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Whether you’ve noticed your favorite pair of jeans are a little tighter than they used to be, or you’ve got big holiday plans coming up, and you want to look and feel your best, there are lots of small mistakes that add up when trying to avoid gaining weight.
It’s so easy to put on a few pounds here and there without noticing. But, if you’ve been asking yourself how to avoid gaining weight, here are five everyday habits that could be standing in the way of your weight loss goals and what you can do to avoid gaining weight instead!
Are you a cardio queen?
If you’re regularly hitting the treadmill or elliptical and can’t work out where you’re going wrong or how to avoid gaining weight, it could be that you’re doing the wrong kind of exercise!
Lots of us choose to break a sweat by spending 30-60 minutes on a cardio machine. However, if you’re looking for ways to avoid gaining weight, you’re going to need to mix it up and mix in some strength training. Take a look at the best exercise for women short on time here!
Also Read: Check out our Weight Loss Calculator
Don’t worry, we know what you’re thinking: won’t strength training turn me into a bodybuilder? And the answer is no! You need to mix in bursts of cardio with strength training. According to recent research by the National Institutes of Health, by combining cardio with strength training, you will:
- Burn more calories
- Burn more fat
- Build lean muscle mass
Plus, strength training causes your body to continue burning fat long after your workout ends. In fact, it’s been shown that your body keeps burning calories even whilst you’re sleeping, whereas cardio only burns calories while you’re exercising.
Mindlessly eating
Hands up, who’s brought a bag of chips back to their desk with them whilst you work? You only planned to have a handful, but who knows how many you ended up having… sound familiar?
Also Read: 16 weight loss secrets that everyone needs to know
Eating in front of a screen, whether the television or your computer screen, your attention isn’t on your food or how you’re feeling, so you’re more likely to overeat. Eating food that makes you gain weight is just as dangerous for your waistline as mindless eating whilst staring at your screen.
To maintain a diet and avoid gaining weight, mindfully eating is just as important as what you’re eating! Recent studies have shown that mindful eating is vital for weight loss and management.
What does it mean to eat mindfully?
- Be present with your food, appreciate what’s on your plate in front of you and monitor how full you feel
- Chew slowly
- Give yourself at least a minute to taste and really enjoy each bite
Poor portion control
Speaking of mindful eating – if you’re snacking throughout the day, make sure you’ve consciously portioned out your servings. By paying that bit of extra attention to how much food you’re eating throughout the day, you’ll lose weight, feel less stuffed, and know to eat less of those weight gaining foods.
Also Read: Why does losing weight take so long?
Imagine you’ve got a snack of an apple and some almond butter. It’s a great snack with fruit and some protein too. However, if you’re not watching your portion control and just dipping your fruit into the large container of almond butter, then you’re much likely to overeat. And at roughly 110 calories per tablespoon, if eaten mindlessly, almond butter is definitely a weight gaining food!
Instead, measure out an actual serving of the nut butter and put it into a bowl.
Unnecessary nut butter
And speaking of almond butter, adding a spoon of nut butter to a smoothie is a great way to add some extra protein power into your diet. However, if you’re doubling up on protein powders and nut butter, then you might be hurting your weight loss attempts.
Smoothies that are often deemed healthy because they’re made up of healthy ingredients can actually add almost 1000 calories to your day! So, if you’re already using a protein powder, then you can skip the nut butter.
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Are you overdoing it on protein?
Did you know that the CDC recommends that the average adult woman consumes 46g of protein each day? When you’re cooking at home, a serving size of a piece of fish or meat is generally around the size of your fist. So, if you’re going out to eat and ordering a 6-ounce steak, that’s almost double the amount of protein needed for that meal.
When looking for ways to lose weight, aim for a balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats every day. If you overeat protein and not enough carbs, your body won’t have the energy it needs and won’t break down fats it needs to. Instead, it’ll target muscle mass, and your metabolism will struggle!
Reach your goals faster with Trimtone
So, if you’re trying to avoid gaining weight, then being mindful of what you’re eating and how you’re feeling, eating a balance of carbs, protein & healthy fats and adding strength training to your cardio workouts will have you hitting your weight loss goals in no time!
However, if you need a helping hand to avoid weight gain, then there’s always Trimtone! Our 100% natural fat burner for women works with you to reduce your appetite, boost your metabolism, and blitz fat so that you can achieve your weight loss goals faster and more safely.
