24 Things you Have Done Today That Might Hamper Weight Loss

Your weight loss efforts will get a great boost if you make positive and healthy lifestyle changes at every step. Slogging at the gym for hours and skimping up the calories to a great degree might not prove fruitful if lifestyle factors remain unchanged. When you have made “losing weight” the number one priority, every little change and habit that would help reach that goal matters. Going in that direction, to help you shed extra pounds, we have listed out 24 Things you have Done Today that Might Hamper Weight Loss.

1. You haven’t seen the Morning Sun Today: A lot of studies have connected vitamin D deficiency with obesity. Stepping out into the sun every morning can help you get a daily dose of vitamin D that can boost the fat-burning process they say. Not only does vitamin D3 makes bones strong and healthy, adequate vitamin D in the bloodstream can actually reduce belly fat when combined with Rati Beauty weight loss diets and regular exercise.
2. There was not enough protein in any of your meals: Many fitness instructors, health experts, and dieticians recommend keeping your protein level high in order to lose weight. When you consume protein, it increases the levels of the satiety hormones, reduces your appetite thereby also reducing the hunger hormone. In this post, you would find a list of 17 Cheapest Protein Sources at the Grocery Store.
3. You did not have the time to sip on a single glass of water since the morning: When the body is dehydrated, various chemical reactions including the fat-burning process slows down, and that’s why it’s important to drink at least 2 liters or a minimum of 8 glasses of water each day so that all the processes inside the body run smoothly. We often replace plain water with calorie-rich fruit juices or soda, and instead of hydrating the body, they often create surplus calories which get converted and stored as fat inside cells. Lack of water also affects the release of human growth hormone (HGH) which binds to the fat cells, breaking down stored fat, and mobilizing them. Also, the activity of the enzyme “lipase” that is necessary to metabolize fat slows down with dehydration. Most importantly, since the body cannot properly differentiate between hunger and thirst signals, we tend to confuse “thirst” for hunger, and turn to food to curb hunger pangs, adding unnecessary calories that are hard to burn off at the end of the day. Drink a full glass of water upon waking and sip on water through the day. Also, keep a bottle handy at all times and keep refilling it through the day.
4. You have totally avoided Healthy Fats through the Day: Just like carbs and protein, fat is also an essential macronutrient, needed in a percentage of 20% to 35% of daily calories. Fat is absolutely necessary for the absorption of vitamins such as A, D, and E because these are fat-soluble vitamins. Healthy fats do not trigger the release of excess insulin, slowing down the process of fat storage. Read about “List of Healthy Fats that can Make you Thin” in this post.

5. Everything you ate was Low Fat: What do most people do when they want to lose weight and eat healthy – get rid of all fat from the diet and pick everything low fat and fat free! What we are unaware is that going “low fat and fat free” can actually make your health worse. For decades now, we have been made to believe that all “fats” are bad and can make you obese, raise cholesterol levels, lead to stroke and heart disease, and cause a lot of other disorders in the body, but in reality, “fat” has been made the villain through wrong research results. In fact, to lose weight and to lead a healthy life in general, you should consume the recommended intake of “good fat” and avoid “fat-free” products because most of them have loads of added sugar to make up for the bland taste that happens when fat is ripped away.

6. You Haven’t Paid Attention to the Amount of Oil While Cooking: Even the healthiest of oils (read “olive oil”) has calories and going overboard with oils can quickly spike up the total calorie count. Keep tabs on the amount of oil that goes in your food and it’s easy to stay in calorie deficit.

