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DEBUNKING COMMON MYTHS OF WEIGHT-LOSS


Many people have their own opinions when it comes to watching calories and shedding pounds. On top of that, we’re bombarded every now and then by seemingly-new, and most often confusing information on what is the best way to shed those extra pounds. There are fat-burning pills, exercise machines, low-fat-low-carb snacks, and diet tips galore: Don’t eat carbs; stay away from desserts; don’t skip breakfast; never nibble after 6 pm, etc. New diet books are always hitting the bookstore shelves with the latest weight-loss advice, and celebrities feel compelled to share their diet successes. With all these conflicting information, it’s difficult to find a diet that is right for you, and that will work for you. And it’s not that all this weight-loss advice is useless or even unhealthy. It’s just that one person’s diet secret may not work for you. The same doesn’t work for everyone. So it’s important to know the truth behind common diet tips. Here are 24 popular weight-loss myths and the facts about healthy ways to reduce calories.


MYTH #1: I can get a flat stomach by doing ab routines
You might have heard that the best way to get a flat stomach is to spend hours in the gym doing numerous repetitions or crunches, or investing in one of the latest ab machines that's being advertised on television. But the fact is that the best way to see your abs is to lose the flab around your belly. Instead of focusing on your stomach, do more cardio exercises and eat right so that you can burn calories.

MYTH #2: Carbs make me fat
False. Carbohydrates do not make you fat. Calories make you fat. Often it’s the sugar and fat contained in carbohydrates that make you fat. Also, a lot of carbohydrates are processed, so you don’t get the advantage of feeling full from fiber found in unprocessed carbs. Carbohydrates are actually an important source of energy. Even so, that doesn't mean there's nothing to learn from low-carb diets. Carbs are not all created equal. You should limit processed carbs such as white bread and croissants. Instead, enjoy beans and whole grains, such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread. And don't forget fruits and vegetables, which provide a host of nutrients and fiber. They are low in calories and can reduce the risk of obesity and heart disease. The body also uses carbs as fuel during exercise to burn body-fat. So this is another good reason to keep bread (and sandwiches!) in your home-kitchen or on your outside-eat choice.

MYTH #3: Potatoes make me fat
False. It was once thought that the key to weight-loss was eliminating all high-carbohydrate foods, including pasta, rice and potatoes. We now know that carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source. Eating a potato, or any type of carbohydrate-rich food, won't automatically make you fatter. However, if you are watching your weight, enjoy potatoes in moderate quantities and be careful of how you eat them (for example, butter and sour cream are high in fats).

MYTH #4: Frozen fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than fresh ones
This is true only if you live on a farm. Produce picked at the peak of ripeness does have more vitamins and minerals, but nutrient levels drop during shipping and storage. And they sink even further if you add the days that the produce lingers in your freezer. Frozen veggies and fruit, on the other hand, are usually picked ripe and immediately flash-frozen, so they retain most of their nutrients.

MYTH #5: I must drink 8 glasses of water every day
We are sure you have been told to drink 8 glasses of water per day to help with weight loss. But you might want to put away your measuring cup, as this bit of H2O advice has no scientific basis. True, water is essential for the sustenance of life, but your body won't calculate whether you have gobbled down 8 cups or 10 for the day. However, it is prudent that you drink as much water as possible.

MYTH #6: I must avoid all kinds of fat
While too much of the wrong fat (certain saturated fats in highly-processed meats and trans fat found in some cookies and cakes) is bad for your health and waistline, a diet rich in the right fat (ie, the good unsaturated fats) can help both. Good fats, like monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in olive oil, nuts, and avocados have proven to be powerful reducers of belly fat. Other sources of good fat are the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) found in fish and its oil, and in many nuts and seeds, PUFAs help release fat too. A Dutch study found that consumption of PUFAs lead to a higher resting metabolic rate (the calories used just to live) as well as a greater DIT, or diet-induced calorie burn. PUFAs are also burned faster than saturated fats in the body. What's more, fats help you feel full. They have 9 calories per gram compared to 4 for protein or carbs. So a small nibble of something yummy, like a handful of nuts or some peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers, can help you feel full for hours.

