When you’re trying to shed pounds, it’s crucial that you’re doing everything you can to generate weight loss. From your diet to your fitness routine, your weight loss success depends on the lifestyle changes you made, even the tiniest ones you think don’t matter.
Hence, you may also still have some habits that you think aren’t a big deal, but are actually hurting your chances of shedding fat. Many people are still guilty of not doing the best that they can, especially in the morning, when there’s laziness involved and most fight the urge to sleep more.
Below are six morning mistakes that could be preventing you from succeeding to lose weight:
1. Delaying your waking time
Most people internally negotiate within themselves when waking up in the morning. You badly need to sleep more that you convince yourself getting that extra five minutes is going to make things better. But it’s not, especially if you’re following a weight loss management plan.
This is because these precious minutes that you spend asking yourself whether you should get up or not should have been spent on eating a healthy breakfast or doing a brief exercise at home. Besides, you wouldn’t feel so tired in the morning if you had slept earlier the previous night in the first place. You need 7-8 hours of sleep every day in order to feel energized the next day.
2. You’re not drinking water first thing
A lot of people settle for a cup of coffee in the morning, ignoring the fact that water is a necessity in the morning. While your body rests during sleep, it makes use of liquids for several of its functions and purposes. This leaves the body dehydrated when you wake up.
Hence, it is only right to hydrate yourself with water first thing in the morning. Drinking water after you wake up aids in the body’s rehydration so that it can function effectively throughout the day. You’ll even experience greater health benefits if you add some lemon to it.
3. You’re not eating a healthy breakfast
Most people are guilty of sacrificing a quality breakfast for the sake of leaving early for work. This is too bad especially if you’re trying to shed pounds. The first meal of the day is vital for sustaining a normal metabolic function. Eating healthy in the morning also helps your body get the energy it needs to function efficiently throughout the day.
Substituting a good breakfast with a cup of coffee and a muffin just because they’re convenient can decelerate your metabolism, disrupting the weight loss process. Moreover, an ideal breakfast should make up 25 percent of your total daily calorie consumption. The foods you eat in the morning should also be rich in fiber, protein, and carbs. You can also add some foods that have antioxidants and healthy fats if you can.
4. You’re not eating breakfast on time
If you always eat your breakfast late, your metabolism can suffer. Aside from the foods you eat, the time at which you have your first meal of the day is also crucial. For one, your hunger hormones will have a significant spike if you opt to have your breakfast late. Being too hungry makes you less capable of making the right decisions when it comes to food.
So, when you’re very hungry in the morning, you’re more likely to have lots of sugar and carbs rather than have fiber and protein-rich foods. What’s more is that eating breakfast late can result in your metabolism getting slower when it comes to torching calories and fat.
5. You’re eating poor choices of snacks
It is essential to snack on something healthy mid-morning to make sure your metabolism stays active. This also helps prevent exhaustion. These snacks, as long as healthy, provide your body its much-needed energy boost to keep it functioning and running. However, a lot of people end up eating unhealthy mid-morning snacks, usually foods that are high in calories and additives.
Mid-morning snack favorites include bread, fried foods, other processed foods, and sugary beverages. Instead of snacking on these unhealthy items, have some fruits, nuts or whole-grain cereal bars. They’re healthier and they can help you to feel full for a longer period of time as well. Feeling satiated prevents you from overeating in your subsequent meals.
6. You’re under a lot of stress.
If you’re not so lucky, the first few hours of your working day can already give you a major headache. Though feeling stressed at work is normal, not knowing how to manage it can aggravate it even more. Unfortunately, this also has an impact on your weight loss goals.
This is because your body secretes a larger quantity of cortisol when you’re super stressed. This hormone negatively affects your mood, which ends up disrupting your metabolism. Consistent release of cortisol is linked to a higher likelihood of accumulating abdominal fat.
