The two most weight gaining habits that are making your belly look like jelly are snacking on high-sugar, high-carb foods late at night and drinking alcohol. There are a few solutions that can improve your health and make you leaner.

You should first make sure you eat enough during the day and at 3-4 hour intervals. This enables your body to burn fat all day, keep your metabolism at a steady rate and provides your body with nutrients all day. This will also prevent you from binging or being hungry at night. You should stop eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed because your metabolism slows down at night, leaving your late-night snacks as unburned calories and stored as fat.

You should avoid eating foods with a high-glycemic carbohydrate index. High- glycemic carbs increase blood sugar and increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease. You should avoid eating high-glycemic snacks such as ice cream, potato chips, and cookies. You should replace them with low-glycemic index carbs such as fruits and vegetables. A great idea for a healthy snack that is full of protein is a smoothie. Smoothies are often made from real fruit juice and rarely have added sugar.

If you’re on the path of trying to lose weight, you should say no to alcohol. Alcohol is full of calories and slows down your metabolism. When alcohol is ingested, it passes through the stomach and intestines, into the bloodstream, then into the liver. In the liver, it is converted into acetaldehyde, which is then converted into acetate. Because acetate is readily bio-available, your body will burn it first, instead of carbs, protein, or fat. If you do choose to have a drink, you should have it with food to slow down its absorption rate and protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine.

The next time you’re having bad-for-you food craving, pass up the donuts and go for something like a healthy smoothie. You can improve your health and lose weight today by making these simple changes to your lifestyle.