Weight loss has always been a difficult task as the process requires a lot of patience. Eating healthy food and exercising regularly can help prevent the sneaky weight gain. However, it’s often the little things that pack on the pounds. Here’s looking at a few habits that are making you gain weight.

1- Not Drinking Enough Water

The more you get dried out, the more weight you will pick up. Not drinking enough water can make you thirsty. Interestingly, thirst may be mistaken as a sign of hunger or food cravings by the body. People who drink two cups of water right before breakfast ate 22% fewer calories at that meal than people who did not drink water. Best of all, plain water has zero calories. Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water may reduce calorie intake by up to 200 calories per day. And if you find plain water boring, try including cucumber slices, lemon or your favourite fruit to add a dash of flavour.

2- Eating Quickly

People are getting busier than ever and tend to eat their meals quickly. But unfortunately, eating quickly might be making you fat. People who eat their meals quickly are more likely to be overweight or obese. This is because it takes time for your body to tell your brain that it is full. Thus, people who eat quickly can easily eat more food than their body needs. So, if you’re a quick eater, try to consciously slow down by chewing more and taking smaller bites.

3- Sitting Too Long

Although, it seems harmless but people who sit longer are more likely to be overweight. In addition, they have higher risks of developing chronic diseases. If your work involves sitting for long intervals, make sure you exercise either before work, during lunch or after work a few times per week. You can also try using a standing desk.

4- Not Getting Enough Sleep

Unfortunately, lack of sleep is strongly linked to weight gain. This is due to many factors, including hormonal changes and a lack of motivation to exercise. Women who sleep fewer than five hours per night have much higher risks of gaining weight than people who sleep seven hours or more. Moreover, people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to gain belly fat, or visceral fat.

5- Not Eating Enough Fruits and Veggies

Not only are fruits and vegetables loaded with beneficial nutrients, but they are also quite low in calories, which is great for your waistline, not eating it would make you chubby and then eventually obese. People who eat more vegetables and fruits are more likely to maintain healthier weight. Adding fruits in morning oatmeal can increase the amount of portion you are consuming plus, it gives you an extra boost to your tired and sluggish soul. You can also pack your lunch up with raw greens and even add them in your soups for dinner as well.

6- Having Irregular Mealtimes

Delaying a meal every now and then isn’t harmful, but keeping this habit constant may be harmful to your health and your waistline. People who have regular mealtimes feel less hungry before a meal and fuller after a meal. This means people with irregular mealtimes may often feel hungrier and eat more food. Most concerning fact is that people who have irregular mealtimes have a higher risk of chronic diseases. This includes metabolic syndrome, heart disease, insulin resistance and poor blood sugar control. Irregular mealtimes highly affect your body’s internal clock which helps process the appetite, metabolism and digestion.

7- Drinking Too Much Milky Coffees

Drinking too much milky coffees can make you gain weight. Adding too much cream, sugar, milk and other additives to the coffee make it unhealthy. This means your coffee habit might be contributing to fat gain. Switching your milk-loaded coffee with black coffee can provide you the same amount of caffeine but lesser amount of calories.