Dining out, too many choices, menstrual cycle: seven physiological and psychological factors that hinder weight loss.

dinner party

According to a study, the other people at the table have a significant impact on how much you end up eating.

Eating with others can result in an average intake of 44% more calories than eating alone, and this increase increases with the number of people eating, whether at home or in a restaurant, and regardless of whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Eating with family and friends is naturally much more relaxing than sitting alone in a fast food restaurant surrounded by strangers; engaging conversations during the meal make you sit at the table longer and forget about whether you're full; seeing others wolfing down their food makes it easy to forget your own diet plan. These are all reasons why you eat more at gatherings.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should hide away and eat alone in order to stay slim. However, you need to know how to control yourself. When eating at home, put your plate away after you finish eating to avoid unconsciously eating again while talking. When eating at a restaurant with friends, try to order first to avoid being influenced by others. Social activities don't necessarily have to involve meals; you can choose to go for a walk, participate in sports activities, etc.

Too many choices

Luxury cruise ship passengers often find themselves 5 pounds or more heavier when they disembark, usually due to the ship's buffet.

Professor Barbara from the University of Pennsylvania says that when we see rows of food with different colors, flavors, and patterns, our bodies generate a natural urge to eat more.

One study found that people who ate a four-course dinner consumed an average of 60% more calories than those who ate only a one-course dinner.

We ourselves can easily see that no matter how full we are after a meal, ice cream dessert is still very popular.

For the sake of your figure, eat less at buffets. If you can't avoid it, try to put more vegetables and fruits on your plate so that you leave less room for meat and bread.

In your own kitchen, arrange your dinners in rotation, focusing on one type of food per meal; also, don't store a wide variety of snacks at home, so you won't easily get bored when snacking and end up eating a little of everything, which would add up to too much.

Seasonal changes

Autumn is often the most challenging season for those trying to lose weight.

A survey found that most people consume an average of 220 more calories in the fall than in the spring, and are also more prone to feeling hungry. Scientists believe this may be a continuation of a habit, as people in the past had to increase their fat reserves during this harvest season to prepare for the food shortages of winter.

But don't give up on losing weight in the fall. When the seasonal changes come, increasing exercise is a successful strategy.

Walking more, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, buying a fitness video, joining a sports club, etc., can all help you get through this season and stay slim and fit.

menstrual cycle

You're not alone in feeling unusually hungry and snacking a lot at certain times each month of your menstrual cycle.

Women will feel increasingly hungry within two weeks after ovulation (usually from day 14 to day 28 of the menstrual cycle). At this time, as progesterone secretion increases, the body's metabolic rate continues to rise, which means that you burn calories faster.

However, this is not a reason for you to overeat, because the need for this energy boost is only 9%. That is to say, a woman who consumes 1,800 calories a day can only consume an extra 160 calories, which is equivalent to an ounce (less than a tael) of milk or fries, or a small piece of chocolate cake.

So when your appetite is particularly strong at a certain time of the month, don't blame yourself too much. Indulging a little bit can actually prevent you from losing control and causing your diet to fail completely.

Dietary habits that easily lead to weight gain

For simple obesity, dietary factors, especially poor eating habits, are the main cause of obesity.

This mainly includes:

Eat quickly

Obese people often have a good appetite and wolf down their food. They swallow food without chewing it properly, so it doesn't become chyme and stick to the stomach wall. Therefore, they often feel hungry even after eating a lot.

At the same time, because the chewing time is too short, the vagus nerve is still over-excited, which leads to increased appetite.

In addition, because blood sugar levels rise after eating too quickly, by the time the brain's appetite center sends a signal to stop eating, too much food has often already been consumed.

Snacks keep coming

Some obese people, especially children and young women, may not eat large meals, but they snack frequently, resulting in a significant excess of total calories in their bodies.

skipping breakfast

Many women attempt to lose weight by eating less or even skipping breakfast, but the results are often the opposite of what they hoped for.

Skipping breakfast increases hunger at lunchtime, leading to increased food absorption and fat accumulation, which can accumulate over time.

Improper dinner

Many people are used to eating simple breakfasts and lunches due to time constraints, but when they have more time in the evening, they fill the table with chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables. However, this arrangement is not scientific.

After food is digested in the body, some of it enters the bloodstream and forms blood lipids. In the evening, the level of insulin in the blood rises to its peak for the day. Insulin can convert blood sugar into fat, which accumulates on the walls of blood vessels and the abdominal wall. Over time, people become obese.

Eating too much sugar

Sugars are not only easily absorbed, but they can also enhance the activity of enzymes that promote fat production and stimulate the secretion of insulin, which promotes fat synthesis, thereby leading to fat accumulation.

partial eclipse

Picky eating can lead to an imbalance in nutrient intake, resulting in a deficiency of some nutrients.

A lack of vitamin B can lead to obesity.

Because vitamin B can convert fat into energy, these vitamins are mainly found in brown rice, wheat bran, and many fresh fruits and vegetables.

Summer Dietary Misconceptions for Weight Loss

After a meal, we often drink a cold beverage or eat ice cream because of the heat. When we drink beverages, we only feel that we are quenching our thirst and do not realize that we are consuming calories.

A woman's smart choice is to drink plain water or mineral water. She may find it tasteless and unpleasant at first, but "habits are formed." Once she develops a preference for bland flavors, she will find it difficult to drink sugary drinks again.

Drink mung bean soup and other desserts

Many people drink mung bean soup or red bean soup when they can't eat rice, but these foods, like rice, are carbohydrates, and eating too much of them will also lead to weight gain.

Smart choice: Replace, don't add.

If you want to drink a bowl of mung bean soup (about 70 calories) after a meal, remember to reduce your food intake by 1/4.

If you want to eat mung bean soup as a meal, you can add less sugar, add low-fat milk, and some chopped fruit to achieve similar nutrition as a regular meal.

Eating sandwiches

Girls like to eat sandwiches and the like, and it seems like they're not eating much, but in fact, they're not low in calories.

Because people feel they are eating very little, they tend to have snacks in the afternoon, which actually increases their calorie intake.

Eat lots of fruit

Summer is the peak season for fruits, and people generally have no reservations about eating them and tend to overindulge.

In fact, the sugar in fruit can also raise triglyceride levels in the blood.

Eating vegetable and fruit salads is a good idea in the summer, but be careful to use less fruit.

Drinking fresh milk like water

In the hot summer, fresh milk is nutritious, and many people drink it like water.

However, existing research has shown that high protein intake can hinder calcium absorption.

Nutrition experts recommend that you drink no more than two or three cups of milk a day.

Four pitfalls to avoid in winter:

Trap 1

As the weather gets cooler, the temperature in the bathroom drops accordingly, making showering a more perfunctory experience.

Before entering the bathroom, do some warm-up exercises for 3-5 minutes to get your body "warmed up," improve blood circulation, and start your metabolism. Remember to do some light exercise in the bathtub while you're at it-such as massaging your body-which is very effective for weight loss!

Trap Two

We wear more and more clothes every day, and even if the old clothes are a bit tight, we can just add a looser jacket.

I suggest you start the habit of weighing yourself now, measuring the dimensions of different parts of your body once a week, so that you can accurately track changes in your body's curves.

Trap Three

It's hot pot season again! Wow, bring an extra dish of oil and a bowl of sesame sauce. The lamb and beef slices are delicious too, let's have another plate!

You can enjoy hot pot without worry, but you must first understand the factors that contribute to weight gain from hot pot.

First, hot pot ingredients are all boiled in water. Although it is a low-fat cooking method, don't ignore the "terrible soup" because all the oil is in the soup. The hot pot soup is the "essence".

Secondly, to enjoy hot pot, you can't do without a variety of flavorful seasonings, but their extremely high calorie content is a trap for obesity.

Third, various kinds of meat slices and meatballs are probably common in hot pot, but they are all high in fat, which is a risk of obesity!

Here are a few tips for enjoying hot pot without gaining weight:

First, eat more green vegetables to make yourself feel full, and try to drink less soup and eat less meat.

Secondly, to replace greasy and unbelievably high-calorie seasonings, you can make your own seasonings-mix soy sauce, scallions, garlic, and chili peppers together, and it will be just as flavorful.

Third, use more konjac noodles and konjac blocks as hot pot ingredients. Konjac is high in fiber and low in calories, which greatly reduces the chance of gaining weight.

Trap Four

In summer, people lose water quickly, and no matter how much plain water they drink, it won't taste bland.

At this point, things are different; rich cocoa and milk tea are more tempting than plain water.

Before long, you'll find that you're gaining weight even though you haven't eaten much.

Tired of plain water? Here's a simple and convenient way to make your own "lemon water": Squeeze a little lemon into your water. If you don't like it too sour, you can add some sugar. This lemon water will have a sweet and sour taste, which can increase your desire to drink plain water.

It's important to know that a lemon contains no more than 30 calories, and when diluted with water, the calorie content is almost zero.

You can also use tea bags such as Eucommia tea, herbal tea, or green tea instead.