1. Loading your coffee with sugar and creamers
If you like to start your day with an energy boost from a cup of coffee like many people do, be careful about the ingredients you load it with. Amy Lippert, NTP, says adding sugar, creamer, and flavored syrups can lead to inflammation and hold you back from reaching your weight loss goals.
Sure, sugar may make your coffee taste better than it does black, but adding too much can lead to serious health consequences. "When added to coffee and consumed first thing on an empty stomach, this ingredient causes a spike in blood sugars," Lippert explains. "The body responds by producing insulin, a hormone that is the key to storing excess glucose in the adipose (fat) cells." Long story short, this can lead to weight gain.
Additionally, creamers often contain inflammatory thickeners, stabilizers, and ingredients that can hinder you on your weight loss journey. "Large amounts of inflammation compounds in the body can lead to water retention, making it harder to lose weight as well," Lippert notes.
2. Not eating enough protein
Trista Best MPH, RD, LD of Balance One Supplements, says protein is a vital macronutrient that our bodies needs in order to thrive—in fact, it's one of the three nutrients from which are able to get calories, which are essential when it comes to nourishing our bodies and providing us with energy. Protein is also an especially important nutrient on a cellular level; Best notes that "it is needed for creating and repairing cells." Additionally, eating an ample amount of this macronutrient will help reduce appetite, keep our bones healthy, and even lower blood pressure, among other things.
3. Eating sugary, processed breakfasts
You know what they say about breakfast: it's the most important meal of the day. That's why it's so important to fuel your body with a nutritious meal every morning in order to promote weight loss. Nutritionists say you should avoid sugary, highly processed, high-carb breakfasts at all costs. Sugary cereal and high-carb pastries, such as donuts and muffins, are two particular examples.
"Your body has to do little work to digest and absorb these types of foods," Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD and author of Recipe for Survival, explains. "It barely burns any calories to utilize these foods." In turn, your metabolism can be negatively affected, making it difficult to lose weight.
Khatri warns about the spike in blood sugar and insulin levels that sugary breakfast foods can lead to. "When you start your day with anything that is high in sugar/sweetener, you are more likely to crave sugar or other sweet foods throughout the day. Which means you are more likely to snack just to maintain blood sugar levels," she says. So, if you want to avoid overloading on snacks later in the day, the best call is always to pack in protein and fiber with healthy, filling, energy-boosting breakfasts instead.
4. Mindlessly scrolling
Lisa Richards, registered nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet, points out that "mindlessly scrolling at night may also lead to mindless eating as well." Snacking on high-calorie and low nutrient foods while scrolling on your phone at night could be causing weight gain, she stresses. "If you are going to scroll and snack, opt for foods that are nutrient-dense and add to your health rather than take away from it," she advises. In addition, she recommends creating and sticking to a meal plan to recognize how much you are snacking, and when.
5. Too much, too fast
“The biggest mistake I see, especially in the beginning of the year, is trying to do too much too fast instead of approaching fitness in a more gradual and sustainable fashion” fitness and nutrition expert Michael Matthews tells us. This might mean expecting to go from eating fast food to eating Whole30, or go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to running a marathon (or going to the gym 7 days/week).
“And many people also try to go from no exercise to an hour of intense training per day instead of starting simpler, like with a daily walk, and then working up to 10,000 steps per day,” Matthews, who is the the author of Muscle for Life: Get Lean, Strong, and Healthy at Any Age.
So, what should people do instead? Instead of “completely overhauling your diet” start with, say, replacing one daily indulgence or high-calorie, highly processed food with something ‘lighter,’ he says. That makes sense!
6. Sedentary lifestyle
Living a sedentary lifestyle can significantly reduce your chances of living a long, healthy life by increasing the risk of chronic diseases and accelerating aging. Lack of movement contributes to obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure—all of which can shorten lifespan.
"Engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week strengthens the heart, improves blood sugar control, and enhances overall well-being," advises Dr. Nanavati.