MYTH #7: Low-fat foods will cut the flab
If you are one of those persons who believe that fat-free foods will make you skinny, then you are wrong. The fact is that you can still put on weight by gorging on fat-free food items because the calorie content might still be too high, even without the fat. Cutting back on saturated fats is great, but you will still need to eat foods with mono-unsaturated fats to lower bad cholesterol.

MYTH #8: Chocolate can burst my waistline
You should welcome any excuse to add chocolate into your life. But here's the trick: Go heavy on the cocoa and light on sugar. Cocoa contains more antioxidants than most foods and is good for so many things, including, when consumed in moderation, weight-loss. To add more cocoa into your diet, buy unsweetened cocoa and add it to coffee and other recipes.

MYTH #9: My genes determine my body weight and metabolism
Genetics might determine which area on your body where you are more prone to gain weight, whether it be your stomach, hips or thighs. However, it cannot be blamed for you being 100 pounds overweight. If you have poor eating habits and do not exercise, then you are solely to be blamed for that. Only 25% of your body weight is determined by your genes; the rest is the result of your behavior. At any time in life, you can drastically change your body weight by combining low-calorie eating and more exercise. And you can increase your metabolism at any age by performing strength and resistance exercises.

MYTH #10: I will lose more weight by skipping breakfast and lunch
This myth has been believed because people naturally reason that cutting out meals will lead to a reduction in weight. But experts continue to advise that having a diet consisting of breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks is more likely to fuel weight-loss than fasting. When you skip meals, your metabolism slows down, so you burn fewer calories. Remember that your body is working constantly, so you need to have fuel for whatever is there to be burnt.

MYTH #11: My breakfast should consist of fruits only
False. There is no evidence that eating only fruits at breakfast has any weight-loss benefits. Most fruits are not very high in complex carbohydrates, which the body needs after an all-night fast. They are, however, a good source of fibre and vitamins. Cereal foods, especially wholegrain varieties, and breakfast cereals are a much better source of carbohydrates to get you going in the morning.

MYTH #12: I should only eat 3 times a day
Once again, it’s all about calories. You can eat 3 times a day or 6 times a day, as long as you have the same caloric-intake. However, you should have at least 3 meals a day so that you don’t become too hungry. And if you eat 5-6 times a day, you should not be having 5-6 full meals.

MYTH #13: I must not snack between meals
Snacks aren’t the culprit; calories are. You can have a small portion of yogurt for breakfast and a piece of fruit for a snack before lunch. Some dieters prefer to have more structure and limit themselves to just 3 meals a day and no in-between-meal snacks. Others are more comfortable having small, low-calorie snacks in between their main meals. What counts is the total number of calories.

MYTH #14: I will burn more calories with morning exercises
Morning exercises are great because it means that you get your routine out of the way from early before you are bombarded with the day's activities. But you will lose the same amount of calories during an hour-long elliptical workout in the evening as you would in the morning. The machines can't tell the difference between the hours. Simply put, the best time to exercise is anytime that you can do it. You get the same payoffs and burn essentially the same number of calories whenever you work out. What's important is doing it regularly. Some studies have shown that first-thing-in-the-morning exercisers are more likely to stick with a regimen than those who start late in the day, but that's because it's probably easier to postpone an evening workout until tomorrow. So whether you have more time or energy in the morning, afternoon, or at night, the important thing is that you do it.

MYTH #15: If I skip breakfast or lunch, I will lose weight faster
Eating fewer meals can actually lead to weight-gain and added body-fat. In fact, one study showed that people who skip breakfast have a 4-5% lower metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories to maintain vital functions when at rest) than those who do not. When you skip meals, your body fights back by slowing down the rate at which you burn calories. Believe it or not, you will lose weight more efficiently if you eat several small meals a day rather than one or two large meals.

MYTH #16: As long as a food is fat-free, I can eat as much of it as I want without gaining weight
Fat is indeed the most concentrated source of calories in our diet: A gram of fat provides 9 calories, while a gram of carbohydrate or protein provides only 4. So cutting down on the amount of fat you consume can be an efficient way to lower your calorie-intake as well. However, just because a food is fat-free doesn't guarantee that it's low in calories. When manufacturers remove the fat from a food product, they sometimes replace it with so much sugar that the fat-free product ends up providing more calories than the original product. And consuming more calories than you need -- no matter where they come from -- will cause you to gain weight. So while limiting dietary fat can be beneficial to your health and can be a simple way to trim excess calories from your diet, you must also keep tabs on, and reign in, the number of calories you consume at the same time.

