In spite of numerous diet tips, few people reach their desired weight. It is quite possible that it is due to the following 18 habits that sabotage weight loss.
1. Not enough sleep
Sleep duration can be critical to how successful your diet is. Why? Those who only sleep for a few hours each night produce more ghrelin. This hormone is responsible, among other things, for the control of hunger and satiety. It also restricts energy expenditure and thus prevents fat storage from being broken down. It is important to maintain a firm sleep rhythm. Incidentally, the body also burns calves in sheep – around 70 kilocalories per hour.
2. Wear in the dark
Instead of getting drowsily dressed in the dark bedroom, you should put on the curtains. This not only prevents that you wear a visually not matching outfit on the body, but also helps you lose weight. As a study has shown, the morning sun is supposed to help boost your metabolism. And that in turn affects effective fat burning.
3. Coffee for breakfast
After the night’s sleep, even if you’ve been sipping a glass of water from time to time, you’re dehydrated. And that awakens our appetite. Anyone who immediately picks up a coffee or tea mug will not do anything about it. On the contrary, drinks containing caffeine or tea (black and green tea) increase the effect of dehydration. Better: In the morning first drink a large glass of water, also to get the metabolism up to speed.
4. Forgo dairy products
Those who are not lactose intolerant should eat dairy products in the morning. And not for the wrong reasons, for example, to save calories. The main reason: Calcium is an important component of blood clotting and muscle contraction – and that can positively affect the weight loss process. By the way, according to the German Society for Nutrition ( DGE), the daily calcium requirement is about 900 milligrams for an adult.
5. Eat cereals
Muesli may provide a filling foundation, but proteins are better for starting the day. Eggs also saturate and provide the body with the needed energy. By eating proteins, the hormone orexin is released, which stimulates calorie burning. Eggs also provide essential nutrients and vitamins, and inhibit appetite for small snacks between meals.
6. Stress in the morning
The snooze on the alarm clock is used too often in your case, so you often have to rush to work? Then you should reconsider this habit , because stress in the morning ensures the release of cortisol. The hormone breaks down the buildup of proteins in the body and instead pulls proteins out of the muscles to convert them into glucose. Then better get up a little bit sooner.
7. No lunch break
If you miss out on lunch and just work through the break, you and your body do not like it. Why it is like that? Quite simply, if you omit a meal, your body shuts down its energy, and that also slows down the fat loss. Our tip: before your performance suffers from the loss of food and surprised you the food cravings in the evening, rather eat something small.
8. Whine about the diet
If your diet pushes you so hard that you’re blaring all over it, it’s time to let it go. Let’s face it: you probably would not have done that kind of diet anyway. Better is a weight loss strategy, behind which you stand with your whole personality – and is characterized not by prohibitions, but by the joy of healthy food.
9. Do not take a step on foot
“Every step keeps you fit, every walk makes you lean” is a saying – and there is definitely something to it. Transferred to work: Go to your colleague rather than call him. In everyday life: Always use stairs instead of the elevator and walk short distances. Better than getting the car out of the garage. Those who heed these little things, already ensures a basic level of movement.
10. Chill music to workout
Lounge music and slow instrumental songs may be suitable for the spa and relaxation, but not for a sporty workout. Those who train on the treadmill or the stepper should plug their music into the ears. Then it works twice as fast.
11. Only do cardio training
Endurance sport is wonderful, but you should also pay attention to train your muscles. The reason for this is that you build muscle mass, which positively influences your fat metabolism. In other words, the more muscles you have, the more fat you burn – even when at rest. If your body consumes more energy than it receives in the form of food, it is forced to go to the fat reserves.
12. Do not wear hard
As mentioned above, it is important to exercise muscles. But if you do not just want to keep them in shape but also build them up, the weights should be a little heavier. Otherwise, you probably will not see any physical changes. Important: Vary in the exercises and their intensity.
13. Reward with sugar
If you have a week of hard training and healthy food, you want to reward yourself with something at the weekend. In this case, it is better not to grab sugary foods or drinks, but reward yourself with, for example, a great movie, a manicure or a massage. This keeps you away from hundreds of calories and helps you to keep track of your weight loss goals.
14. Do not take oil
We all know that saturated fats in quantities are unhealthy for our bodies – not just because they can lead to obesity, but because they also increase the blood fat content. And that in turn can increase the risk of heart disease. On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acids are good for your body and even help you lose weight. Reason for this: The lipids contained slow the transition of carbohydrates into the blood. Olive oil can thus be used without hesitation.
15. Eat in front of the TV
Do you prefer to sit in front of the TV with your food in the evenings to get a shower? Not a good idea. Better save the movie or series for the evening and focus instead on what you have on your plate. This prevents you from eating too much and too fast – and learning to listen to your body.
16. Heating in the bedroom
If your heater in the bedroom is always running at full power, then let me tell you: this habit can sabotage your desire to lose weight. Reason: In colder bedroom temperatures, the body needs minimal energy to bring the body to the appropriate sleep temperature. And that in turn burns calories.
17. Shove food between appointments
Do you just want to eat something fast before bringing your child to the football club or dance school? Then you definitely do not give your body enough time to realize that it is full. Our advice: first eat only half of your planned meal and save the rest for your errands. If you are still hungry then you can eat the second half of the plate.
18. Instagrams out of bed
Just before bedtime, many grab their smartphone again to share the last snapshot of the day on Instagram or read the news of the day. A mistake that may even prevent us from losing weight. The blue LED light obstructs the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Insomnia and food cravings can be the result.