Habits that Make You Fat

Let's unlearn some ideas about how we get fat and resolve to change a couple simple routines.

Eating fat makes you fat. WRONG. Eating fat won't make you fat, any more than eating money will make you rich. Calories make you fat, and most "low-fat" or "fat-free" foods actually have just as many calories as their full-fat versions, because of added sugar and chemicals. And there's no debate on this one:  Since we made "cut down on fat" our favorite food craze roughly 30 years ago, the U.S. obesity rate has doubled. Among children, it has tripled. That's a failed food policy of ever there was one.   But, its just one of many "get fat" habits that can be turned into a "slim-down" habit, starting today. Here are a few other habits that you can replace right now.

It sounds crazy, but I want you to consider not buying foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free. Typically, they save you only a few calories and, in doing so, they replace harmless fats with low-performing carbohydrates that digest quickly - causing a sugar rush and, immediately afterward, rebound hunger. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that meals that limited carbohydrates to 43 percent were more filling and had a milder effect on blood sugar than meals with 55 percent carbohydrates. That means you'll store less body fat and be less likely to eat more later.

Fat Habit:  Eating free restaurant foods.  Bread sticks, biscuits, and chips and salsa may be complimentary at some restaurants, but that doesn't mean you won't pay for them. Every time you eat one of Olive Garden's free bread sticks or Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you're adding an additional 150 calories to your meal. Eat three over the course of dinner and that's 450 calories. That's also roughly the number of calories you can expect for every basket of tortilla chips you get at your local Mexican restaurant. What's worse, none of these calories comes paired with any redeeming nutritional value. Consider them junk food on steroids.

Fat Habit:  Skipping meals.  In a 2011 national survey from the Calorie Control Council, 17 percent of Americans admitted to skipping meals to lose weight. The problem is, skipping meals actually increases your odds of obesity, especially when it comes to breakfast. A study from the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who cut out the morning meal were 4.5 times more likely to be obese. Why? Skipping meals slows your metabolism and boosts your hunger. That puts your body in prime fat-storage mode and increases your odds of overeating at the next meal. 

Fat Habit:  Drinking soda - even diet. The average American guzzles nearly a full gallon of soda every week. Why is that so bad? Because a study found that drinking one to two sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight or obese by nearly 33 percent. And diet soda is no better. When researchers in San Antonio tracked a group of elderly subjects for nearly a decade, they found that compared to nondrinkers, those who drank two or more diet sodas a day watched their waistlines increase five times faster. The researchers theorize that the artificial sweeteners trigger appetite cues, causing you to unconsciously eat more at subsequent meals.

Fat Habit:  Putting serving dishes on the table.  Resist setting out foods buffet or family style, and opt instead to serve them from the kitchen. A study in the journal Obesity found that when food is served from the dinner table, people consume 35 percent more over the course of the meal. When an additional helping requires leaving the table, people hesitate to go back for more.

Fat Habit:  Choosing white bread. A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that wen obese subject incorporated whole grains into their diets, they lost more abdominal fat over the course of 12 weeks. There are likely multiple factors at play, but the most notable is this: Whole grain foods pack in more fiber and an overall stronger nutritional package than their refined-grain counterparts. Trading white for wheat is an easy fix.

Fat Habit:  Drinking fruity beverages.  Most restaurants and bars have ditched their fresh-fruit recipes in favor of viscous syrups made mostly from high fructose corn syrup and thickening agents. As a general rule, the more garnishes a drink has hanging from its rim, the worse it is for your waistline.   This rule holds true for non-alcoholic beverages, as well.

You don't need to make big changes to your diet to lose 10, 20 or even 30 pounds. You just need to make the right small tweaks. barbarajlaird.zumba.com