Weight Loss Myths

Why is losing weight such a problem? People have fundamental misconceptions about how to accomplish the task. Here are some popular beliefs and why they are incorrect.

• One misunderstanding is a person should only eat low-fat and fat-free foods. Even though a product may be low-fat or fat-free, a person may be totally unaware in the meantime that the product still has calories and may lead to overeating of the product henceforth. Also, when fat is removed from a food, other items are most likely added back in the product to make it taste better due to the lack of flavor from fatand it is rarely anything good for the body. Reducing one's fat intake only works in combination with reducing caloric intake.

• Another misunderstanding is thata person has to exercise 3 to 5 times a week. Though important to weight loss, physical activitydoes not require a person to be obsessed with the gym. Rather, everyday activity such as walking for 30 minutes just a few times during the week is just as important to weight maintenance as gym or other intensive exercise.

• Certain foods can burn fats and make you lose weight is another confusion. Everyone has heard of diets built solely around a particular fruit or vegetable where the body burns the fat through faster metabolism. There is no food that can burn fat and only caffeine can temporarily speed up one's metabolism, but not enough to burn fat. The only way the body can burn away the fat is through exercise and slowly increasing lean muscle mass by way of resistance training.

• Understanding that unbalanced diets may allow one to eat too much fat and cholesterol, causing the risk for heart disease to increase. So therefore low carbohydrate or high protein diets by omitting fruits, certain vegetables and grains from one's dietary needs, is unbalanced, nutrient lacking and not a healthy manner for the body to function. This is another serious myth surrounding weight loss.

• Starches are fattening and should be avoided is yet another misconception. Moderation is the key to the starchy gates, it's OK to occasionally eat small portions of starchy foods like pasta, bread, cereals, rice and potatoes. It's what you place on them is what a person should be weary of - butter, sour cream and mayonnaise make fat and calorie counts sky rocket on foods that are relatively low in fat and calories. Starches provide a great source of energy for that 30-minute after-dinner walk.

• Misconception about losing weight regardless of what one eats may be part true as long as a person's body is burning more energy/calories than one takes in. Although main focus should be on portion control and balanced intake. For a healthier person, one must try to eat low-calorie foods or at least low-calorie versions of favorites rather than increasing exercise and wearing out the human body and making exercise painful.

• Another myth is that dairy products contain too much fat and should not be eaten. Studies have recently shown that dairy calcium helps reduce fat mass and may be associated with hormonal changes responsible for the breakdown of fats. Dairy also serves an important nutritional value in building muscle and strengthening bones.

• Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight-myth, may actually just work the opposite. Research has shown that persons who skip breakfast and eat fewer times a day, tend to be heavier than those who eat a good breakfast and eat 4 or 5 times during a day. Many people who skip a meal, feel hungrier later on and wind up eating more than they normally would. Eating smaller multiple meals a day can help control appetite and keeps the metabolism on track.

• There is no safe, quicksolutionto lose weight, so those that believe taking a weight loss supplement will help them to lose weight quickly would be disappointed to know that losing weight quickly is not so good for the body. Although results do not happen overnight, the best way for the body to lose weight is through calorie reduction and increased exercise. This method has a higher success rate and longer lasting effect.

• Lastly, the myth that if you eat after 8 p.m., you will gain weight is just that - a myth. The time you eat isn't important when compared to what you eat, how much you eat and how active one is. If there are unused calories in the body, it will be stored as fat regardless of what time of day or night it is.

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