Here is how grazing on food all day leads to gaining and why...

I want to clear something up that is super important when it comes to grazing and gaining or losing weight.

First, it is important to note that weight is gained or lost based on how much people eat and how many calories they burn.

Calories in, calories out is where we start so we know where we are going when it comes to weight management.

Next is where grazing comes into play.

Grazing is the little habits, the little actions, the casual, unconscious food choices which can do the most damage to your diet.

Some of the biggest culprits of unwanted and unnecessary calories from grazing...

- Nuts of any kind. Not filling with a huge increase to total calories.

For context, a handful of almonds is about 160 calories, do that 2-3 times a day could be an additional 300-500 calories. Which takes it from a snack to a meal real quick.

- Nut butter of any kind. Little scoops added to fruit or celery adds a ton of extra calories.

For context, one serving (two tablespoons) of peanut butter is 188 calories. This is barely enough to cover a piece of bread, and no one eats one serving of peanut butter at a time.

Have two servings and that's 376 calories from one thing. I could make a filling, satisfying meal with that calorie total.

And at the end of the day these high fat foods are not filling.

- Obviously candy dishes either at work or at home are damn near impossible to resist.

Halloween will not make these tasty treats any easier to avoid. Best move is don't have one, because one turns into tons real quick (every time for this guy!)

- Drinking extra calories is not a good move. Swap regular sugar or dairy for low calorie substitutes for coffee or drink diet pop and please no comments on artificial sweetners. That is another topic for another time.

- Cleaning your kids plate. This is not really grazing per se, but it is extra servings and calories that still count as calories in.

- Even adding dried fruits, avocados, or coconut oil here and there can add calories when they are not needed racking up calories and aren't even that fun.

- Alcohol. I am adding this not because it is easily available like the others, but because one drink turns into more quite often. Added calories are added calories.

And no matter what anyone says, you and I both know it is not healthy for your body. I'm not saying don't drink, I'm saying be able to not drink to be healthy.

There is also a theme among these convenient-to-consume not filling, high calorie dense foods - low protein.

Low protein means less filling and less satisfying. For those who say fat is filling, I disagree. It is too easy to digest to make it filling, protein takes more to energy to digest and is actually filling.

For perspective, imagine how full you would be eating chicken breast all day versus eating coconut oil.

Both sound gross but you get the idea - you'd feel stuffed from chicken breasts and starving from eating only oil (and stomach would be messed up too, yuck).

The reality is the foods above all lead to more grazing, to more eating, to more calories in, to more people thinking their blood sugar is low so they take another snack-hit, and ultimately lead to more gaining.

And if not gaining, then at least not losing weight when intended.

So if grazing is a habit, now is a great time to find ways to stop.

Build the "no" muscle, even if it is saying no to yourself to stop from doing habits that do not help when it comes to weight management.

And do it even if it feels restrictive at first because you are addicted to your habit of eating all, or any of the above, it will be worth it to remove them.

I realize I am attacking some peoples "sacred cows" when it comes to these so called health foods (minus the candy).

Yet it is important to get reminded of what we need to hear, not what we want to hear.

So leave the candy in the dish, get rid of the nuts and nut butters, find low calorie substitutes, and don't be afraid to throw food away.

Managing weight does not have to be as hard as it is made out to be.

Follow these steps, and more to follow, and you will be on track, feeling good and looking good real soon.

Much ??

#fitness #health #weightloss #weightgain #weightmanagement #coach #fitness