Myth 1: Carbohydrates are fattening and should be limited when trying to lose weight. Many foods high in starch, like bread, rice, pasta, cereals, beans, fruits, and some vegetables (like potatoes and yams) are low in fat and calories. They become high in fat and calories when eaten in large portion sizes or when covered with high-fat toppings like butter, sour cream, or mayonnaise. Foods high in starch (also called complex carbohydrates) are an important source of energy for your body.
Myth 2: Certain foods, like grapefruit, celery, or cabbage soup, can assist in burning fat and make you lose weight. Fact: No foods can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism (the way your body uses energy, or calories) for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss. Tip: The best way to lose weight is to cut back on the number of calories you eat and be more physically active.
Myth 3 : Fast foods are always an unhealthy choice and you should not eat them when dieting. Fast foods can be part of a healthy weight-loss program with a little bit of know-how. Its all about moderation and portion control. Getting to the nitty gritty of how to track your diet intake you can absolutely enjoy a fast food meal once in a while.
Myth 4: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. This may be because people who skip meals tend to feel hungrier later on, and eat more than they normally would. It may also be that eating many small meals throughout the day helps people control their appetites.
Myth 5: Lifting weights is not good to do if you want to lose weight, because it will make you “bulk up.” Lifting weights or doing strengthening activities like squats and planks on a regular basis can actually help you maintain or lose weight. These activities can help you build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. So if you have more muscle, you burn more calories—even sitting still. Doing strengthening activities 2 or 3 days a week will not “bulk you up.” Only intense strength training, combined with a certain genetic background, and eating in a surplus can build very large muscles.
Myth 6: Nuts are fattening and you should not eat them if you want to lose weight. In small amounts, nuts can be part of a healthy weight-loss program. Nuts are high in calories and fat. However, most nuts contain healthy fats. Nuts are also good sources of protein, dietary fiber, and minerals including magnesium and copper. Tip: Enjoy small portions of nuts. One-half ounce of mixed nuts has about 84 calories.
Myth 7: In order to loose weight you need to exercise more and eat less. So yes this is very common advice, but there are some very important questions to ask first before dishing out this type of advice. What is your stress levels like? Are you sleeping at night? what is your menstrual cycle like? How much do you currently eat? What do you currently eat? How much do you exercise per week? What sort of exercise do you engage in? Why is weight loss important to you? What is your body image like? Its not just eat less exercise more, you can seriously damage yourself with this approach!
Myth 8: Intermittent Fasting is the BEST way to loose weight. Intermittent fasting is a tool for weight loss yes, but it has to be implemented in the right way. Again there is a check list to follow before starting this sort of diet trend. If you are malnourished to begin with, have hormonal issues, struggle with energy throughout the day, have PCOS, have a bad relationship with food and your body, this may just have the opposite effect than desired. Speak to a professional first.
Would you like to bust some more myths? let me know in the comments below.
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the holistic approach 