Contributed to Sally H.

While many of us have eliminated (or curbed) our unhealthy eating habits, there are some habits we are unaware of that are just as bad for our waistlines as the obvious ones.

Low fat food. Low fat foods replace harmless fats with bad carbohydrates.  You wind up digesting them quickly and very soon after, you are hungry again. Low fat food might save you a few calories but can also open your appetite.  Avoid them.

Free food. The free food that restaurants give you is often nutritionally useless. For example, one cheddar biscuit from Red Lobster is 150 calories. If you eat three during the meal, that is 450 extra calories but who really thinks of that, after all it’s free! But, even if it is nutritious, eating too much of a good thing is just as bad.

Diet soda. The average American drinks 1 gallon of soda a week.  Whether it is diet or regular, drinking 1-2 glasses of soda a day increases your chances of being obese by 33%.

Skipping meals. This bad habit slows your metabolism and boosts your hunger level.  Your body then stores calories as fat instead of burning it off.

Combo meals. You usually add 100 or more calories when you order the value meal.  When you bundle your food together, you wind up ordering more food than you would have eaten, especially when you up-size the meals.

What are your ‘hidden’ unhealthy eating habits?  We invite you to share your ideas in the box below.