10 Habits That Could Be Making You Gain Fat

The switch to a healthier lifestyle isn't all about profound changes — a few small fixes that can help lower the number on the scale.
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If losing weight were easy, more Americans wouldn't ever struggle with their weight, and the 72-billion-dollar weight-loss industry would probably be out of business, too.

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Unfortunately, the facts are indisputable: To many, a chili-cheese omelet is more delicious than a veggie egg-white omelet, French fries taste better than side salads and chicken is tastier when battered and fried.

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A healthy weight is a lot easier to accomplish when the right choices become second nature. In other words, weight-loss goals are more achievable when healthy choices turn into healthy habits. Here are 11 that might result in fat gain — and are worth breaking up with pronto.

1. Poor Prep

Boy Scouts and healthy eaters have the same motto: Be prepared. Having a refrigerator and pantry stocked with the right foods — lean proteins, whole-grain carbohydrates, fruits, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats — means you'll be prepared to eat what you should when you should.

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Prepare your meals and snacks for the week ahead on Sunday, and portion them out in your refrigerator in containers. You can hard-boil six or seven eggs, and keep them in the fridge for breakfasts or snacks.

Or, cook up a large batch of steel-cut oats on Sunday, and measure it into single portion sizes in bowls covered with plastic wrap for later. You can reheat these in one minute in the microwave each workday morning. Similarly, entering a restaurant armed with a plan will keep you on the right track when dining out.

Preparation also means knowing your cravings and having healthy alternatives on hand to curb them, says Molly Kimball, RD based in New Orleans. If sweets are your weakness, for example, keep fresh fruit on hand to satisfy your sweet tooth without taking a huge caloric hit.

Read more:28 Eating Secrets to Help You Lose Weight (and Save Money, Too!)

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2. Not Drinking Enough Water

Make sure to refill your water bottle throughout the day.
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Drinking enough water keeps our skin looking young and healthy and our digestive system running full steam ahead. But Kimball says proper hydration can also help when you're concerned about weight.

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"Fatigue is one of the first signs of mild dehydration," Kimball said. "A lot of people misinterpret that sluggish feeling as hunger and they eat to boost energy."

In fact, replacing diet beverages with water helped people who have overweight and obesity lose more weight, a December 2017 study published in the ‌International Journal of Obesity‌ found.

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In another study, researchers from Virginia Tech observed that people who drank two 8-ounce glasses of water before their three daily meals lost about five pounds more than dieters who do not drink pre-meal water, per the results presented at an American Chemical Society meeting

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So how much water is the right amount? Kimball says the old "64 ounces a day" rule is too one-size-fits-all; different bodies need different amounts of water. She says a good guideline is to divide your weight in half and drink that number of ounces per day. So a 180-pound person would shoot for 90 ounces of H2O.

3. Overdoing It With Liquid Calories

Skip the sugary sodas and alcohol mixers and opt for sparkling water instead.
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Calorie-free coffee and tea provide beneficial antioxidants; however, you can easily sabotage your cup by adding caloric creamers and sweet toppings such as caramel and whipped cream that can add hundreds of calories.

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Liquid calories also often come in the form of alcoholic beverages, and those should be limited, too. If you can't do without, Kimball recommends sticking with wine, light beer or liquor with a noncaloric mixer like water, club soda or diet soda. Women should limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day, and men should stop at two.

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Say "yes" to water, unsweetened tea or coffee and "no" to soda, juice and those beloved blended coffee drinks. And when it comes to alcohol, steer clear of anything with sugary mixers.

4. Not Getting Enough Zzzs

You don't even need to be conscious to work on losing weight. Getting the right amount of sleep seems to be a major factor in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

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A November 2006 study published in the ‌American Journal of Epidemiology ‌tracked the weight and sleeping habits of over 68,000 women over 16 years. The women who reported sleeping five hours or less nightly weighed an average of 5 1/2 pounds more than the women who slept seven hours or more at the start of the study.

The reason is hormones, specifically leptin and ghrelin. Sleep deprivation causes a reduction in leptin levels, while also causing ghrelin levels to rise, according to the National Sleep Foundation. High ghrelin stimulates the appetite, while low leptin makes you feel unsatisfied after eating, leaving you hungrier during your waking hours and, likely, heavier.

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Make it a goal to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. And if you're having trouble hitting the hay, check out these simple tricks to get the best night's rest.

Read more:12 Foods That Help You Fall (and Stay) Asleep

5. Leaving the TV On

Avoid mindless munchies by turning off the TV when you eat.
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If you rely on a few calming episodes of ‌Planet Earth‌ to help you fall asleep, you may be setting yourself up for weight gain.

Sleeping with a source of artificial light (such as your TV, e-reader, iPad or laptop) might contribute to weight gain or even obesity, a June 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests. While using a small nightlight wasn't associated with weight gain, the researchers observed that participants who slept with light or the TV on were 17 percent more likely to gain about 11 pounds.

