Bad Habits that Are Fat Habits

It's no secret that many people all around the world struggle with weight problems. Everywhere we turn there are advertisements for pills and products that promise to make losing weight a simple process. I've struggled with weight issues and have found that whenever I was gaining weight, there were obvious reasons why it was happening.

I used to teach an excessive class at a public school. It was a late class for community education. While teaching that class, I learned many things about why people were struggling with weight issues. By talking with my students, I learned that many of them had developed very bad habits that were affecting their weight. Most of them had gained weight from very specific habits that they were completely aware of.

This was an amazing discovery for me. Realizing that most people already knew why they were over weight, made me take a moment to think about what things I was doing that made weight an issue. The thing I found most beautiful was that it only took me minutes to figure out what I was doing wrong and what I needed to do to fix things. Controlling my weight became an issue I could easily deal with once I recognized what my bad habits were. Here are some common bad habits that play a role in gaining unwanted pounds and some simple ways to change them.

Little or No Breakfast :
So many of us believe that we're starting our day out right by dieting even in the morning. It's an absolute trap and a huge mistake. Running off to work with nothing but a cup of coffee in you might make you think you're burning up the calories and really doing something right. The truth is, you're setting up your metabolism to go into starvation mode. By skipping breakfast, you make your body believes it needs to conserve fuel. It's actually a far better idea to have a nice, full, healthy breakfast. Breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day and each meal should get a bit smaller as your day progresses. By eating healthy foods and sliding the scale of intake in the opposite direction, you'll set your metabolism to a perfect pace.

Eating While Watching Television :
Television is entertainment. It's also incredibly distracting and makes it very simple to over eat. In truth, any constant distraction is a bad idea while eating. If you're concerned over weight gain, try making meal time special. Turn off all television and radio sets. Sit down and comfortably enjoy a peaceful dinner. Making this small change will not only make you more aware of your calorie intake, it will also relieve you of stress.

Not Getting Enough Sleep :
In a 2004 article at USATODAY.com, Nanci Hellmich speaks of how scientist have linked lack of sleep with weight gain issues. This problem is one that seems to plague many people. So many are working more than one job and trying to balance life issues that sleep is the something that gives. If you're sleeping less than you should be and weight seems to be a problem, you might want to change this bad habit. Make a point of winding your day down an hour before you need to be asleep. Turn off phones and any other electronics that wake you. Getting enough sleep will surely benefit you in many ways.

Binge Eating :
I have an uncle that diets all week long only to binge like a ravenous animal every Sunday. It seems to work for him. For most of us, binging just means that we'll gain back any weight we'd lost the week before. It's a habit that's brought on in many ways. Something might trigger a craving and that's often all it takes to ruin a week of healthy eating. The biggest problem with binging is that whatever is you eat while binging, you'll eat far too much of it. If you binge on pizza for example, you might eat thousands of calories in one sitting. The best thing to do is to avoid denying yourself favorite foods. Eat the foods you love, just be sure to eat them with sensible moderation.

Large Late Meals :
I completely understand being famished after a long, hard day at work. The problem arises when we let that hunger cause us to eat a huge meal shortly before bedtime. When we sleep, our metabolism drops to a very low level. It's obvious that this is a poor choice of time to have a full belly. The best way to change this bad habit is to eat as early as possible after work. Be sure to go out for a walk or get some other form of exercise in after eating. You'll be helping your body process the food and you might even find you'll sleep better at night.

Emotional Eating :
This habit is one that many of the ladies in my exercise class confessed to having. It's a bad habit I've been guilty of a few times. Food is a comfort to most people. It's no surprise that many people turn to food for comfort whenever they're going through any emotional issue. This can become a real problem for anyone that has any long term stress problems. The best way to switch up this bad habit and come out ahead is to replace emotional eating with exercise. The next time you're tempted to down a milkshake because you're mad at your boss, go out for a short run instead.

Coach Potato People :
This guilty habit may be at the bottom of my list but it's one that affects many people. With technology the way it is, it's all too easy to sit at home and be entertained by movies and video games. Mention playing hockey to most kids and they'll assume you're talking about a video game. This habit we've acquired of sitting on our rumps is probably the worst thing that happened to us. There's only one solution to kicking this habit and that is to get up and do something physical. You don't have to go climbing a mountain, just get up and do anything!

Fast Food Feeding :
I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Fast food is a killer. Most of it is loaded with junk calories and grease enough to clog arteries. It's too convenient, too fast, and overwhelmingly all around us. The solution is simple. Change your habit and force yourself to avoid fast food. Grocery shop when you have plenty of time to choose healthy foods and read labels. You may find that you actually enjoy cooking healthy meals at home and you'll certainly enjoy your smaller waist size.

Alcohol Consumption :
If you're generally a healthy eater and you get plenty of exercise yet still struggle with weight, you might want to give your alcohol intake a serious look. The amount of calories that some liquors pack into a small shot might shock you. Be sure to look up the calories on your favorite liquors. If you consume alcohol on a regular basis, you might find that you can control your weight by simply cutting out the booze.

These tips are the most common ones that I've discovered while teaching people with weight issues. The bad habits I've listed may seem simple, yet with a second glance you'll probably discover yourself in at least a few of the examples. Take time out for yourself. Ask yourself what bad fat habits you're guilty of and what you might do to change those habits. With a little honesty and looking in the mirror, weight can be something you're in control of again.

Sources :
Health and Behavior , posted 12/06/2004 by
Nanci Hellmuch/USA TODAY
USATODAY.com