5 more eating habits preventing fat loss
SO far we have looked at a whopping 10 eating habits or choices which can thwart your fat loss efforts. In this article we complete our list with five more eating habits which can keep you from losing weight.
Eating ‘diet’ foods
We are often so happy when we see a new fat-free, sugar-free, reduced calorie or dark chocolate snack, but I learned there is no way you can simply take fat or sugar out of our beloved snacks and expect them to be worth buying.
So, what was done differently? Oftentimes fat-free means more sugar, sugar-free means more fat, and both often mean artificial sweeteners, as does reduced calories.
Where it is true that dark chocolate can improve health, lower the risk for heart disease, and the flavonoids it contains are invaluable for other health benefits, it turns out the dark chocolate sold on the shelves of your local pharmacy are often laden with sugar to counter the true bitter dark chocolate taste.
It is better to eat a snack which is nutritious and whole-foods based, like a fruit (yes, singular), nuts, berries, or lightly salted stove top popcorn. To get the benefits of dark chocolate, make sure it is at least 70 per cent cacao, does not have a high sugar content per serving, and have only one small portion such as three blocks per day.
Overdoing healthy foods
There can definitely be too much of a good thing, even those “superfoods” to which we flock. Regardless of how healthy it is, it will likely contain calories.
All calories are created equal; some may be empty and some may come with much-needed nutrients, but they all provide the same energy. Too many calories will mean more stored fat. This principle can be reapplied to carbohydrates, oils, proteins — heck, even water. A simple example of this healthy abuse is fruit.
Fruits and berries contain fibre, water, vitamins and minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. However, fruit contains the sugar, fructose, and many servings of a fruit range from 15 grammes to 35 grammes of sugar. When you take into consideration that 25 grammes is the World Health Organization’s recommendation for the maximum amount of sugar you should ingest per day to avoid most sugar-related illnesses, it becomes clear that for healthy foods you cannot risk overdoing them.
Alcohol
We live in a culture of alcohol. We know the damaging effects it can have, but for weight loss, however, be very aware that alcoholic beverages are calorie intensive. Just to list a few, here are the caloric content of a few alcoholic beverages:
• Beer, 12 ounces — 135 calories
• Pina Colada, nine ounces — 490 calories
• Red wine, eight ounces — 200 calories
• White wine, eight ounces — 193.6 calories
• 80-proof spirits, eight ounces — 517 calories
• Champagne, eight ounces — 168 calories
• Martini, eight ounces — 441 calories
• Cosmos, eight ounces — 425 calories
• Margarita, eight ounces — 425 calories
• Manhattan, eight ounces — 375 calories
• Vodka 80 proof, eight ounces — 512 calories
Essentially, with alcoholic beverages and weight loss, wait until you are at your goal weight, but at most drink on occasion and drink in very small quantities, or not at all.
Insufficient water
We are mostly water. It is in every organ, tissue and cell of our body and is necessary for all our functions. Insufficient water will be reacted to as a stress, which counters healthy metabolism. Sufficient water helps to regulate hunger, and often thirst can trigger appetite.
Low dietary fibre
Aside from the well-known digestive tract and other health and regular bowel movement benefits of fibre, there are the less spoken of advantages of having a high-fibre diet. As a bulking agent, fibre makes you feel fuller, reducing the feeling to pack in more calories. As a prebiotic, it can help to feed intestinal microorganisms which play an important role in weight management, blood sugar control, immunity, mood, and brain function.
We know eating a healthy, balanced diet is important, but there are many influences attempting to get your attention. Be sure to strengthen your knowledge and more so your wisdom.
Fitz-George Rattray is the director of Intekai Academy, which is focused on helping people live a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and weight management. If you are interested in losing weight or living a healthier lifestyle, give them a call at 968-8238, or visit their website at intekaiacademy.org.