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To get better sleep, consider moving the TV out of your bedroom — but if you can't, try turning it off an hour before you hit the hay.

6. Shopping (Mostly) in the Center Aisles

A good basic rule to follow at the grocery store is to do most of your shopping near the four walls. "The perimeter of the grocery store is what you need to be eating," says Nicole Wynne, RD and staff dietitian at Women & Men's Nutrition and Weight Control Centers of Louisiana.

"It's where you usually find the fresh produce, the meats and the dairy. In the middle aisles, you find more of the processed foods you want to avoid."

Wynne says there are a few exceptions, namely in the freezer section with its frozen vegetables and no-sugar-added frozen fruits and berries, which are nutritious additions to smoothies, yogurt and oatmeal. You can also find nut butters, whole grains and some other healthy, less-processed foods in the middle.

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Make sure the bulk of your grocery shopping happens in the perimeter of the grocery store, where the whole foods are. And avoid the stuff with refined grains, added sugars and artificial additives in the center aisles.

7. Poor Record Keeping

Having a food journal on hand can help you keep tabs on what you eat.
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You want to lose weight, and you've been trying to maintain a healthy diet, but the pounds are not melting off. The problem may be that you're eating more than you think.

Failing to keep tabs on your daily munchies — think: a square of chocolate here, a handful of chips there — can all add up. And you're especially at risk at the office: People who reach for free food at the office added an extra 1,300 calories to their week, according to research presented at the American Society for Nutrition.

A food diary can be an effective solution.

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"Write down everything that goes in your mouth," says Wynne. By doing this, you'll get the full picture of your diet. It's impossible to forget the handful of candy-coated chocolates you eat every time you pass your co-worker's candy jar if it's right there in black and white.

Knowing you'll have to write it down might make you reconsider that late-night bowl of ice cream. Also, once you've kept your diary for a while, you'll probably begin to notice patterns such as a caloric uptick in the evenings and you can adjust accordingly.

8. Avoiding Weights

You will not achieve your weight-loss goals easily through diet and cardio alone. A regimen that combines strength training and cardiovascular exercise optimizes the ability to shed pounds.

In fact, adopting a resistance training regimen can help you lose more weight than just doing cardio, according to the American Council on Exercise. While both weightlifting and cardio burn calories and boost metabolism, cardio only raises the metabolism during the exercise and for a short time after.

Weightlifting, however, increases metabolism during the exercise and for a long time after. This "afterburn" — the continued burning of calories from lifting weights after the training session has ended — can last for hours, even days.

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Include weight training or resistance training at least twice a week, the American Heart Association recommends. Opting for the gym machines, free weights or just body weight will do. If you find yourself confused at the gym, consult our go-to guide on how beginners can start strength training.

Read more:10 Exercise Variations for Greater and Faster Results

9. Dining Out Too Often

Cooking at home more often can easily help you cut cals.
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According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one-third of a person's daily caloric intake comes from food and drinks consumed away from home. The culprit: Dining out.

Dining out can get tricky if you're watching your weight or trying to eat healthier because it's hard to know what exactly goes into your order. While many restaurants are now posting nutrition facts, we still don't know the quality of the ingredients being used. What's more, restaurants often dish out larger-than-standard serving sizes, so you're inclined to eat more, taking in more calories than you may have intended.

The best way to keep a lid on calories is to take cooking into your own hands. Aim to cut down or minimize meals eaten out.

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When you do go to a restaurant, be sure to choose healthier items on the menu, and be mindful of the portions. Servings can be oversized and, rather than eating the entire portion, you can save half for the next day's lunch.

10. Throwing in the Towel

Cut yourself some slack. It's one of the most important things you can do when you're trying to lose weight.

"If you blow a meal, it is not a free pass to blow the rest of the day."

Missteps happen. You succumb to a craving and have an unhealthy lunch. Forgive yourself for it and get back to your plan right away!

"If you blow a meal, it is not a free pass to blow the rest of the day," says Wynne. Those who give up for the rest of the day, week, month or year due to a momentary setback will never achieve lasting weight loss. Mistakes happen, and the weight-loss battle is won and lost by how you respond to those mistakes.

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The best way to continue after a setback, Wynne says, is to forgive yourself for the lapse in willpower and move on at once, immediately resuming your healthy lifestyle.

If you see yourself in any of these habits that can make you gain fat, the best time to start changing them is right now. For every "bad" habit, there's a smarter one. And the only way to turn healthy choices into healthy habits is repetition. So start shedding your unhealthy habits, and you'll be shedding pounds soon enough.

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Don't let these unhealthy habits stop you from achieving your weight-loss goals.
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Read more:How to Lose Weight if You Can't Stop Eating

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