Top habits that keep you fat

A recent American Journal of Preventative Medicine study has highlighted the four main lifestyle behaviours that cause persons who lose weight to gain it back.

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, United States, followed 3,000 persons - all of whom had lost at least 30 pounds - for 10 years. At the end of the study, nine out of 10 of the participants had kept off at least 10 per cent of the weight.

They were found to share the following key habits in gaining back the weight: avoiding the scale, overeating, not maintaining a regular exercise routine, and consuming too much fat.

AVOIDING THE SCALE

It is never a good idea to avoid the scale for long periods. It's quite easy for the weight to creep back on without you realising it, so weigh yourself once a week to make sure your weight is where you want it to be.

You should also use a tape measure, try on your slim clothes and examine yourself naked now and then. Watch especially for the 'problem' areas that tend to be giveaways for weight gain - like the double chin, round, puffy abdomen and thighs rubbing together when you walk. Spotting weight gain early will make it easier to deal with than waiting until you have put on too much and it gets out of control.

OVEREATING

Now that you are at your desired weight, you should still eat moderately and practise portion control. Never give up healthy eating habits. Yes, you can cheat now and then and treat yourself, but make that an occasional monthly treat rather than the norm. Also, make that treat a substitute so you don't increase your calorie intake.

For instance, if you really want that ice cream sundae, skip the three-course meal and have the sundae only as your meal. Remember, once you lose the weight, it's easy to feel so confident that you go overboard with eating what you desire.

NOT MAINTAINING REGULAR EXERCISE ROUTINE

If you want to maintain that nice body you now feel so confident about and you want your health to be at premium level, exercising should always be a regular part of your routine, for the rest of your life. Having a regular exercise routine is beneficial on so many levels - healthy body, regulating hormones, improved mental health, high fitness level, maintaining a proper weight, having the right muscle mass, increased stamina and libido, improved overall health, regulating immune system. You name it, exercising is the wonder drug for an overall good health.

CONSUMING TOO MUCH FAT

Knowing the difference between good and bad fat, and consuming moderate amounts of the good fat is very important. And it's quite easy to know the difference. There are countless studies and articles, several on the Internet, that will give you all the information and knowledge you need.

So, for your own good, overall health and keeping off the pounds, get all the knowledge you can and strike a balance. Also, don't go back to fried, greasy food; have lean cuts of meat; get rid of the skin and fat on the meat; butter isn't always necessary; steam, bake or boil foods more; and drain the oil from cooked meat.