2 MORNING HABIT THAT MAKES YOU GAIN WEIGHT

We’ve all been there—you commit to shedding a few pounds, but they seem just as committed to sticking to you. You’ve done away with the obvious culprits—out-of-control portion sizes, fast food, happy hour—so what’s the prob?

"The biggest mistake people make when they’re trying to lose weight is getting their day off on the wrong foot," says Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D., president of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss. Those first waking moments lay the foundation for the choices you will make the rest of the day—and every day after—so it’s vital to establish good habits thatyou can fall back on when you’re still foggy-headed and bleary-eyed.

Here, we've got the common mistakes that can ruin more than just your morning, and how to adjust them.

1. You Oversleep

We've all heard that a lack of shut-eye may cause weight gain, thanks to elevated levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone cortisol in the body. But turns out the opposite—getting too much sleep—might not be much better for you. One study in the journal PLOS One found that sleeping more than 10 hours a night also upped the risk of having a higher BMI compared to those who got seven to nine hours a night. So, hit that sleep sweet spot of seven to nine hours on the regular, and you'll be in good shape

2. You Don't Make Your Bed

A National Sleep Foundation survey found that bed-makers were 19 percent more likely to report getting a good night's sleep compared to those who didn't make their beds. And since sleeping soundly has been linked to a lower BMI(Body Mass Index), why wouldn't you pick this habit back up? This may sound silly, but putting your bed back together in the morning can spawn other good behaviors, like packing a healthy lunch, perhaps. At the same time, those who make their beds regularly are better at sticking to budgets—a demonstration of willpower that may carry over to keeping your calorie count in check.