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10 Bad Habits That Give You Belly Fat

By Pooja Kaushal

One of the most stubborn areas of your body happens to be the belly area when it comes to losing its fat. This is the area that easily accumulates the fat and refuses to let go.

Having belly fat not only makes you look terribly out of shape, but can also lead to several other health problems.

The best solution to this problem is to avoid habits that lead to this belly fat.

Here, we will discuss about the 10 bad habits that give you belly fat. These are all related to the kind of lifestyle that you lead.

A little bit of change in your daily routine can help you to avoid fat accumulation around your waist.

If you have already fallen prey to it, then it would be good to know these habits that make your belly fat difficult to get rid of.

1. Sedentary Lifestyle:

1. Sedentary Lifestyle:

Call it a very busy schedule or a condition where you are tied down to work; if you are leading a sedentary lifestyle, you are bound to end up having belly fat.

A body that does not get enough of exercise cannot burn the extra calories. This extra fat settles around the waist and gradually increases.

2. Sleep Deprivation:

2. Sleep Deprivation:

We all have work to do and the same twenty-four hours to complete it. It all depends on how we do it.

If you are one of those who deprive yourself of sleep then you are also attracting belly fat. When you are sleep deprived, your level of cortisol, the stress hormone, increases.

This makes you crave for sugary food substances. And sugar, we all know, is not good for the waistline.

3. Carbonated Drinks:

3. Carbonated Drinks:

If you are one of those who guzzles down on carbonated drinks on a regular basis, then belly fat will not be a surprise for you.

All carbonated drinks are stuffed with sugar. The diet ones are no better either, as they contain supplements. This is one of the 10 bad habits that give you belly fat that is most common among today's youngsters.

When thirsty, go for water and as far as possible avoid carbonated drinks.

4. Late Night Dinners:

4. Late Night Dinners:

Your food needs time to digest. For this to happen, you need to have your dinner at least one hour before bedtime, although the ideal time would be two hours.

And as a rule, do not have desserts after dinner. All the sugar will settle down comfortably around your mid-section, giving you the annoying and difficult-to-shed belly fat.

5. Insufficient Protein:

5. Insufficient Protein:

A healthy adult requires a minimum of 20-25 grams of protein in each meal. Protein helps balance blood sugar, reduces insulin level and boosts the body's metabolic rate.

Protein also helps control the hormone that causes an increase in appetite.

6. Low-fat Food:

6. Low-fat Food:

Low-fat food does not mean you are not susceptible to accumulating fat. In fact, the myth that foods high on fat make you fat is also wrong.

What you need to have is the right kind of fat. Monounsaturated fats like olive oil, seeds and nuts can help you eliminate fat. If you want to know these habits that make your belly fat accumulate, you need to get your basic concepts clear too.

7. Emotional Eating:

7. Emotional Eating:

Do you tend to grab food when you are too sad or too happy? This is called emotional eating, and one of the very bad habits that can lead to a broad waistline.

Emotional eating might be a habit difficult enough to get rid of, but you need to do this consciously.

8. Large Plates:

8. Large Plates:

Large plates mean large amount of food. You get more space to pile up food; and that means, you end up eating more than you were supposed to be eating.

Try to go for a small or medium-sized plate. You will not only be taking less food on your plate, but will also avoid going for repeated serving.

9. Skipping Meals:

9. Skipping Meals:

If you feel that you are putting on too much weight and skipping meals will help you lose, then you are highly mistaken. On the contrary, you will end up eating much more than you normally do.

This is again one of the 10 bad habits that give you belly fat with you not realizing it. Instead of skipping meals, have something healthy every two hours once.

10. Taking Large Bites:

10. Taking Large Bites:

This is not only a bad habit that gives you belly fat, but also a bad eating habit that you must avoid. Make sure you take small bites and chew your every bite properly.

When you take large bites, you finish your food faster and tend to reach out for repeated servings. Avoid this habit and get the most out of every morsel that you consume. You will not only be keeping belly fat at bay, but will also be getting all the benefit of your food.

Story first published: Tuesday, February 2, 2016, 14:52 [IST]