7 Weight Loss Myths Busted

Do you believe drinking water helps you shed pounds or carbohydrates obstruct you losing weight? Are these myths or facts? So much is said about losing weight that it can be tough to sort myths from facts.

You might think you know the right ways to lose weight and the real facts about weight loss techniques. But many of these might actually be myths. Alas, these myths about how you can lose weight can disrupt even your serious attempts to lose weight.

That’s why we got in touch with top registered dietitians and weight loss experts to come up with a list of top seven lies and the facts behind them, which could be stopping you from shedding the pounds. Read on so that you can battle the bulge armed with the truth.

Are These Myths Stopping You To Lose Weight?

1. Myth – Cutting Out All Snacks Can Help You Lose Weight: To quote Elizabeth Pivonka: “The idea that you shouldn’t eat between meals is a myth”. The truth is that having snacks in between meals really help you eat less, and ward off the craving to overeat or binge later. As a matter of fact, dietitians often advocate that you have five smaller meals a day, instead of eating your calories all in one sitting.

One of the key reasons that snacking has got a bad knack is because of the choices we make from such as vending machines that are packed with chips, cookies, candies, and other palatable – sugary and fattening – goodies. Instead of diving into a bag of chips when you’re hungry, consider having nutritious foods –think about having moderate amounts of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and go for things you don’t normally eat during mealtime. One of my friends, who isn’t a big milk drinker, eats snacks as a way to get her daily dose of calcium from low-fat cheese and yogurt.

2. Myth – Carbohydrates Make You Gain Weight, So All Carbs Are Bad: Our dietitians confirm that it’s a myth that all carbohydrates are bad. Carbs are not all created equal, and you need to stay away from processed carbs that are usually high in sugar and white flour. Instead, relish beans, whole grains – opt for brown rice and whole grain breads — and don’t skin fruits and vegetables that provide a horde of nutrients and fiber, are low in calories, and can help reduce the risks of several diseases, says an expert in weight loss techniques on our panel.

And the best part is that your body uses carbs as fuel during workout / exercise to burn body fat, another great reason to keep the whole-grain bread basket on the menu.

3. Myth – Starving Myself Is The Best Way To Lose Weight: Crash diets are dubious to lead to long-term weight loss. On the contrary, they often result into long term weight gain. The main reason is that such kind of diets are tough to carry on. Soon your body will get low on energy, causing your body-system to long for high-fat and high-sugar foods. When you finally give in and eat those foods, you are likely to intake more calories than what your body requires, leading to weight gain.

Fact – Total Fitness Tip: Skipping meals is not recommended. To shed pounds and keep it off, you need to cut down on the amount of calories you intake or increase the calories you burn through exercise and physical activities. But skipping meals altogether leads to fatigue and poor nutrition. Moreover, you will also tend to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods that could result in weight gain.

4. Myth – If You Eat and Exercise Consistently, You Will Never Gain Weight: To quote Pivonka: “The fact is, your metabolism slows down as you age. As a result, you often have to either eat less 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 flexible.”

You have to make lifestyle changes and dietary adjustments as you age. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you intake.

5. Myth – No More Fast Food: To quote Magee, a leading dietitian: “Maybe the double cheeseburgers, fries, sodas, and apple pies are out, but you don’t have to ditch fast food all together to stay on your diet. It’s part of our culture. I embrace it. I just lead people to make better choices in that arena.”

To quote Pivonka: “I didn’t recommend fast food in the past, but with better options now you usually can eat healthy and still get your grub to go. The big problem with fast food is that the sodium content is much higher than ideal. It’s a problem that might be hard to avoid, unless you stick to salads. At least try to skip the little salt packets.”

Here are some of our recommendations:

(i) Choose a salad as a starter.

(ii) Opt for a grilled chicken over fried, breaded chicken.

(iii) Go for soft tacos instead of hard, crispy ones.

(iv) Stay away from the sauce and dressings or cut down as much as possible.

6. Myth – Drinking Water Helps You Lose Weight: Water will not lead you directly to lose weight, but it does keep your body well hydrated and can help you snack less.

Water is necessary for good health and wellbeing. Often thirst is misjudged as hunger – so if you’re thirsty you are likely to snack more. The Department of Health recommends that one should drink about 1to 2 liters of fluid (preferably water) every day.

7. Myth – Foods Labeled Low Fat Or Reduced Fat Are Always Right Choice: Be watchful. Although, foods labeled “low fat” are required to meet certain prescribed standards, but they at times contain high sugar levels. Again labels such as “reduced fat” do not have to meet the same standards and so can be deceptive. A reduced-fat snack ought to contain less fat than the full-fat kind, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good choice as it could still contain much more fat than, say, a portion of fruit.

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About Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is ISSA Certified Elite Trainer. He passed Personal Fitness Trainer Course, Nutrition Health Coach course & Specialist Exercise Therapy course from ISSA, USA obtaining + 97% marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says: “For me age is just a number!”