One of the most common issues when it comes to weight gain and trying to lose pregnancy weight is the bad habits that we have.
Some of us might have a habit of snacking, while some of us might have a habit of eating when we feel certain emotions. In order for us to conquer our weight loss demons, it’s important to break those food habits that cause us to overeat – but it’s easier to break those habits than you might think.
All you need to do is replace those bad habits with good healthy eating habits and with time, you’ll find that the weight drops off – which is where the Lose Baby Weight plans can help.
Snacking
If you’re a serial snacker and regularly find yourself grazing on snacks throughout the day, rather than eating proper meals, you could be taking in more calories than you would do eating regular, healthy meals with a couple of healthy snacks in between.
Calories in chips, peanuts and biscuits are all fairly high and you’ll need to eat a large amount of these types of foods to feel full. If you graze all day on these types of foods, you’ll find it much harder to keep an eye on your calorie intake.
How to fix it
Instead of grazing on snacks, plan 1-2 snacks of between 100-300 calories per day in between your 3 regular meals (see our snack section here). Planning out your meals means that you’ll always know how many calories you’re taking in, which means that you’ll be able to keep an eye on your calorie intake and therefore your weight.
If you know you’re prone to reaching into that big bag of chips mid-afternoon, switch to buying calorie controlled bags or portion out your chips into 30g portions so you always know how much you’re eating. Eventually, planning will become habit and controlling your calorie intake will become habit – meaning that those kilos will drop off.
Emotional eating
Many of us often reach for a bar of chocolate or for a pint of ice cream when we feel down – and that’s entirely understandable, as these types of foods can give us a temporary rush of endorphins.
However, within about 20 minutes of eating, that “high” from the food can very quickly drop to a low, making us feel even worse. Regularly reaching for the treat tin when you feel upset is a recipe for weight gain, so how do you fix it?
How to fix it
Try to make yourself feel better with something completely unrelated to food. Call your friend or your mum. Go for a walk. Pet the cat/dog. Watch a movie. Listen to your favourite feel good album. Whatever it may be, there has to be something that will make you feel better aside from food – so figure out what it is and make it a habit that you turn to when you’re feeling down.
If you must, must, must eat – and you have a craving for carbs – opt for something that is whole grain so you get more goodness out of it.
Mindless eating
Many of us will mindlessly munch on chips, chocolate, biscuits and the like when sitting in front of the television or whilst on the telephone – and this can lead to us eating more than we would had we not been focussed on another activity.
In fact, research has shown that people who eat while watching television can potentially take in up to 60% more than they would have had they been focussed on their meal – and let’s face it, taking in 60% more calories could cause some serious weight gain.
How to fix it
Work out your triggers. Do you eat while reading? Do you always watch television? Do you snack while on the phone? If you’re a mindless eater, work out what your trigger is and then try to minimise it.
Try your hardest to only eat when you’re focussed on what’s in front of you – and if you really must snack while watching television, try to exercise portion control or make sure you only have healthy snacking choices in the house – see lots of ideas here
Skipping breakfast
Many people skip breakfast, either because they don’t have the time or because they “can’t face” food earlier in the morning. Some people also believe that skipping breakfast = skipping calories, meaning that they’ll lose weight.
In reality, eating breakfast boosts metabolism, meaning that you burn more calories over the period of a day, and it also means that you’re less likely to snack mid-morning – and you’re more likely to eat less at lunch.
How to fix it
Work breakfast into your routine. Get up a little earlier so you can eat it at home, or if you cannot find the time, prepare breakfast to take with you on the way or for you to eat at your desk. If you’re on the go, try a cereal bar and a banana, or if you have time to eat at home, there are a huge range of healthy, tempting and tasty breakfasts – banana and peanut butter toast, a healthy mummy smoothie, lean grilled ham and poached egg, yoghurt with fruit and cereal, warm wheat biscuits and honey… the list goes on! Even if you’re not a breakfast person, there will be a breakfast that you will enjoy and that you can eat.
If you are ready to lose weight then the Lose Baby Weight plans offer a healthy and safe exercise and diet routine that are safe in breastfeeding
And don’t forget to check out our current promotions and discounts page to see what specials we have on this week on our Healthy Mummy product range
