Losing those excess pounds can be very frustrating. You can’t help but wonder if your weighing scale is simply broken when nothing seems to come out of all your dieting and exercising. But don’t lose heart—working out and eating right are just two of the many factors needed in order to effectively cut back weight. Getting fit is all about changing your lifestyle, and there are common habits you aren't aware of that may have been inadvertently sabotaging your efforts. We’ve listed a few that you need to avoid to become a fitter you.
1. Not getting enough sleep
You may want to start getting at least seven hours of sleep daily. According to sleep expert Dr. Rosalina Picar, not getting enough night time rest can increase your chances for obesity. “A lot of our youth are obese and overweight mostly because they sleep less,” she explained. “We have a natural propensity to go for [unhealthy food] because of lack of sleep.”
2. Starving yourself
Contrary to popular belief, depriving yourself of food will not help you with losing weight in the long run. In fact, experts have already confirmed that adding cheat days to your diet plan improves your chances of continuously eating healthy than when you go cold turkey on cakes and cookies. Author Dr. David Grotto calls it “structured cheating,” and this method helps you control what you eat and how much of it you consume. This brings us to the next bad habit…
3. Binge-eating
Depriving yourself of food can cause you to eat more than when you started. Bingeing can be caused by something as simple as boredom. Since you’ve been forcing yourself to eat so little, you’ll end up justifying your eating spree.
4. Skipping breakfast
People tend to take the first meal of the day for granted, and this is a huge no-no if you’re trying to lose weight. Not getting a proper breakfast can actually make you more vulnerable to unhealthy treats, which may cause you to overeat for the rest of the day.