7. You Have Taken a Liking for Sugar-Free Products: There’s a huge misconception that sugar-free products do not have any sugar in them. On the contrary, regular sugar is replaced with artificial sweeteners which have fillers added to tone down their intense sweetness. These sweeteners are extensively used in chocolates, candies, jams, jellies, dairy products, soft drinks, etc., to give them the “healthy tag.” To reveal the truth, artificial sweeteners still manage to trigger insulin release and frequent insulin spikes lead up to insulin resistance which can put you into the “pre-diabetic” category. So, switch to healthy alternatives and keep back “sugar-free” products at the grocery store.
8. You Love Soft-Textured Food: Yes, texture of food matters a great deal when it comes to weight loss. First, it’s pretty easy to overeat mashed potatoes, ice cream, peanut butter sandwiches, hummus, etc., because it’s easy to gulp them down. Second, the satiety hormone “leptin” would take a lot of time to send signals to the brain to stop and by that time, you would have easily added up quite a lot of calories. A majority of your diet should be of food that you can chew really well.
9. You ate breakfast from a Cereal Box: If you ate a bowl of cereals from a packaged box assuming it’s healthy, it’s not! Because a lot of sugar, artificial colors, flavours, and preservatives are added to that box, making it a unhealthy choice for breakfast. Pick traditional Indian breakfasts, and if you are clueless, please do check Rati Beauty weekly diet programs.
10. You had probiotics in the form of a flavoured Greek yogurt: Plain yogurt is great for weight loss because they feed the healthy bacteria in the gut and keep important fat-burning hormones in balance, but we cannot say the same for flavoured yogurt with high sugar and artificial flavour content.
11. You drank orange and apple juice the first thing in the morning: It’s always advisable to eat fruits in their raw form to get the precious fiber content along with their mineral and vitamins intact. If you have been juicing the fruits, then stop and eat them raw to get the benefit of fiber as well. Also, fruit juices spike up insulin levels, not recommended the first thing in the morning. Packaged juices which claim to be made from real fruits have loads of sugar, preservatives, artificial color and flavours, not something you would consider “healthy” by any means.
12. You were literally waiting forever for the lift/elevator: Climbing the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator will help burn calories, so why wait for the elevator?
13. You were eating while watching TV: Distractions while eating, like watching television or scrolling down the phone diverts your attention from the kind of food one is consuming and you would be unable to keep a track on portion control or eat mindfully. Both these factors are essential to keep a check on how many calories are going in, so that weight loss happens.
14. All your Meals had Processed Food: Such food is high in sodium, sugar, transfat, and pack loads of calories which would be hard to burn at the end of the day. Switch to clean and healthy eating, like that on Rati Beauty weekly diets.
15. You have added Artificial Sweetener in your Coffee/Tea: Here’s the truth – artificial sweeteners can still spike insulin and actually increase appetite, leading to weight gain. Also, continued use of artificial sweeteners effects the healthy bacteria in the gut, and a robust gut is the real secret behind weight loss.
16. Ordered a nice Sandwich for Lunch: If that sandwich you just ordered is rich mayonnaise, cheese, and a lot of other condiments, that was not a great lunch option. Mayonnaise is one of the most unhealthiest foods because it is made with quite a lot of vegetable oil. Spend a little time meal prepping and preparing home-cooked food, and your body will thank you forever.
17. Didn’t enjoy working out because it was boring: Exercise should not be considered as a punishment, instead start slowly with low-intensity exercises, by devoting just 30 minutes, even brisk walking will do. But enjoy the whole process and play your favorite music while doing so.
18. Think you have loads of Little Treats in your Purse: Okay, don’t think a little candy here and there would affect your weight in a big way? Think twice because eating anything sugary can spike insulin and increase blood sugar levels. An excess of insulin hormone in the bloodstream can direct cells to store calories into fat form.
19. You Have a Negative Body Image: The wrong kind of attitude and negative body image can demotivate and pull you down from the weight loss wagon. Do not have unrealistic expectations and work towards your goal slowly and steadily.
20. You hardly got up from the chair/couch, and it’s already evening! Have you been sitting at the desk all day long? Listen up then, certain fat-burning enzymes like lipoprotein lipase levels drop down by 90% when someone sits for an hour or longer. So, get up from the desk, move around, even fidgeting the legs is okay.
21. You treated yourself to a piece of cake after an hour of intense workout: You slogged in the gym for two hours and the most intense workout and now a treat seems like well deserved. But a high-calorie, sugary treat can totally undo all the benefits that you might have achieved throughout workout. Indulge in healthy post-workout meals, like eggs and protein shakes instead of high-calorie ones.
22. You gave in to your Sugar Cravings: As we have mentioned previously, sugary foods spike up insulin levels, and as we all know, insulin is also a fat-storage hormone, and if there are any extra calories in the bloodstream, insulin will make sure those get stored as fat.
23. Did you Snack on French Fries in Vegetable Oil: This is a completely wrong combination – French fries have high fat content and vegetable oil is rich in omega-6 fatty acids that raises inflammation, which in turn leads to weight gain and cardiovascular disease.
24. Have you Upset the Circadian Rhythm of your Body? Meddling with the body’s circadian rhythm can lead to sluggish metabolism, weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes too. Circadian rhythm is an internal biological clock that helps control your sleep and wake cycle. Blue light from phones and other gadgets can disturb the body’s internal clock, hamper immune system, increase the stress hormone cortisol, lower fat-burning hormones, and increase the level of hunger hormone “ghrelin.” Keep phones and other gadgets away one hour before bedtime to increase the production of melatonin and sleep like a baby for the rest of the night and wake up with a high metabolism in the morning.