You may not be a voracious eater yet you can’t seem to lose those extra pounds. What’s wrong with you? There is nothing wrong with your body. It is simply responding naturally to your bad habits. You see, there are seemingly harmless habits that harm your health. These may seem small but in reality, they greatly impact your overall health, most especially, your weight.
Check out these three habits that hinder you from losing weight:

Sitting

It has been said that sitting is as bad as smoking. This simply means that being physically inactive by sitting or lying down most of the time puts you at a greater risk of developing illnesses. According to the Mayo Clinic, researchers have analyzed 13 studies and concluded that those who spent their time sitting for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying tantamount to those who have obesity and those who smoke. 
Do you spend most of your time sitting? Why don’t you get a standing desk or make it a point to take 10 minutes of walking time spread out throughout the day? You can walk anywhere. That includes walking in place inside your room or office. Pacing while talking on the phone or even when watching your favorite show. You burn eight calories more per hour when standing compared to sitting while walking burns more than double the amount of calories.

Preloading

This happens when your mouth is still full and you put more food on your spoon, very much ready for the next bite. Most people who are in a hurry tend to preload. This results to consuming more food than they need, especially when the food isn’t portioned. Eating too fast will not give your gastrointestinal tract enough time to send a signal to your brain that you have had enough. Therefore, you will tend to eat more than you should until you feel so full and bloated. In response to food intake, the intestines produce a hormone known as peptide YY (PYY) to promote satiety. It decreases the appetite by giving you the sensation of fullness. It takes about 15 minutes after food intake for the peptide YY levels to increase. That’s why you should not have your meals for less than 15 minutes. Take your time to chew food and put those utensils down. Don’t preload!

Grazing

You find yourself in the company of family or friends after dinner with leftover food or desserts in front of you. Since the conversation is so entertaining, you mindlessly pick on the food and just keep on nibbling. Does this scenario seem familiar? You are grazing after meals, therefore consuming more calories than you should. In a study published on Dec. 18, 2021 by Eliana Zeballos and Carolyn Chellius entitled “The effects of grazing on daily caloric intake and dietary quality,” they found out that grazing increased total daily caloric intake by 205 calories. That is equivalent to one cup of cooked rice! It would take about an hour of brisk walking for a person weighing 59 kg or 130 lbs to burn those 200 calories. Avoid grazing at all costs! Drink a cup of tea or warm water with lemon or calamansi. Bitter and sour flavors decrease cravings. It will also alter your taste buds, so food from grazing won’t taste as good. You can also pop a sugar-free mint or candy. But don’t consume more than necessary as these mints contain artificial sweetener that can cause diarrhea.
Remember that losing weight is not just about what you eat. How and when you eat are both equally important in addition to being physically active most of the time.

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