Habits that could derail your diet
KICKING the extra pounds and getting that bikini body could be obstructed by your dietary obsessions, expectations and lifestyle choices. Below, nutritionist Donovan Grant shares six bad habits that could affect your diet.
1. Expecting too much too soon
Dieting is not a miracle drug; so setting unreasonable targets and hoping to see big changes immediately will only make you a very disappointed dieter. Like gaining weight, losing weight doesn’t happen overnight. Your body will need time to get used to the new diet, and once you do not allow yourself to become fixated on the end product, you should be shedding pounds in due course.
2. Eating only when you are hungry
Contrary to what you’ve been led to believe, eating only when you are hungry or extremely hungry could be more harmful than helpful in maintaining a healthy diet. If you only eat when you are extremely hungry you run the risk disrupting your blood sugar and insulin levels.
3. Eating late at night
If you decide to stay up late and eat, this may stunt your dietary goals. If you go to bed with a full stomach the calories will not burn away, but will turn to fat because food digestion is enhanced by a moving, working body.
4. Skimping on sleep
Weight gain and obesity have both been linked to people who don’t respect the importance of sleep. This is also linked to late-night eating, since people may choose to eat unhealthy foods at late hours. Your body requires at least eight hours of sleep every night; otherwise several functions, including the metabolic rate, digestion, and the process by which calories are burned, could be affected.
5. Becoming obsessed with diet foods and drinks
Calorie-reduced diet products have become a very common part of many diets, with false promises of long-term weight loss benefits. But using these products, some of which come in the form of sweet treats, could make it more difficult for you to stick to your diet.
6. Skipping breakfast
Breakfast is perhaps the most important meal of the day, and after several hours sleep your body requires nutrients that will enable the body to function properly. Skipping this meal could mean that you eat more at lunch, and usually you are so hungry you eat any and everything in your path without much thought.
