Who is to blame for your belly

5 Sneaky Weight-Loss Saboteurs

Most get-in-shape strategies are doomed before they begin. Here is how to identify (and eliminate) the hidden factors keeping you fat.

Posted by David Zinczenko on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 5:46 PM

When your boss says, "We're not here to assign blame," duck. But when I say you're not entirely to blame for your paunch, you're not off the hook. Nobody is the innocent victim of a drive-thru feeding. In fact, nearly one-third of people—especially men—admit to eating fast food regularly. Breaking the dine-and-dash habit is a start, but there are other sneaky factors—your friends, your family, your mindset—that can sabotage even the best weight-loss efforts. Here are five of the most notorious weight-loss saboteurs, and five simple strategies to overcome them. The time investment is minimal, but the payoff is huge: a stronger, thinner you in just a few short weeks.

Saboteur 1: Your stress

Stress can spike levels of the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to store fat. "Unfortunately, some people appease their anxiety by reaching for fatty foods," says Elissa Epel, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco. Eating boosts insulin levels; combining that with cortisol leads to greater fat deposits. More stress, bigger belly.

Fix your head: Identify the type of stress you're under. Is it temporary, like a bar exam, or more permanent, like your job? Short-term stress will pass. Long-term stress may require a permanent solution, like a new job.

Fix your routine: Make healthy eating effortless. Buy snacks that won't send insulin levels soaring: high-fiber energy bars or single-serving bags of almonds or cashews. Fifteen minutes of explosive activity—hitting a speed bag or jumping rope—can alleviate anxieties after work. "It's about getting the tension out," says Jim Karas, author of The Business Plan for Your Body.Click here for 52 more ways to control and conquer stress.

Saboteur 2: Your significant other

I do not suggest blaming your husband or wife for your belly. This would be (a) wrong and (b) a reasonable defense at his or her trial for taking your head off. But know this: Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that men and women usually gain six to eight pounds during the first two years of marriage. "Once you're married, the need to impress is gone," says Edward Abramson, Ph.D., author of Marriage Made Me Fat. You may go to the gym less often, go out for meals or to parties more frequently, and develop new rituals, such as sitting on the couch with your husband or wife and snacking.

Fix your head: Regain that need to impress. Imagine what that girl (or guy) at the gym thinks of your gut—or what he or she would think if you had abs. As for that snack with your significant other, ask yourself, “Why am I eating? Boredom? Habit?” Better yet, ask him or her to stop bringing binge foods into the house.

Fix your routine: Establish healthful rituals. Instead of Access Hollywood after dinner, take regular walks, or play H-O-R-S-E in the driveway. (P-I-G might work better.) Exercise suppresses appetite. Cool down with Italian ice (120 calories per cup) instead of ice cream (290 calories per cup).

Saboteur 3: Your friends

Buddies can make or break a diet or workout plan, whether it's unconscious scarfing of nachos during the game or the lure of pumping beers instead of iron. Worse, many people will deliberately try to sabotage your diet, just for sport. Want a cookie?

Fix your head: Admit you need support. "Let people know how to help you, and many will," says Beth Kitchin, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Fix your routine: Eat a protein bar before meeting friends, so you’ll feel fuller. Drink a glass of water for every glass of beer. And recruit a friend to diet or work out with you. Having someone to answer to is the best enforcement plan, but if you need some extra incentives, check out our list of20 reasons to lose 20 pounds.

Saboteur #4: Your kids

The presence of children in a household increases the likelihood of tempting junk food in the cupboard. Some of it ends up in adult mouths—either directly while snacking or in the form of stray nuggets and fries left over by finicky kids. "I call this 'trolling,'" says Lawrence Schwartz, author of Fat Daddy/Fit Daddy. "If you're prone to troll, the easiest thing to do is to avoid the Happy Meal altogether."

Fix your head: Grow up. Think: The sugary snack that a child will burn off with an hour of fidgeting will haunt you as a fat deposit. Read the nutrition label on any snack before unwrapping it. Realize the importance of setting a good food-and-exercise example.

Fix your routine: Make junk food a once-a-week thing—designate Friday as Twinkie day. Instead of standing on the sidelines to watch your son's game, make fitness a family thing by volunteering to coach, ump, or referee. And when you go out to eat, follow our list of 10 top swaps for weight loss to please your palate without padding your waist.

Saboteur 5: Jimmy Fallon

Cut late-night TV from your daily routine. Not getting enough deep, non-REM sleep inhibits production of growth hormones, which might lead to premature middle-age symptoms—abdominal obesity, reduced muscle mass and strength, and diminished exercise capacity. In short, you become Homer.

Fix your head: "Mentally disengage yourself before you hit the sack," says Karas. Don't plot a staffing re-org before bed.

Fix your routine: Exercise in the morning or afternoon, says Eric Nofzinger, M.D., director of sleep neuroimaging research at the Western Psychiatric Institute. Evening workouts may leave you too stimulated to sleep. Establish a ritual that signals to your body that the day is over 30 minutes before bedtime—turn off the computer, read, stretch, or set the TV volume low.

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