Top 5 myths about dieting

Top 5 myths about dieting

As an avid dieter and overall fitness nut, you might be wondering if there’s anything about your diet plan and exercise program that doesn’t work. Skeptics will always have something negative to say about dieting, but the truth is that there are a lot of fads, myths and false information out there that you might have mistaken for real facts.

Let’s set the record straight and find out what myths you’ve believed in (and have even practiced) with regards to your diet.

1. Eating at night, especially after 8PM, is more fattening.

Certain diet programs will tell you to stop eating as early as 5 or 6PM in the evening, claiming that food eaten closer to bedtime makes you fat because it isn’t burned off in physical activities. This is not true, because your body keeps on burning calories no matter what you’re doing and even when you’re asleep in your bed.

The key to a well-maintained and healthy body is regular, controlled food intake, not deprivation at certain times of the day.

2. Diet foods (low-fat, low-carb) are an excellent way to lose weight.

Keep in mind that low fat or low carb doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s low-calorie as well. Our tendency with low-fat foods is to consume so much more of it than its normal counterparts because we think that it’s healthier and less fattening.

To be sure about the calorie content of a food item, check its nutrition facts label, particularly the serving size. You might be better off with a smaller portion of the full-fat thing rather than a large serving of the low-fat version because the former is ultimately more satisfying for you.

3. Cutting your calorie intake dramatically will help you lose weight.

Crash diets work like a miracle because they produce lower weighing scale readings in a short period of time. While you may be happy with your success, the truth is that your body is just going through a short-term adjustment in its metabolism.

If you drastically reduce your food intake, you tell your body that it has less to function on and it will slow down its metabolism, leaving you with bigger chances for weight gain once you decide that you’ve done your starvation mode long enough.

4. Eat only full meals with no snacks in between.

The opposite is actually the better method to lose weight quickly and effectively. Eating small but regular portions of healthy food will speed up your metabolism, causing your body to burn calories more efficiently.

5. Fat is bad for my body.

Fat is bad only when it is consumed in excessive amounts, but otherwise our body actually needs fat to help with everyday living functions. Your aim in exercising and dieting is to reduce your body fat and build muscle, so concentrate on doing so instead of obsessing about the fat content of the foods you eat.