Effects of Bad Eating Habits

Are You Making One Of The
Top 7 Weight Loss Mistakes With Food?

Some of the effects of bad eating habits include, a negative impact on your health, how you look and also how you feel. Here we cover some of the most common weight loss mistakes people make with food and the effects of poor eating habits on their body.

Since our body is made from food, it is absolutely imperative that you consume foods that promote optimum body functioning.

The problem is what should you eat? It seems that almost every week a 'new' diet is launched in the media and is touted as being the holy grail of health and weight loss. This 'new' information may be good for ratings and readership but it leaves most people confused and frustrated because there is so much conflicting information available. This makes avoiding the effects of bad eating habits very difficult.

The good news is nutritional science is advancing in leaps and bounds and this can now provide people with some very good healthy eaing guidelines to follow, which help them achieve their physical goals. These healthy eating guidelines show people the sorts of foods they should eat every day if they want to lose weight, get in shape, improve their health and of course feel great as well as avoid the effects of bad eating habits.

In addition to this it also shows people the effects of bad eating habits on their body.

These nutritional guidelines are the same guidelines followed in the MultiSlim Nutritional Plan, which is featured in the MultiSlim booklet (free with every MultiSlim pack). Lately though, we have had several new SupportSlim members contact our office and provide us with their current nutritional plan for us to review so they can see how it stacks up. [NOTE: SupportSlim is free with every MultiSlim pack.] We have also conducted in-depth conversations with personal trainers about the nutritional habits of their clients who aren't getting the results they expect.

If you feel that you eat relatively well but aren't getting the results you want in your appearance, your energy and your health then see if you make any of the following weight loss mistakes. If you do, then you can make some changes and start getting the results you want as well as avoid the effects of bad eating habits.

Here are the 7 most common weight loss mistakes
people make with food:

Skip meals

Eat too much carbohydrate

Don't eat 'complete' meals

Replace whole-food meals with shakes

Consume large portion sizes

Drink too much alcohol

Don't supplement their diet

We will cover each of these poor eating habits individually.

Skip meals

Skipping meals is one of the first strategies many people employ when they want to lose weight. Whilst reducing food intake will assist fat loss / weight loss, skipping meals is not the best way to achieve this. The human body has many contingency plans in place to overcome it.

It reduces its output of thyroid hormones, which slows down metabolism, it increases the production of cortisol, which breaks down muscle and slows the metabolism even further. The body also increases appetite so when you do eat you tend to over-eat and it also increases the activity of fat-storing enzymes so it tends to store more food as body fat. These are just some of the effects of bad eating habits.

A far better approach is to have 5 or 6 small meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day. By doing so you tell your body that it is not being starved and your metabolism will stay elevated all day long.

Of course the biggest objection most people have to this is time. They often say, 'How can I possibly fit in 5 or 6 small meals a day? I'm busy during the day with kids, work, etc.'

Let's face it, that's a fair objection. However, if that's the case then it is best to have 3 whole-food meals each day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and then have 2 or 3 shakes (mid-morning, mid-afternoon and maybe supper as well). The shakes make it easy to have the 5 or 6 small meals each day. Simply get a shaker cup, put some low-fat milk or water in it, followed by a scoop of protein powder, shake it up and drink it. It takes less than a minute to prepare, drink and then rinse the shaker cup. This is one simple way to avoid the effects of bad eating habits.

Eat too much carbohydrate

This is a big mistake that the vast majority of people make. We have been told for years that carbs are low in fat (which they generally are) and that its not the carbs that makes people fat but instead, what we put on them. This is incorrect.

As a result, people have been mistakenly eating large quantities of bread, pasta, rice, cereals, low-fat yoghurt, fat-free biscuits, rice cakes, etc. based on the notion that because carbs are low in fat we can eat plenty of them without gaining fat or weight.

The effects of bad eating habits like this are obvious. Many carbohydrate-based foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, which leads to secretion of insulin. Insulin then stores the carbs as glycogen in the muscles and liver but once these storage sites are full the rest gets converted into body fat.

Controlling the type of carbohydrate is important as is the portion size. The MultiSlim system does NOT recommend a low-carb approach. It suggests 1-2 serves a day of high-density carbs, 2-3 serves a day of medium density carbs and 6+ serves a day of low-density carbs.

Following this approach can make a massive difference in the results you achieve and can help overcome the effects of bad eating habits.

