The 7 Worst Eating Habits For Belly Fat
When it comes to burning off the pounds, trying to trim some weight off of your midsection can feel particularly daunting. While this region seems extra difficult to tone, focusing on getting rid of stomach fat can do wonders in the long run.
According to The Mayo Clinic, some stomach fat lies just below the surface but also wraps around your internal organs in the form of visceral fat. This particular anatomical feature does more harm than just looking unseemly—visceral fat can lead to heart disease, breathing problems, and raises the likelihood of premature death.
Focusing on toning this region and losing some visceral fat around your midsection keeps serious issues in check, and what you eat plays a huge role. By keeping tabs on the worst eating habits and avoiding these patterns, you can start to expect some considerable progress when you want to shape up your stomach. Here are the habits to avoid, and for more ways to lose belly fat, check out our list of the 100 Unhealthiest Foods On the Planet.
1. Snacking on too many chips.
A side of chips sounds delicious with any meal, but when you eat too many of these fried spuds, you can expect to see some significant weight gain, including around your middle. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants who saw a significant amount of weight gain over a four-year period ate considerable amounts of potato chips.
By cutting out the fried potatoes, you can take a big step towards cutting out excess fat from your diet and decreasing your belly fat. Knowing which chips to reach for can make a big difference in your weight loss journey. By selecting one of the 11 Best Healthy Chips for Weight Loss, you can indulge without guilt as you try to trim down your belly fat.
2. Consuming too many processed carbs.
Everyone has heard that you need to keep an eye on how much sugar you eat, but this piece of advice is easier said than done. A study retrieved from BMC Public Health linked the consumption of white bread directly with obesity, and another article from The Journal of Food Science Technology found that those who eat too many cookies and pastries with high amounts of trans fat also packed on a few extra pounds.
Anyone who includes too many refined carbohydrates in their daily diet might see some extra consequences around their waistline.
3. Eating too quickly.
Not every bad eating habit has to center around what you eat. Sometimes the speed at which you eat your meals ends up translating to a more robust midsection. Overeating can cause excess weight buildup, and the speed at which you eat determines how much food you end up putting in your body.
According to a study found in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, a study found that those who ate slower ended up feeling fuller than those that ate quicker. The current research points to the potential that eating slower may help you end up eating less. Next time you have dinner, avoid rushing through the meal and practice mindful eating habits instead.
4. Having dinner too late
Eating too fast can accidentally pack on some extra stomach fat, but eating too late may also make matters worse. By controlling when you eat your final meal, you can help manage hunger and keep cravings in check, per The Obesity Society. Earlier dinner times helped participants in a study avoid eating until the next morning. By eating too late, you could end up packing more calories into your daily eating plan than you may have intended and adding on some belly fat in the process.
5. Skipping breakfast
While eating dinner too late can accidentally pack on a few unwanted pounds around your middle, skipping the first meal of the day can lead to similar consequences. Research from the American Journal of Epidemiology indicates that “consuming fewer calories in the morning or skipping breakfast could contribute to the development of obesity.” The reasoning for this phenomenon may lie in your insulin levels.
When you skip breakfast, your insulin has the potential to rise, causing a chain reaction that leads to your body inadvertently storing more fat. By digging into a solid meal in the morning, you can stave off these effects and help burn off some excess stomach fat in the process. Your insulin might spike when you skip breakfast, but you can also expect a ton of other side effects. Make sure to check out 21 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Skip Breakfast and reconsider getting this meal back into regular rotation.
6. Going to too many restaurants
When you eat at home, you can comfortably cater your meals to your taste and nutritional goals. Eating out at restaurants too often has the potential to undo your hard work.
According to a study found in Nutrition Reviews, going out for meals too often has a direct tie to weight gain and some experts have found that eating out directly leads to overconsuming. While more research is needed to be done, it may be best to save dining out for those special occasions instead.
7. Simply overeating
At the end of the day, overeating leads to some of the most pronounced amounts of stomach fat. According to The Mayo Clinic, portion sizes matter when trying to keep off excess fat around your middle. To keep this habit in check, you can opt to share your meals with another or use one of 5 Ways to Stop Overeating Right Now and curb this dangerous habit.
