Weight Loss Misconceptions

It’s important to find a diet that works for you

You should avoid the word “diet” when referring to your weight loss program. Why? Because by definition the word diet means the act of restricting your appetite to certain foods in order to lose weight. Although in the beginning of your weight loss program and at the peak of motivation you may be able to deprive yourself of certain foods, your willingness to do so will start to wane. This is why the word “fad” is applied to so many of the popular dieting plans that have come and gone over the years; think all carb, atkin, juice, slimfast etc…

Remedy: Think portions and substitution. Instead of eliminating all foods you love add more healthful ones into your diet. Sweet potato fries for regular russet is a great example.

Breakfast is key

Untrue. Have you ever heard the saying, eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper? Many of us have lived and died by this rule due to the myth that having a big breakfast jumps starts our metabolism for the whole day. As if when you skip eating in the morning everything else you eat after just won’t digest properly! What? I don’t know who thought of that one but this simply isn’t true. The worst thing that you could be doing at any time of the day is eat when you aren’t hungry.

Remedy: You don’t want to defy this myth just for the sake of it. Make sure that you eat something around the time you wake up, but when that is should only be determined by when you’re hungry. If you don’t by the time it gets to mid-afternoon you’ll be starving and overeat, something you want to avoid.

If it is low-fat or non-fat it’s good for you

There is a reason why nutrition labels are mandated to be on the back of food stuff; it’s because the fronts can be deceiving. Many “fat free” or “non-fat” products have just as many calories as their full fat counterparts and just as many sugars.

Remedy: Always keep in mind the back nutrition label and also be mindful of what it is you’re actually looking for. Remember what we said about substitution and portion size? If you aren’t taking out a poor food choice in the place of an organic/low-fat product than all you’re doing is adding in more food.

Eating after 7 p.m. will make you fat

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. No matter what time of day you are eating you are still consuming the same thing. So having a big mac at 8 o’clock at night would be just as detrimental to your weight loss plan as it would if you had it in the afternoon. The only difference here is that you may go to bed with a tummy ache.

Remedy: Instead of thinking about when you are eating, think about what you are eating and how much. These are really the only important things. Make sure that you are sticking to the right portions and the right healthful foods.

Real results come from hitting the gym, HARD

Although you should look at your weight-loss program as a dual effort between what you put in your body and how much you work that body out, it is not necessary to give your life away to the gym. Successful weight loss plans can center entirely on fitness routines devoted to walking. You just have to make sure that you are keeping the right balance between the two. The danger is avoiding working out completely and consuming too few calories.

Remedy: Buy a pedometer and walk everywhere that you go. 10,000 steps a day equal 2 and-half miles of walking and 250 calories, think about it!

Danae Matthews writes for an on-line women’s health resource, Women’s Health Base. Within Women’s Health Space she keeps up her own personal blog on life and love, Danae’s Corner.

References:

http://arthritis.about.com/od/weight/a/weightlossmyths_3.htm

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/13897378/ns/today-today_health/t/weight-loss-myths-can-ruin-your-diet/