Don't eat 'complete' meals

'Complete meals' or meals that have a balanced'Macronutrient Ratio' are those that contain portions of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Most people only eat 'complete meals' for lunch and dinner and then have 'incomplete meals' for the other three.

A good example of this is when people have a piece of fruit or a tub of yoghurt for their mid-morning or mid-afternoon meals or they may simply have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. These meals provide very little protein (and often too little fat), resulting in impaired body functioning and a depressed metabolism. These are very common effects of bad eating habits.

The effects of bad eating habits like this one are that protein provides the 'building blocks' of the body (amino acids) and since the body is constantly building up and breaking down tissues it is essential that an adequate amount of protein is provided in small amounts throughout the day.

The problem is that many people don't consume protein regularly enough, which causes their body to go into a catabolic state (negative nitrogen balance). This results in their body putting the brakes on their metabolism, which means their fat-burning ability comes to a grinding halt as well. This is one of the most common weight loss mistakes.

Also, too little fat causes a whole range of problems in the body. Of course, we've all been told that fat is bad so we try and cut it out of our diet entirely- another weight loss mistake!

Replace whole-food meals with shakes

The most important aspect of any nutritional plan is that it is sustainable. If you can't see yourself following the plan long term then it is definitely not worthwhile following it in the first place. Unfortunately, some of the weight loss plans currently on the market recommend replacing whole food meals (breakfast and lunch) with shakes.

Shakes have their place (for convenience and for mid-morning and mid-afternoon meals only) but they should never replace whole food meals in your diet. This approach may help you lose weight quickly but will inevitably have you putting the weight back on even faster when you go back to 'normal' eating.

By not ever following the 'shake diets' that are on the market you can easily avoid the effects of bad eating habits that result from this common weight loss mistake.

Consume large portion sizes

Many people are shocked to find out how much food they should be having in each meal compared to what they are currently having. Most people simply eat too much in some meals and then virtually nothing in others! Their food serving sizes are incorrect!

A good example is breakfast. Clever marketing by food companies as well as conditioning from our childhood often leads to us eating a huge bowl of cereal for breakfast. This is a big mistake if we want to improve our health, lose weight and boost our energy. 30 grams of cereal (1/2 cup) is all that is required for most people! However, it needs to be in combination with other foods to make it 'complete' and filling.

When people start following a correct nutritional plan they soon realise that they don't need to starve or eat less than they were eating previously. In fact, they can actually eat more and still lose weight! All they need to do is spread their food over 5 meals instead of 3 as well as make wiser food choices.

Drink too much alcohol

Sure, we all know that a glass of red wine every night is good for our health. Notice they say a glass and not a bottle! However, if you want to lose weight then you have to be willing to make some sacrifices. There's no need to cut out alcohol altogether but you will need to cut it down substantially if you drink regularly. Perhaps allow yourself to have only 4 standard drinks a week.

If you are a regular drinker then this one step will make a massive difference to the way you look and feel. If you're not, then it probably won't make much difference at all.

Alcohol is a poison to the body and whenever it is consumed the body metabolises it before anything else. Even though alcohol doesn't get converted into body fat itself (it mainly generates heat), if you eat anything with it, the food will tend to be stored in the body. Plus, the alcohol provides quite a lot of empty calories to your body, which makes it difficult to create a calorie deficit and lose weight/ fat.

Don't supplement their diet

It is virtually impossible to get all the nutrients your body requires just from food. Accordingly, it is necessary to take supplements. Supplements are not magic but they may dramatically improve your health if you are deficient in specific nutrients. They can also speed up the fat-burning process in your body as well as boost your energy and improve your overall well-being.

If you make any of the above mentioned weight loss mistakes with your eating and you are seriously committed to avoiding the effects of bad eating habits as well as improving your health, losing weight / fat and generally improving your body's functioning then take the steps today to correct these errors and get on the right track. The rewards of following the correct nutritional guidelines are numerous.

What price do you put on your health? For more information read my book, Look Good Feel Great!

Please Add Your Comments Here!

For taking the time to give me your feedback I am pleased to send you a complimentary copy of my 52-page e-book, 'How to Lose All the Weight You Want in the Next 90 Days!' (Valued at $17).

Please provide a return email address with your comments. Your contact details will always remain private and will not be published, shared or sold.

Here's what other people
have said about the article:

See the submissions from other people.

Here is the complete list of nutrition articles: