Five Everyday Habits That Can Make You Fat

Many of us are not even aware that there are some lifestyle habits that can make us fat. Making an improvement to these habits can help us stop feeling guilty about being fat. Let's take a look at these habits.

Insufficient Sleep

Lack of sleep affects your metabolism in a negative way. Sound sleep is necessary to keep your body in good working order. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, lack of sleep can make people fat. According to usatoday.com, sleep-deprived people consume 300 extra calories a day and hence get fat.

Insufficient sleep can cause your body to produce higher levels of the appetite stimulating hormone, ghrelin. This hormone stimulates the brain giving rise to an increase in appetite. Also, lack of sleep lowers levels of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full. According to a research study, people who sleep 5 hours or less a night have 15% more ghrelin and 15% less leptin than those who sleep 8 hours a night.

Cortisol, a stress hormone, rises with lack of sleep. Therefore, sleep 7-8 hours regularly to stay fit and healthy. Start your day with exercise and stay active as much as possible. During the night, engage yourself in activities that make you feel relaxed such as reading books or listening to soft melody. If you are having trouble sleeping, contact your health care provider to find the exact cause of the problem.

Skipping Breakfast

During morning time, your body needs energy that can only be gained by eating a healthy breakfast. Missing breakfast on the pretext of losing weight will make you gain weight instead of lose it. Breakfast gives your metabolism a much needed boost and improves your metabolic activity. On the other hand, skipping breakfast slows down your metabolism which in turn leads to improper digestion of foods and increased body fat. Therefore, eat a nutritious and healthy breakfast to keep yourself hale and hearty throughout your life-span.

A healthy breakfast diet includes yogurt, fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, whole-grain breads and cereals. Eating the right breakfast helps your body burn fat quickly. However, if you have a big breakfast in the morning then you should eat light meals throughout the day. The big breakfast diet includes pancakes, pizza, cheese, cake, cookies, chocolates etc. Having a heavy lunch or dinner after eating a big breakfast adds extra calories to your diet. Keep in mind that your breakfast should consist of 350-480 calories. Dr. David Heber, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition suggests eating foods that are rich in protein and fiber as they make you feel full longer (msnbc.com).

Alcohol Consumption

Many people tend to gain weight because of their drinking habits. Alcohol is considered as a stress reducing factor by many people. Some studies show that drinking alcohol in moderation is actually good for cardiovascular health. Also, moderate alcohol intake helps to improve insulin sensitivity. However, the health drawbacks of alcohol consumption far outweigh the benefits. Alcohol serves no useful purpose in your body and adds empty calories to your diet. It contains 7.1 calories per gram. Alcohol increases your appetite, thus tempting you to eat more food without thinking.

If you truly want to get rid of your body fat then you should first try to get rid of alcohol. If you can't stay away from alcohol then you need to remember few things before gulping down a glass of alcohol.

Avoid eating fatty foods such as pizza, burger, meat products, milk chocolates, sweets, deep fried foods etc. as they add fat to your body.
Do not engage in mindless eating.
Avoid drinking alcohol daily.

Eating Without Thinking

If you care too much about your weight then you should be aware of how much you are eating. Not paying attention to your eating habits will make you fat. Therefore, it would be better if you start controlling your unhealthy dietary urges right now. However, if you feel hungry most of the time then you should eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of one large meal.

Choose healthy foods over unhealthy and junk foods to stay fit and healthy throughout your life. There is no doubt that the temptation of eating junk foods is hard to resist but still you have to make efforts to quit eating these foods.

Avoiding Exercise

Exercise should be an integral part of your life as it keeps your body in good shape and relaxes your body and mind. So, start doing exercises to avoid age-related illnesses. Start with simple exercises such as walking, jogging, running and swimming. An hour-long daily walk can help you lose half a pound of fat a week. If possible, do some weight training exercises to shed those extra pounds. Incorporating these simple exercises into your daily work routine will help you get rid of excess body fat.

Remember, practicing healthy eating and staying away from a sedentary lifestyle will reward you with a longer active life and keep fat at bay.