The Main Reasons for Weight Gain

There are many reasons why so many people struggle to lose
weight. It's not just a question of food consumption alone.
Food plays a part, but it's a single part of a whole
lifestyle, a lifestyle that does not promote health or help
you stay in your ideal weight range. Watching what you eat
by counting calories isn't enough. If it were true, we'd
all achieve our weight loss targets. Getting om a weight
loss program or joining a clinic may appear to be the best
way to weight loss, but they are expensive and often not
necessary.

If you aspire to lose weight and keep it off you need to
know the principle factor that is leading you to gain those
pounds. Once you know the cause, you can address the
problem effectively.

If food is causing you to gain weight, you should take a
close look at how much you are eating and what it is you
are eating. It's a given that if you eat more calories than
you burn off, you will gain weight. People eat far more
than they do for emotional reasons or out of pressure to
simply eat everything that is offered.

What you eat is just as important as how much. Today's food
is highly processed. The level of sugar, fats and high
carbohydrates leads to weight gain and the attendant health
problems of diabetes and heart disease. If what you're
putting on your table is hamburgers, pizza, takeout and
refined cereals along with cola you're sure to add pounds
no matter how much of it you eat. The chemical
preservatives, colorings and other chemicals in many foods
just compound a weight problem.

Much the same as what you are eating is what you are not
eating. Primarily, a lack of a high fiber diet is a major
problem. The absence of fruits and vegetables do not make
for optimum health.

Many people skip breakfast, but it is one of the most
important meals of the day. Skipping breakfast is one way
to insure weight gain as the body switches over to
preservation mode, storing more fat than what should be
burned off. Supplementation is a necessity as the foods on
store shelves are severely lacking in the essential
nutrients your body needs to maintain a healthy balance.
Since most foods do not have adequate levels of nutrition,
it's necessary to add those vitamins and minerals missing
in most diets.

Too many people eat on the run. They're in a constant hurry
and highly stressed. Food is meant to be chewed, not gulped
down in one bite. The stomach needs time to break down food
so the nutrients can be absorbed into the body. It can't do
this if you're chewing food improperly. In the old days,
the family enjoyed dinner together. It stimulated
conversation and helped reinforce family ties. Eating was
done in a stress-free environment.

As if eating on the run is bad enough, many people eat the
major meal right before going to bed. Sleeping on a full
stomach is sure to help build acid reflux, diarrhea,
flatulence and other stomach and intestinal disorders. You
should stop eating at least three hours before bedtime.
Snacking is one habit that contributes to weight gain.
Chips, soda and chocolate do little more than add to the
fat you don't need. If you must snack, having a fruit or
snacking on nuts like almonds and walnuts are far healthier
alternatives. Rather than drink that late night coffee,
drink a calming tea such as chamomile and peppermint.

All these factors are contributors to weight gain. The most
effective way to insure weight loss is to focus on that one
main area that are responsible for that spare tire. You
will then begin to shed pounds and keep them off
permanently.