Five Habits That Cause Weight Gain

ByMark L Crews

If you are overweight and cannot seem to lose weight no matter how hard you try, it might be time to examine your habits. A great quote from Emerson Ralph Waldo puts it into perspective " Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny." If we are sowing the wrong habits we set ourselves up for ultimate failure. Below are five habits that may be sabotaging your weight loss goals.

1. Too much TV: Are you aware of how much time you spend in front of the TV? It is easy to come home from work and park ourselves in front of the TV for hours at a time. One of the reasons this works against our weight loss goals is the advertisers of junk food and fast food are good, the reason advertisers pay millions of dollars for ads is because it works. Even the healthiest individuals can succumb to temptations. You are also burning very few calories while viewing TV. Plus most of us eat unhealthy snacks while watching TV and we don't monitor portion control.

2. We Skip Breakfast: Skipping breakfast is linked to obesity. By not having breakfast you are more likely to eat more at other meals. Eating a small healthy breakfast will give you more energy for morning activities, so you will burn more fat.

3. Eating Three Large Meals: Studies have shown that it is better for weight loss to eat six small meals daily than to eat two or three large ones. Eating six small meals spread out over the entire day, helps regulate blood sugar and control cravings. Just be sure that the meals are small and total up to your needed calories intake.

4. Not getting enough Sleep: If you are in the habit of staying up late and not getting enough sleep then you may be causing your body to store weight. Many studies show a correlation between your weight gain and sleep deprivation. If you are tired in the morning and feeling sluggish you may want to try and get an extra hour or two of sleep. It's hard to exercise and be productive if you are tired.

5. Eating Fast Food: This one is a no brainer. If you are going through a drive through for your lunch or dinner, than you are definitely going in the wrong direction in the pursuit of your weight loss goals. Prepare healthy meals ahead of time and take them with you.

Once you identify the habits that cause weight gain, you can then go about the process of fixing the issues. You do not have to fix all your bad habits at once. Trying to do too much can overwhelm you. Instead take one habit and decide to change it. To break the bad habit you have to replace it with a more productive habit. As an example if you watch too much TV, start scheduling your viewing; make it no more than 2 hours a day. Replace the remaining time with more healthy alternatives, like going for walks, runs or to the gym. Stick with the new plan for at least 21 days, once you have made it this far you have created a new and healthy habit. After 21 days you can start working on the next habit you would like to change.

Mark L Crews invites you to learn more about weight loss and receive the free report "Six Pack Abs Revealed" by visiting http://www.workoutover40.com

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Don't Get Carried Away When Eating Out

Many people enjoy going out to a restaurant or a fast food spot with family or friends and who can blame them? The food is cooked for you, brought to your table, and you do not have to wash or clean anything when you are finished. Simply enjoy the food and the atmosphere is all you have to do.

Statistics show that 65% percent of Americans eat out at least one time per week. This number has risen drastically over the past twenty years as fast food has become more prevalent throughout large cities across the country. However those of you focusing on losing weight and developing a healthier lifestyle need to be cognizant of what is consumed when dining out so that you do not wreck havoc on your healthy agenda. Just because you are eating away from home does not mean you have to go hog wild and order everything in sight.

In other words, enjoy your time but don't lose complete self control when dining out.

When you try and minimize the amount of damage eating out can cause to your plan, you will find yourself much more content with the fact that you can go out and eat, and at the same time not interrupt your healthy lifestyle. Here are a few tips to consider when going out to a restaurant or fast food spot.

Opt For Healthy Choices
Try and select something from the menu that is healthy, or at least more healthy that the majority of the other options offered. If that is not possible, then at least request to substitute a unhealthy option for something else. For example, if you are going to order a hamburger, instead of the fries and soda that are generally served alongside, ask for a cup of fruit and regular water. Much better to just have one slightly unhealthy choice instead of three unhealthy options all at once.

Watch That Portion Size
Generally the portion size at a fast food place is way too much. This is especially true at sit down restaurants where the plates are often oversized which means more space for food. Remember, you don't have to eat every single thing on your plate. When you start feeling full, that means you probably had plenty to eat so why not just take the rest home to have for lunch the next day?

Get A "To Go" Box
One of the best tips you should start getting used to especially if you often eat at restaurants is to ask the waiter to bring a "to go" box (sometimes referred to as a doggie bag) right at the start of the meal. That may sound strange, but reason being is when your meal arrives, immediately put half the food into the container and put it away to take home with you. This will eliminate half the calories you will eat, thus making the amount you're putting into your body much more reasonable.

Salad and Healthy Soups
If you want something healthy or a low calorie option, salads and some soups are definitely options you should see if they offer. If you do opt for a salad, inquire about light dressing or vinaigrette, and soups such as vegetable or chicken noodle are great, whereas soups with the words "potato", "cream of", or "cheese" in the name are not as healthy.

Drinks Lots of Water
Last but not least, drink plenty of water throughout your meal. Plain, purified drinking water has absolutely 0 calories, helps improve digestion, and actually makes you feel more full. This is a benefit all on its own since if you feel full, you are more likely not to eat any more food. Try at all cost to avoid drinking sugary drinks such as soda or beer, since these pack on needless calories and increase the amount you have to pay afterwards - not only on the scale but out of your pocketbook also.

