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10 Diet Myths That Are Making You Gain Weight

The truth behind every diet lie you've heard.


Published: June 24, 2014  |  By Jenny Sugar


There are a lot of tips floating around out there about the best way to lose weight—so if you're following the wrong advice to a T, then the pounds may pile on instead of melting off. Time to separate fact from fiction so you can start seeing actual results.

Myth: Don't eat after 8 p.m.
Truth: What time you eat doesn't matter, but daily calorie intake does.

Despite popular belief, food you consume at night does not automatically get stored as fat—so giving yourself a cutoff time to stop eating is not going to help you slim down. The best way to drop pounds is to watch your calorie intake throughout the entire day without exceeding the number of calories that's right for you.

Research does show, however, that many women consume half their daily calories at or after dinner, and stress eating plays a huge role. Keep in mind that eating the wrong kinds of food at night—namely high-cal, high-fat eats—can affect digestion, making you toss and turn in bed. And not enough sleep can then cause you to overeat the next day. That's why some experts suggest eating most of your calories earlier in the day, with your biggest meal being at lunch, then consuming a lighter dinner. But if you know you like to nosh on a little something after dinner, save 150 to 200 calories for later. These dessert-style Greek yogurt recipes are perfect.

Myth: "Light" foods are better.
Truth: "Light" foods may contain fewer calories or fat, but not without increasing the sodium, sugar, chemical additives, or artificial sweeteners.

When you compare real cream cheese to the fat-free version, you may save 15 calories—but you gain 11 milligrams of sodium. It may not seem like much, but every little bit adds up, and too much sodium is a major cause of bloating. Not only that, but when people perceive a food as being light, they tend to eat more of it, consuming the same amount of calories or even more than if they had just gone with the original version.

It's best to avoid "light" and "fat-free" foods like cheese, chips, ice cream, and orange juice and go for the real deal; just choose smaller portions. The more natural the ingredients, the better.

Myth: You can eat all you want, as long as it's healthy.
Truth: Healthy foods still contain calories, sugar, sodium, and fat.

Whole-wheat bread and pasta, nuts and nut butters, avocado, dried fruits, oatmeal, fresh-pressed juices—all of these foods are healthy, but they're not void of calories. In fact, they're actually quite high; half an avocado is 161 calories, and 18 cashews are 163 calories. This means you can't mindlessly spoon into a jar of peanut butter just because it's good for you—one tablespoon will run you 105 calories. Counting calories and watching portions is still important, even when eating nutritious foods.

Myth: Going vegan automatically means weight loss.
Truth: Vegan foods can contain empty calories, too.

French fries, potato chips, dark chocolate, pasta, and homemade vegan Snickers—all of these foods are vegan, but if your diet is full of them, guess what? You definitely won't lose weight, and you just might end up gaining weight instead. Choosing to go vegan for the sole purpose of weight loss won't happen unless you eat a balanced diet containing lots of fruits, veggies, vegan protein sources (like beans and tofu), and whole grains. And be sure to keep track of calories.

Myth: Exercise, and You Can Eat All You Want
Truth: Your workout probably doesn't burn as many calories as you think. A 30-minute run at a moderate pace burns just under 300 calories. So if you indulge in a cheeseburger, fries, and a beer, that's well over 700 calories. For weight loss, it's all about simple math: you need to burn or cut out 500 calories a day to lose half a kilo a week. After that 300-calorie-burning run, you would still need to cut out 200 calories from your diet. Exercising should definitely be part of your weight-loss plan, but so should monitoring your calorie intake.


Myth: Skipping Meals Speeds Up Weight Loss
Truth: Not eating can slow down your metabolism, making you shed kilos slower. To keep your metabolism going, eat breakfast and continue eating every few hours throughout the day. Aside from affecting your metabolism, not eating makes you cranky and ravenous, which will drive you to overindulge later in the day.


Myth: Eat Salads, Lose Weight
Truth: While veggies are low in calories, all the toppings are not. Consider this: two cups of mesclun greens is just 10 calories! But when you start adding feta (90 calories), walnuts (93 calories), bacon bits (50 calories), chicken salad (139 calories), dried cranberries (46 calories), croutons (100 calories), hard-boiled egg (78 calories), avocado (114 calories), and a healthy drizzle of dressing (76 calories), your healthy lunch is pushing 800 calories! Eating a big salad once a day for lunch or dinner is a great way to lose weight since the veggies are high in filling fibre — just be mindful of all those high-calorie toppings.

Myth: You Can't Eat Carbs, Even Fruit
Truth: While you may end up losing weight initially, you'll gain it back when you return to your old carb-eating ways. Carbs can actually aid in weight loss, but it has to be the right kinds of carbs. Ditch the refined carbs like foods made with enriched flour, and go for whole grains like quinoa and oats, whole-wheat pasta, and fruits.

These foods contain fibre, which keeps you feeling fuller longer and also offers sustained energy — all of which can help you consume fewer total calories per day. The fibre also keeps things moving along, preventing a bloated belly.



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Myth: Going Gluten-Free Causes Weight Loss
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