Many of our food related habits act as triggers for weight gain, even when we seem to take charge of our diet. Some of our food habits are triggered by our immediate environment or what is visible. Here are habits which accentuate weight gain and how you can avoid them.
1. Keeping food on your kitchen counter
Kitchen counters are usually cluttered with food stuff which become a trigger for your appetite. Recent research has shown that people who keep their kitchen counter clear of food stuff are 8 to 29 pounds less in weight compared to those who clutter their counters with food stuff. This is because visible food is a temptation that makes you eat without consciously making a decision to.
How to avoid this? You can desist from this habit quite simply by doing a makeover to your kitchen counter and replacing the unhealthy food stuff with healthy options such as a bowl of fruit.
2. Keeping your snacks in clear containers
Our eyes act as a major player in creating a temptation for what is visible. Snacks kept in clear containers are more likely to create a temptation to eat and especially if they meet us at eye level. Excessive and unregulated snacking is an unhealthy option which most people struggle to resist. But something can be done. Keep them away or better still put them in opaque containers and you will never eat them because you saw them.
3. Using oversized dinner plates
Research shows that we eat at least 90% of food served in our plates. It is also more likely that we serve ourselves more food than we should eat if we use larger bowls and plates. This has a direct effect on the amount of food that we consume. This is because of the psychological notion that we should eat up to 90% or more of the food in our plates. Therefore, weight gain becomes part of our norm without consciously knowing it.
To avert this habit, resort to smaller plates and bowls which will not lead to overeating.
4. Disregarding food proportions
At times we consume without knowing the amount and proportions of what we take, and more often than not we end up consuming in excess. Packaged food are our dearest victims including popcorn and cereal. To help keep the calories in check, it is recommended that you keep a pre-measured amount of snacks and other foodstuff.
5. You keep too much sugary drinks
Quite often, we buy sugary drinks from the supermarket and the safest place to keep them is in the refrigerator. The refrigerator is a popular place where you like to open all the time and that which meets your first gaze is the juices and other sugary drinks. They are quite irresistible that someone can ignore them and we end up having a sip or two or the bottle itself! This habit is tamable if you replace the sugars with a pitch of water instead of the sweet alluring enemy.
6. Unmonitored overeating
It goes without a saying that the habit of overeating will certainly lead to weight gain. To avoid overeating and especially your dire cravings, you should choose a method suitable to tame it. This includes following the HCG diet plan and HCG drops reduce your appetite in just a period of three to six weeks. And all will be set and you will never feel suppressed by hunger or the urge to eat unnecessarily.