Binge eating is what I like to refer to as a “natural side effect of dieting”.

Weight loss is hard. Especially for those who try and drastically change their lifestyle and eating habits. Something I strongly do NOT recommend.

Binge eating is where you eat large amounts of foods in one sitting, often larger amounts than what your body needs.

A common excuse I hear from clients is “it’s ok, I’m still eating healthy”.

It’s not ok, though. Some healthy foods are heavy in calories. Nuts, peanut butter, dark chocolate, cheese or whole wheat products. Calories are calories.

Remember, when your aim is weight loss or fat loss you need to be in a caloric deficit.

50 grams of almonds, a very healthy snack, about 300 extra calories. One tablespoon of peanut butter is about 100 calories and half a bar of dark chocolate is about 300 calories.

Even though all these foods are healthy, a single binge can oftentimes ruin your weight loss.

Summary:

When binge eating foods, you are running the risk of lowering your weight loss progress. Try and avoid eating large amounts of foods in one sitting, even if “healthy”.

10. You’re Not Eating Enough Fiber

A diet rich in dietary fiber carries a number of health benefits – it helps fight against hearth diseases, lowers cholesterol, lowers the risk of diabetes and colon cancer.

Alongside with all its health benefits, fiber can aid those trying to lose weight.

There are two kinds of dietary fiber – soluble and insoluble.

Insoluble fiber does not mix with water and passes through the gut. It can help with constipation.

Soluble fiber mixes with water and forms a gel-like substance that slows down the speed at which the stomach passes food to the gut.

Soluble fiber is the type of fiber which helps improve weight loss and it does so in different ways:

1. It helps reduce appetite: Soluble fiber is a powerful appetite suppressor. It gives a feeling of satiation and as a result lowers cravings and the urge to binge foods.

This will also help make sure that you stick with your diet and keep your calories in a deficit.

2. Gut bacteria diversity: there are about 100 trillion healthy bacteria living in the lower gut that help regulate a lot of our daily bodily processes.

A greater probiotic diversity in the gut is linked with lower risks in conditions such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart conditions, mental health, etc.

A recent study found that people with higher bacteria diversity had a lower chance of gaining belly fat.

The process of bacteria breaking down fiber is called fermentation. During this process short-chain fatty acids are produced. This type of fat increases the process of fat burning and reduces the risk of fat storage.

3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of carbohydrates: soluble fiber is the reason why fruit is healthy, even though they are packed with sugar. It helps slow down the release of sugar in the blood and lower the spikes in insulin.

This will help lead to a more prolonged source of energy, without crashes. And helps reduce the risk of body fat storage.

A good amount of fiber intake per day is about 25-35 grams.

Here is a list of foods high in fiber that you might like to add to your grocery list:

• Red kidney beans (3 grams per 133 grams)
• Avocados (13.5 grams per 1 avocado)
• Pears (5.5 grams per 1 fruit)
• Apples (1 gram per 1 fruit)
• Flax seeds (1.5 grams per 1 tablespoon)
• Broccoli (1.5 grams per 100 grams)
• Oats (5.5 grams per 50 grams)
• Black beans (5.5 grams per 130 grams)

Most fruits and nuts contain a good amount of soluble fiber.

Summary:

Soluble fiber carries a number of weight loss benefits. Make sure you enrich your meals with dietary fiber. Aim for about 25-35 grams of fiber per day.