Maintaining a healthy weight is challenging, especially now that most people are stuck at home with nothing to do. Eating on the sofa while watching Netflix has become the norm.
It’s even more difficult to lose weight now with all the distractions that surround people on the internet — food commercials, tutorials, documentaries, and so much more.
But all of these are not enough to make a dent in your weight. They can if you pile them up in a week. You will definitely gain weight if you do them every day.
So if you’ve been losing weight or simply maintaining your weight, but have noticed that nothing has changed, look at your daily habits. This article aims to identify those habits that aren’t helping you reach your weight loss goals. And hopefully, with a few tips, you can fix your bad habits and turn them into healthy habits.
1. Eating From Large Dinnerware
The size of your dinnerware can often reflect the size of your waistline. The larger your bowl, the bigger you can get. But why?
Eating from a large plate or bowl tricks your brain into thinking that you don’t have enough serving on your plate. If you have a big plate, there’s always this unintentional need to fill it with food. And unless it’s full, you don’t want to stop putting food in it.
The size of your plate also affects how you look at the quantity of food you have in it. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics refers to this as the portion size. If you have a smaller plate, you’ll think that you have just the right portion. But if you have a large plate, you’ll feel that you’re not eating a lot because your portion size looks small in it. That leads you to eat more.
There are seven different sizes of plates on a gourmet table, and all their sizes differ. The largest, a dinner or serving plate, has a size ranging from 10-14 inches (25-36 centimeters). The smallest, which is the bread and butter plate, has a size of six to seven inches (15-18 centimeters). You don’t exactly use them for everyday use.
Instead, opt for the dessert or luncheon plate. It sits in the middle, between the dinner and bread and butter plates. It’s just the right size at 8.75-9.5 inches (22-24 centimeters).
2. Drinking Liquid Calories
Coffee and tea are healthy. But if you add in some cream and sugar, their calories add up, resulting in high-calorie caffeinated drinks.
The same goes for fruit juices. They’re healthy, but they become high-calorie smoothies if you add in some ice cream and whip cream.
Soda, even the diet variety, other fizzy drinks, and alcohol are also sources of undetected calories in your diet. If you drink these beverages often, you increase your calorie intake, contributing to your weight gain.
And please, limit your alcohol intake. Not only can it increase your appetite and damage your health, but it can also lead to addiction. If you think you’re already a borderline alcoholic, consider seeking help right away. It would be best to enroll in an alcohol addiction treatment program to prevent your condition from worsening.
3. Doing Grocery Shopping While Hungry
Going to the grocery store can lead to two unhealthy habits.
First, it lets you make unhealthy food choices. Your hunger makes you crave food, whether it’s healthy or not. As a result, you take in whatever you see first. You fill your cart with unhealthy food.
Second, it drives you to binge on unhealthy food after you go shopping. When you get to your car, you have this unsatisfied hunger that makes you want to eat whatever’s available. Unfortunately, grocery stores are always located near fast-food chains. You end up driving there and ordering a large combo.
When you go grocery shopping, eat a snack before you go. Or better yet, eat a healthy full meal. This way, you can’t be tempted when you get there. And, bring a grocery list that you can stick to, so you can convince yourself not to take that liter of soda on your way out.
Get to the Bottom of It
Identify your habits before they negatively affect your health. Many other habits can wreak havoc on your health. Eating in front of the TV, not getting enough sleep, dining out often, eating quickly, and having irregular meals can all increase your weight. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the path to improved health is to make the right choices. If you know what’s making you eat more, you can choose not to do them or at least limit them.
Thankfully, although several habits make you gain weight, you can do something about them. Aside from making the right choices, you can change your lifestyle to exclude those bad habits. Or better yet, replace them with healthy habits.
