Weight Loss Myth Busting - Don't Fall For These Diet Lies
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The weight loss industry is full of inaccurate data, some of it propagated by those who care more about their profits than about helping people to lose weight permanently and healthily. Here are some of the most common weight loss myths.
Weight Loss Myth #1: You Should Avoid Carbohydrates
The anti-carbohydrate message is a popular one, and is a favourite with those promoting high-protein diets such as South Beach and Atkins. It is true that regimes like these can help you to lose weight very quickly, but this rapid loss usually comes at a price - including lack of energy and possible long term health issues. Most people also find such regimes very difficult to stick to over the long term.
The truth is that you can lose weight at a steady pace and - very importantly - keep it off too, while eating a diet with adequate amounts of healthy carbohydrate foods. Refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar are best avoided, but there's no need to eliminate nutrient-rich, satisfying carbs like as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Weight Loss Myth #2: Your Genes Play The Largest Role In Determining Your Weight
It's true that the genes we inherit from our families do play a role in determining our build and metabolic rate, but this doesn't mean that if your parents or grandparents are/were obese, you must be too. Some people are born with slower metabolisms and have a greater tendency to lay down fat, but they will only become overweight if they eat too much relative to their level of physical activity. If you're one of these people, you may have to be more careful about what you eat than your naturally skinny friends, but so long as you don't overeat, you won't become overweight. And remember that you can influence your metabolic rate to some degree, particularly by exercising regularly, and building lean muscle tissue, which is more metabolically active than fat. So having fat relatives is no excuse!
Weight Loss Myth #3: You Shouldn't Eat Fat In Your Diet
Fat does contain more calories than the equivalent amount of carbohydrate or protein, but it doesn't follow that cutting out fat is a good way to lose weight. Very low fat diets are bad for your health, and a diet with insufficient fat will leave you feeling hungry and dissatisfied. For healthy weight loss, you should eliminate harmful fats such as trans fats from hydrogenated oils (found in many junk and processed foods and some vegetable oils), and up your intake of healthy fats, such as those found in avocados, olive oil, oily fish and coconut oil (yes, despite being composed of saturated fatty acids, and getting a bad rap as a result of negative propaganda from the vegetable oil companies, virgin coconut oil is very beneficial, and may even help to speed the fat burning process).
Weight Loss Myth #4: You'll Lose Weight More Quickly By Skipping Meals
Skipping meals is one of the worst things you can do if you want to lose weight permanently. The weight (which will be mostly water and maybe even lean muscle tissue) may come off quickly at first, but if you're going hungry, you'll be much more prone to binge eating. In addition, your body will respond to skipping meals (which it interprets as starvation) by lowering your metabolic rate and attempting to preserve the fat it has. For effective weight loss, eat regular meals of healthy foods - you simply don't have to go hungry to get slim.
Weight Loss Myth #5: Avoid White Food
This one has some basis in fact - foods made from refined white flour and white sugar are generally high in calories and devoid of nutritional benefits, and should be cut out or drastically reduced, not only to lose weight, but to stay healthy too. But natural white foods like pears, coconut and other nuts are a valuable part of a healthy diet, and don't fall into the 'avoid' category.
So, there are five of the most prevalent weight loss myths that you may have heard about. Now you know the truth, and hopefully your weight loss efforts will benefit!
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