What is Sabotaging My Weight Loss? -Bandidos De Grasa [Fat Bandits]

I heard (or maybe read) that lives rise and fall on our HABITS – putting it simply the secrets of our success(es) are hidden in our daily routine/habits (got this from Mike Murdoch). Thinking about this I own that there could be things I do or not fail to do that contribute to my ‘situation’ (LOL). So typical me I went to Google to help me identify which habits I needed to ‘nix’. So this week I want to share what I learned with you … you will be surprised.

And as you read, please ask…are these my habits too?

Habit 1

Focus on ‘LOW FAT’ Labels

When I shop, I tend to gravitate to those items marked ‘low fat’, ‘99% fat free’… fat free biscuit, low fat spam…and such. But according to Dr Oz ‘fat free or low fat’ does not mean fewer calories, and manufacturers actually pile on the calories –in sugar, flour, thickeners etc to make up for the potential lack of flavor. But when you eat these, they don’t have the full contingent of nutrients your body needs to function, then they tend to fill you up fast then evaporate even faster (reminds me of a particular type of cuisine that is said to fill you up at the table but by the time you get to the door you are hungry again).

In the article I read we are actually advised to curb ‘low fat’ options to foods that did not undergo major processing before hitting the shop floor eg low fat milk, 99% skimmed milk, low fat cheese, or yoghurt.

So, note to self: And avoid low fat cookies, low fat snacks, low fat cereal or canned food.

Habit 2

Mindless Eating

This is a personal one for me – because I am SO GUILTY! Maybe ‘mindless eating’ is not the politically correct term, but I am referring to the gazillion cups of tea that gulped with unnumbered Jacobs cream crackers while at my desk working. It’s funny how my mental picture of productivity is desk, laptop, cup of tea/coffee and a box of cream crackers. Look at it this way:

Average of 10 crackers =34calories x 10 = 340!!! And these are empty calories at that, because lunch or dinner is sure to follow – so you see how this sets you up? And this is the crackers alone…I’ve not entered the coffee creamer or the milk.

In the past I have been known to gobble up the entire roll of cream crackers – no wonder, right?

So, note to self: No more mindless eating (…I will have my tea/coffee with the occasional healthy quantity of biscuit – but I will not gorge myself on them), I am learning to pack my lunch and have a pleasant healthy lunch. Plus I am working not just reaching for random bits of food without thinking about why I am eating – coz everyone pays for mindless eating.

Habit 3

Plate Scrubbing

I don’t know if you had a mom like mine (smile), but growing up we were never allowed to leave food on our plates – you had to finish everything mom dished out - no matter how BIG. Now that conditioning has resulted in habits where I tend to keep eating even when I know I shouldn't - whole mountains of food are pushed down, just because we need to clear our plates. To be frank, it kind of got difficult to know WHEN I was really full and to stop eating (my fault, not my moms).

I have a confession (and if you are honest you can relate with this) – I used to only frequent restaurants that offered ‘healthy’ portions J --- you know what I mean. I’d actually compare notes with friends about which establishments were more generous with helpings of food and that was where we ate.

With my journey, I realize that I really do not have to scrub my plate; my leaving food after I eat is not a sign of wastefulness or selfishness, but rather a sign of discipline! I heard it said that when you eat put a knife to your throat, for me I this means that I regulate how fast I eat (another destructive habit) so that I don’t miss the ‘tank full’ signal that comes when my stomach is pleasantly full – so we should not be eating till our tummies hurt, or we can barely move. Many of us are so conditioned that we do not even know when we are full – do you? How do you know? I had to re-learn the signals, learn to listen to my tummy and not overeat. So, I am breaking the habit of scrubbing my plate; I

Habit 3

Olympic Track Eating

I’ve heard tell that the fastest dog does not always beat the smartest dog to the finish line. One habit I caught was that I could eat so fast that the taste buds in my mouth would not have processed the taste of the food before the food was in my tummy. Seriously! How I developed this habit is another story for another day – but let me say that again it was childhood conditioning. L [Parents please help your kids develop healthy eating habits NOW, so they are not set up to struggle tomorrow]. In battling my bulge (pun intended) I worked with a nutritionist last year and she taught me that one way to hear when my tummy was full was to eat slowly (I am told twenty chews per bite)– give yourself time to really enjoy the food, savor the flavors and realize when you are actually full (NEWS FLASH: you are not full when all the food on/in your plate is gone). Eating is not an Olympic event – enjoy it, let it last (reasonably), taste the food, sniff the aroma…at least that’s my advice to me.

Habit 4

Me, Gremlin

Remember the movie ‘Gramlins’? Remember what happened when you fed them cute critters at night? There has to a cautionary tale there, right?

Well, I used to be among those that argued that heavy late night meals (eaten less than 4 hours before bedtime) were NOT detrimental to your waistline – but I have recanted! By heavy I mean fried plantains, yams, meat/poultry, garri etc- heavy carbs/starch and proteins. I’ve found that when I indulge just before bed I suffer for it through the night with heartburn. Also I read somewhere that some of these foods do not really digest before you shut down (not sure how true it is, but it’s scary enough to put me off heavy late night meals) so you actually wake up with undigested food in your tummy leading to toxin build up, bad breath, lethargy etc. I’ve said severally that I do my best not to eat after 6pm, but if I must it has to be something as light as possible – I opt for a cup of tea, or fruit (grapes are quite filling and since you chew them down they should digest before you bed down for the night – and they take about 1hr 45mins to digest). If you want more information on digestion times you should visit http://www.unani.com/digestion_time_of_foods.htm

Habit 4

Sahara Lifestyle

Are you like me and can go without real H2O (aka water) for hours on end? If I don’t watch it I could go without a simple drink of [pure] water for a whole day. I tell myself that my tea intake is liquid enough but that is not ideal! So I am trying to stop this habit, because there is no better detoxifier than agua …water! Plus water has been said to help people manage blood sugar levels.

I hear that everyone should have at least 8 full glasses of water each day…other people say 1litre is ideal. This is especially important for those of us who live in hot climates – you need to put back in what the sun takes out each day.

I’ve spoken of my leadership coach Robin Sharma previously (the author of ‘The Leader with No Title’), he says emphatically (and I agree) that ‘you can’t DO good if you don’t FEEL good’. I hope and believe that when I get my daily routine right (habits) I’ll be more energized & focused to DROP IT 4 Life!

Obviously, this is by no way an exhaustive list… just some of the things I am trying to build into my life. What other habits do we have that sabotage our efforts? What habits are YOU struggling with? What habits do you recommend for people who want to DROP IT? Care to share/comment?

And while you are thinking about this, care to share on what is sabotaging YOUR weight loss? I'd really love to hear from you.

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