Do you find that despite killing yourself at the gym, sticking to your meal plan and refraining from munching on that packet of biscuits with your afternoon cup of tea that the pounds just don’t seem to be shifting? Her campus brings you 7 unexpected fat traps that may explain why your jeans are feeling just as tight as before.
#1.
Fat Trap: Low Fat Foods: In the manufacture of low fat foods many companies add sugar and artificial sweeteners to their products in order to enhance the flavor. We also tend to eat larger amounts of these products, as we believe them to be healthier. Fat keeps us fuller for longer so low fat products can lead to an increased appetite.
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: Eat the real thing but in a smaller measure. Don’t be afraid of fat. Unsaturated fat helps reduce risk of heart disease, provide the body with energy and aid the absorption of fat soluble vitamins (vitamins K, A, D and E). Examples of unsaturated fat are avocados, nuts and olive oil.
#2.
Fat Trap: Portion Size: We are all guilty of piling our plates high with food and justifying it by the thought that it’s only one plate and as long as we’re not indulging in a second helping we are doing ok. Even if everything you eat is healthy and nutritious eating too much can cause weight gain. Everything in moderation girls! The nutritional information on the back of the Special K cereal box is per 30g (one small cupful) if you compare that to our normal overflowing bowl it might shock you.
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: This may sound ridiculously simple but the small decision to use a smaller plate or bowl for each meal you eat can automatically enforce portion control. Another tip is to fill half your plate with vegetables, serve yourself a fist size portion of carbohydrates and then use your palm as a guide to the amount of protein.
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#3.
Fat Trap: Credit Card Cruncher: The credit card crunchers at visa found that people who flash their plastic to pay for fast food in general spend 30% more than people who pay in cash.
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: Balance that budget! As students we should be avoiding using the dreaded credit card as much as possible so be organized, take a specific amount of money out at the beginning of the week and leave your card at home. You will soon find resisting that double cheeseburger is a hell of a lot easier when faced with parting with that delightfully crisp £10 note.
#4.
Fat Trap: Skimping or OD’ing on Sleep
Whether you have an essay deadline looming or you are busting some killer moves on the dance floor in Arena there are plenty of reasons why you may not be getting enough sleep at Uni. Many studies have shown that sleeping too little can increase your appetite and affects other hormones that control hunger. However studies also say that sleeping too much can lead to increased weight gain over a substantial amount of time.
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: Record the exact hours that you sleep over a weeklong period; you may be surprised at how much or how little sleep you are actually getting. Another tip is to download a sleep tracker App on your phone; they monitor your sleeping pattern and can wake up when you are in a light sleep so no more groggy morning wake up calls for us!
#5
Fat Trap: Rewarding Exercise With Food
You have walked to and from Uni, been to the gym and planning on a cycling to the shops this evening, reckon that justifies some chocolate followed by half a tub of Ben and Jerry’s? It’s easy to overestimate how many calories you’ve burned during exercise and underestimate how much you’re eating. You end up undoing all your good work and gain weight instead of losing it.”
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: Don’t view exercise as an excuse to eat what ever takes your fancy but as a way to boost and coincide with your weight maintenance.
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#6
Fat Trap: Drinking Too Much
For some reason we do not associate calories with drinking and the failure to make that association can add up to a lot of pounds. It is common knowledge that wine, beer and heavy full fat coffees can dramatically increase your daily calorie intake but it is all of the little extras that you consume to make up your daily fluid intake that can really affect your waistline. Vitamin-enriched water or fruit-flavored iced tea may have deceptive amounts of calories.
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: Cut out alcohol during the week and swap your usual glass of wine for a single measure of spirits and low-calorie mixer at the weekend. Read labels carefully and if sugary drinks are something you can’t live without then calculate them into your daily calories.
#7
Fat Trap: Where You Eat: If all your housemates are out and there is something fabulously rubbish on tv you may be tempted to eat curled up on the couch. Although this seems like a cosy idea you will not be concentrating on what you eat and will probably eat faster. Eating fast can cause overeating because it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach are full.
Her Campus’s Slender Solution: Don’t wolf down your food. Enjoy every mouthful, chew properly and take your time.
Image Credits: shutterstock.com, weightlossresources.co.uk