Gregory L. Gomez, M. Ed, has been teaching 5th grade in the LAUSD for 12 years and has recently embarked on a journey to lose weight, eat healthier, and finally get in shape! Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose 60 pounds through dedicated exercise and eating healthy. From healthy eating guides to a step-by-step manual to help tackle the process of losing weight, readers will find the latest information to combat the rising obesity epidemic and start getting into shape at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/programs.

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The Exact Way How to Lose Weight in a Week

If you would like to find out , take note of the next nine hundred words. If you do follow the steps to the best of your ability, you will lose weight week after week in a healthy, natural manner. To make it as straightforward as possible, here are the exact points you need to address in this order.

is the result from your overall desire to actually want to change, the daily commitment to be successful, designing a specific plan, eating healthy food, getting regular exercise, and finally keeping track of your progress. When these items are addressed in this specific order, and upheld as best as possible, you will be successful losing weight.

Let's go into depth about each one of these points so you get a complete understanding of the exact way to lose weight in a week.

Your Overall Desire
First and foremost you need to have some type of desire to make a change and lose weight. If you don't really care about the amount you weigh or the condition of your body, then there is no immediate urgency to change the regular habits of your life. When there is real desire to lose weight and get in better shape, then you will be willing to make specific changes in order to be successful. Think about how strong of a desire you have and if losing weight really is an actual priority for you. If it truly is, then you are ready for the next step.

The Daily Commitment
Once you have determined that you have the desire to lose weight, next comes the daily commitment. Losing weight and developing a healthy life is a process that does not happen overnight. It is a daily promise you make to yourself that could take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years depending on how much weight you want to lose, or the current condition of your body. The reason why it's a daily commitment is because we eat food everyday. Therefore you will need to be committed to select healthy choices for food and beverage all throughout the day all week long. The dedication of your commitment will determine how well you handle the numerous choices and decisions you're faced with on a daily basis. Take a moment and write out this commitment on paper and post it near a wall calendar - "I pledge to lose ____ pounds by making healthy choices everyday!"

A Specific Plan
Once you have the desire to lose weight and have made the commitment to do so, it's time to create a specific plan. It's best to first start focusing on the food component since getting a handle on this is imperative to do right away. Start the habit of planning out your meals each week so you have seven days of healthy eating and therefore will never have to buy greasy fast food. If you are having difficulty thinking of meals to prepare that are healthy, take a moment to research the Internet for recipes that will be good for the body. You will find that after thirty minutes of searching, you will have a whole bunch of detailed recipes alongside pictures that show exactly what the finished meal looks like. This can be the best way to start developing a healthy cookbook to keep in your kitchen so when you are planning out your weekly meals on a Sunday afternoon, you can simply turn to this cookbook and see which recipes sound most appealing for that week.

Eating Healthy Food
Inspect the contents of your kitchen and make sure you do not have unhealthy choices such as chips, crackers, cupcakes, soda, donuts, pies, cakes, cookies, etc. These are wasted calories packed with sugar and literally nothing that is beneficial for the body. Purchase only healthy foods and snacks to keep in your kitchen, cupboards, and pantries. It's important to have snacks handy for in between meals, but develop the mindset to have snacks that are healthy, or at least low in calories. Things to get you started should definitely include fruits, granola bars, yogurt, almonds, flavored rice cakes, certain vegetables, applesauce, and jello. Again, the Internet can definitely provide you with tons of other examples when you are ready to get more options. When you find certain snacks you really enjoy, be sure to add them to your healthy recipe cookbook you're maintaining in the kitchen.

Getting Regular Exercise
Once you have taken care of the food component of your healthy lifestyle change, it's time to consider what you will do to increase your heartrate and get some regular exercise. You should first check with your doctor for approval, especially if you haven't partaken in any exercise in a long time. Maybe your doctor will even provide you with an exercise plan to follow during the first month or so, just to get your body used to the increase in activity level. It is imperative to not overdo it especially when starting out. It will do you no good to get injured trying to exercise excessively at first. When you get the OK from your doctor, take it slow but be consistent. Possibly start out by walking for thirty minutes to an hour around your neighborhood 3 or 4 times a week. The following month begin to jog for 30-45 minutes a few times a week. You can even look into the possibility of getting a gym membership if there is one in your neighborhood. If that is not an option, there are excellent at home DVD programs that you can do from the comfort of your living room needing nothing more than a pair of shoes, a DVD player, and a television. Best yet, there's a wide variety of programs to suit any type of person.

Track Your Progress
After all the hard work you are doing to improve the health and fitness of your life, it's vital you keep track of your progress each and every week. Positive results help increase motivation and spur the desire to work harder to be even more successful. Get in the habit of weighing yourself every week, possibly on Friday morning before you go to work. Write down your weight on a small calendar you tack to the bathroom wall or keep in a journal near the scale. If you are able to lose one or two pounds per week, then you will be losing four to eight pounds a month. If that progress continues, you will lose 24-48 pounds in six months, and even 48-96 pounds in a year. Now that is definitely a healthy life transition in only a year's time and this is the exact way to lose weight in a week, month, and a year!

Gregory L. Gomez, M. Ed, has been teaching 5th grade in the LAUSD for 12 years and has recently embarked on a journey to lose weight, eat healthier, and finally get in shape! Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose 60 pounds through dedicated exercise and eating healthy. From healthy eating guides to a step-by-step manual to help tackle the process of losing weight, readers will find the latest information to combat the rising obesity epidemic and start getting into shape at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/programs.

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