The Difficulty of Staying a Healthy Weight

Everyone wants to be a healthy weight, but sometimes it isn't easy. You know what you have to do to remain slim, yet it almost feels as though you have no control over your eating habits. Instead of eating three nutritionally balanced meals a day, you can find yourself grazing on junk food all day long and serving large portions of fast food at meal times. Plus, it doesn't help that you don't have the time or inclination to exercise, as you end up consuming far too many calories for your body to burn, which inevitably leads to weight gain.

Bad eating habits are the main cause of weight gain, though leading a sedentary lifestyle, as many people do, certainly doesn't help. You may have picked up bad eating habits as a child, which become increasingly difficult to tackle as you get older. You get used to eating large quantities at meal times and consuming as many snacks as you want without giving any thought to what you're eating or how much you're eating. Picking up bad eating habits as a child is even more likely when you have overweight parents who have forgotten what it means to eat healthily.

Unfortunately, if you don't address your own issues with food your behaviour could affect others around you, especially if you decide to start a family of your own. If you don't really know what a reasonable portion size is or what constitutes a balanced meal, you could have difficulty managing your weight. Subsequently, you may pass on your bad habits to any children you have, so that they, too, develop a weight problem.

Even when you do know what action to take to maintain a healthy weight, life can get in the way of your plans. If you have a job that requires you to work long, irregular hours you may not have the time to plan healthy meals and to get some exercise. You may find yourself skipping meals and subsisting on junk food just to get through the day, even though you know this could contribute to your expanding waistline. When you have a busy schedule, you may prefer to prioritise spending time with friends and family, rather than your weight, and so you try to avoid thinking about the issue.

You may go into a state of denial, which makes it easier for you continue gaining weight, or you may become stressed about the situation and turn to food for comfort. Either way, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay a healthy weight when you are unable to or unprepared to adopt the habits that will ensure you avoid excessive calorie consumption.