3. Distracting yourself while you eat
While eating, many distractions may be present. Distraction makes it hard for us to concentrate on the food we eat.
Common sources of these distractions are TV and Phones. Watching TV, playing games or chatting on Facebook and Whatsapp while you eat will make you forget that you're eating food. You'll begin to eat and eat until the food is finished. You may serve yourself a second round and even a third. This distraction is actually one of the causes of overeating which further causes weight gain or fat.
How to curb it: Turn off the TV and put away your phone before you eat.
4. Lack of sleep
Having inadequate sleep every night affects the secretion of a hormone, called cortisol, that affects your appetite.
This increases your cravings for foods thereby making you eat 300-400 more calories the following day. Lack of sleep also makes your body store more fat.
How to curb it: Get at least 6 hours sleep every night. This will improve your health and help you relieve stress.
5. Sitting all day
Sitting all day without any physical activity like exercise or sport is bad.
It's called a sedentary lifestyle. You need to move your body every hour. If all you can do is to walk up
or down the stairs, it's good, even at your workplace.
Studies show that there's always a decrease in the enzymes that burn fat when you do no physical activity. That's why you need to be physically active to burn fat and calories.
How to curb it: Do some exercises like 50 mins walking, 20 mins jogging or sit-ups at home or at work 3-5 times per week. Through this, you'll grow stronger and stay fit!
Useful Resources for you:
4 Easy Morning Exercises You should Start Doing Now
6. Drinking beer or alcohol
This is also a common bad habit that makes you have belly fat. Basically, when you drink beer or alcohol, you're taking in lots of sugar. Even the most bitter beer still contains sugar!
They also contain high amounts of calories in liquid form and unused excess calories gets stored as fat - that's what causes belly fat.
How to curb it: Reduce the quantity you drink and gradually stop drinking alcohol and beer while replacing them with fruit juice.
I hereby encourage you to drop those bad habits that make you fat:
- Skipping meals
- Eating too quickly
- Distracting yourself while you eat
- Lack of sleep
- Sitting all day
- Drinking beer or alcohol
Then, inculcate these good habits:
- Eating three square meals per day
- Eating your foods slowly and mindfully
- Avoiding distractions while eating
- Having a good sleep every night
- Exercising and indulging in sports
- Avoiding alcoholic drinks
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