MYTH #17: Don’t worry about dieting; just exercise
Exercising alone is not enough. You probably won’t be able to work out enough to make up for eating a huge meal. Exercise just does not burn enough calories. If you eat a slice of apple pie that is 500 calories, you’ll have to walk briskly for 2 hours to burn those calories. So, you won’t lose weight unless you also cut calories.

MYTH #18: I can't eat at my favorite restaurants and still lose weight
It's possible to eat at any kind of restaurant today, from fast food to 5-star, without compromising your weight-loss efforts. Granted, when you eat away from home, you may have less control over how the foods are prepared and which ingredients are used, but you can control which foods you choose and how much of them you consume.  

MYTH #19: I have to give up "real desserts" to reach my goal weight
You don't have to forgo your favorite foods or "goodies" to lose weight. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If you love ice cream, just eat it less often and/or in smaller portions. Better yet, think substitution, not elimination.

MYTH #20: The best way to lose my flabby stomach and thighs is to do sit-ups and leg lifts
Actually, spot-reducing doesn't work. When you lose fat, it comes from your total fat reserves, and you have no control over what part of the body those fat reserves will come from. Spot exercises can tone and strengthen muscles in specific areas. But, aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or aerobic dance, is the best way to burn fat. The bottom line: You'll burn more fat from around your middle (as well as from other fat-laden areas) if you take a brisk 30-minute walk than if you do 100 sit-ups.

MYTH #21: I would rather jump in the sauna and sweat off a few pounds than exercise
You can't bake, sweat, or steam off the pounds. Sweating without exertion causes only a temporary water-loss, not a fat-loss. The water lost will be quickly regained as soon as you have anything to eat or drink. And remember, sauna suits, rubber belts, and nylon clothes designed to make you sweat during exercise can actually damage your health. To avoid potentially-deadly dehydration and heatstroke, it's important to replace fluids lost during exercise and allow your body's natural thermostat to regulate your temperature.

MYTH #22: I will only feel successful if I reach my target weight
Success means more than a number on the scale. It is an on-going process that is rewarded each time you make a positive lifestyle change. So, don't be a slave to your bathroom scale. Put your time and effort into what really counts: keeping accurate records, and increasing your daily activity. Habits, not the daily fluctuations on the scale, will determine whether or not you achieve long-term success.

MYTH #23: If I can't exercise strenuously for hours at a time, it really won't help me lose weight
In general, experts agree that what's most important for improving health and controlling weight is replacing sedentary habits (like sitting in front of the television or computer) with activities that involve movements. All physical activity, whether it's running a track or sweeping the floor, counts. According to experts, it's the total amount of time spent in active pursuits that's most important when it comes to weight control. Although 30 minutes a day can help lower risk of chronic disease, to really manage your weight, you'll probably need to gradually work up to getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week (coupled with a calorie-intake that doesn't surpass your needs).

The good news: you don't have to get that 60 minutes of activity all at one time. Putting in a few 10-to 15-minute bouts of physical activity throughout the day, such as before work, during your lunch-hour, and after dinner, will work just fine. And what about intensity? Although vigorous exercise (fast-paced aerobic activities such as jogging that really get your heart pumping) will burn the most calories, you'll still lose pounds if you couple moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking) with sensible eating. Even housework and gardening chores that make you perspire a lot, such as raking the lawn, scrubbing the bathtub, or washing the windows, count.

MYTH #24: If I eat and exercise consistently, I will never gain weight
You need to be willing to make lifestyle-changes and dietary-adjustments as you age, change, and grow. The fact is, your metabolism slows down as you age. As a result, you often have to either eat less and/or exercise more to avoid gaining weight. The biggest change usually occurs around the age of 40. Your metabolism will continue to slow down more gradually over the years, so always keep your food and exercise plan flexible.


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