Having trouble losing weight despite making smart diet choices the majority of the time and staying active? We know that gaining weight happens when you consume more calories than you burn, so if you’ve hit a weight plateau it might be time to take a closer look at your lifestyle. How much sleep you get as well as trying to satiate late night hunger could be the cause of weight gain or the number on your scale staying exactly where it is. Check it out:
#1: Eating While Doing 500 Other Things
When eating a meal, it’s best to focus on that alone. Sure, it’s easy to eat while watching TV after a hard day, writing emails, or anything else you do in the evening. However, this “multitasking” may actually cause you to gain weight, as you aren’t concentrating on what you’re eating and might consume too much. It may seem like a good idea to chow down while finishing that project or talking on the phone, but you could also be eating a whole lot of calories without realizing it.
#2: Eating Right From the Potato Chip Bag. Or Cookie Box. Or Ice Cream Container.
Bag/container/box-to-mouth eating is a super-easy way to gain a lot o’ weight. While eating “a few” chips from the bag rather than dirtying another dish can seem practical, you’ll have a hard time gauging how much food you’ve shoved in your face. For best results, look at the serving size on the container, measure the exact amount, and enjoy.
#3: Not Counting Enough Sheep
[adrotate banner=”26″]If you aren’t getting enough ‘Zzzs every night, you’re setting yourself up for packing on extra poundage. This may seem weird, however it actually makes perfect sense: the body regulates appetite hormones as you sleep, such as leptin, so if you aren’t getting enough, your appetite is going to get screwed up. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of the book, From Fatigue to Fantastic, says we gain an average of 6.5 pounds from lack of sleep. Opt for going to bed 15 minutes earlier every night get more shut-eye, or try natural remedies such as the wondrous lavender essential oil. Place a few drops of the oil on a tissue and inhale it as you’re going to sleep. You’ll be out in no time!
#4: Working On Your Night Cheese
In addition to regulating appetite hormones as we snooze, our bodies also regulate growth hormones. The debate about whether eating at night makes you fat has gone on for some time, yet there’s the argument it’s not when you eat throughout the evening, but what you eat. For example, if you eat a carbohydrate-rich meal or snack in the hours before bedtime, your bod isn’t going to release as much growth hormone. This hormone contributes to fat loss. However, carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels, which subsequently causes the release of insulin for storing excess glucose (sugar) in the blood. If insulin is high, growth hormone is low, and vice versa. In other words, say no to that soft pretzel that’s screaming your name.
If you do want to eat at night, stick to low-carb, high-protein, high-good-fat snacks. Such meals take the body much longer to break down, and the protein helps rebuild muscle. The proverbial jury is still out as to whether night eating contributes to serious weight gain, so if you’re determined to lose weight, it’s probably still best to get all your healthy meals in before 8pm.
Stick to these tips, get enough exercise, eat well and watch the weight fall off! (Okay, you might not *actually* be able to watch the weight fall off, but you get the idea!)
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