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8 Bad Food Habits That are Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Goals

By Hanro Roos

January 12, 2017 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

It’s the hardest part, right?

You’ve made the commitment to change your life for the better.

You’re unhappy with feeling like a prisoner in your body. You’re fed up with that voice at the back of your mind telling you you’re the biggest person in the room. You’re tired of looking in the mirror, because who you see is not who you are.

Enough is enough!

If you think about it, where you are today in life is a result of your current habits. So how do you go about changing all those habits that got you here? Just thinking about changing them is overwhelming. It’s going to take massive discipline and determination.

But what if I told you only needed to change one habit?

Just one to set the snowball in motion.

And that’s why I’m here. I would love to be the guy who helps you get started on your journey. Or maybe you’ve started your journey but feel lost. That’s ok too. One of the following habits might be the spark you need to rekindle your fire.

You’re Eating Like a Snake

I marvel at people who can unlock their jaw to inhale huge chunks of food without chewing. It’s a great skill to have in today’s fast paced world.

Unfortunately, it comes at a price. Research shows that mindful eating can decrease your calorie intake by 12.57%. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, then that’s 250 calories. That’s equal to cutting out a candy bar! Every. Day.

So chew your food to a cream before swallowing.

You Believe In Moderation

Studies show that the fat, sugar, and salt in processed foods have the same addictive properties as cocaine or alcohol. So eating junk food in moderation is like telling an alcoholic they can drink in moderation. Rather, go cold turkey.

If you do stray from your diet, don’t beat yourself up. Just continue where you left off from your healthy regime.

You’re Working on Yourself

Instead, work on your environment. Both physically and mentally. Participants in a study made healthier choices even though they weren’t motivated to change their eating habits. You can receive the same benefit by finding people who have what you want and hang out with them.

Replace all tempting treats with healthier options like fruit and nuts. Replace sugary sodas with bottled water.

You Don’t Know What You Want

Successful people who reach their goal know exactly what they want to achieve. They don’t aim for vague goals like ‘I want to be healthy’ or ‘I want to lose weight’. Find a measurable benchmark and set your sights on your desired outcome. For you, it might be waist circumference, body weight, body fat percentage, BMI or dress size.

You’re Forgetting about Your Salty Tooth

The first thing well-intentioned dieters cut out is processed sugar. But what about salt? Your body holds onto excess water to dilute high sodium levels in your body. You might have experienced that bloated feeling after a salty meal. Aim to keep your total sodium intake below 1,500mg a day. About half a teaspoon of salt.

You Have an All or Nothing Mentality

In school did you aim for 100% test marks? And if you didn’t achieve it, you’d give up and say: ‘Ah screw it!’

Some folks apply this train of thought to their health goals. Rather, aim for an 80 – 90% efficiency.

For example, there are 21 main meals in a week. If you ate healthy for only 20 meals, then you’ve achieved a 90% score. That’s an A+. Would you be happy with an A+ in school? I bet you would.

You’re Not Keeping Score

If you can not measure it, you can not manage it. If you can not manage it, you can not control it. If you can not control it, you can not improve it. Keeping a food journal is a useful tool if you’re stuck on a weight loss plateau. You can analyze your journal and find out where there’s room for improvement.

To make it even easier, use a journaling phone app and take pictures of everything you eat and drink. No writing required.

You’re Trying to Out-Exercise Your Mouth

You’ve heard the popular adage, diet is 80% of weight loss. And it rings true. It’s going to be a tough road to losing weight if your diet isn’t healthy. So instead of working out longer and harder, focus on your diet.

It doesn’t matter what diet you’re following. Most of them give the green light for green veggies. Experiment, tweak and find out creative ways to sneak in more veggies into your meals.

You’re Focusing Beyond the Step In Front of You

To get to the top of the health mountain, you may have to climb a few hundred stairs. It’s only natural to worry about the daunting journey ahead of you.

But I want you to forget about stair #497 or whatever. It’s not important now.

It will be someday, but not now. Focus on the stair in front of you. Because no matter where you are in your journey, there’s always just that one step in front of you.

Take it slow, steady and one step at a time. The last thing you want to happen is to get overwhelmed and quit.

That one step might mean solidifying only one healthy habit a week. That one step might mean packing a healthy lunch for work. That one step might mean picking the smallest habit that’s most attainable — making the first habit so easy, you can’t say no.

That’s how you gain momentum. That’s how you win the long game.

Your highest priority is to get through today. That’s it. Don’t worry about what tomorrow might bring. Just get through today.

There`s only here. There`s only now. There's no other day but today. So, what are you going to do today?

Hanro Roos

Hanro Roos is a weight loss blogger who helps people permanently keep off excess weight so they can look good, feel good and be healthy. Go to his site and grab your free guide to discover ‘10-Steps to Hack Your Habits for Weight Loss’. You have nothing to lose, except weight.