Weight Loss Myths
One of the things I want to do is help you sort through all of the information that is out there about weight loss. Doing the work that is necessary to lose weight is difficult enough even when you have good, solid, accurate information. Some weight loss information is downright dangerous, some of it is not good for you and some isn’t necessarily harmful, but it won’t help you achieve your goals. Today I’m going to sift through some of that information and show you what is dangerous, what is bad advice and what just doesn’t make a bit of sense!
Myth: Cleanses are good for our bodies and are a great way to jump start a weight loss program
Fact: Cleanses are a waste of time and money and may be harmful. Unless you’ve got heavy metal toxicity, your liver, kidneys and immune system do all the cleansing you need. Most cleanses are very calorie restrictive, many are quite expensive and none are necessary. When someone tells me they’re “going on a cleanse” I ask them, “What are you cleansing?” and they don’t have an answer. It doesn’t make a bit of sense and it encourages disordered eating. Our bodies don’t have a “build up of toxins” from eating sugar or meat and if we have one too many drinks at the company Christmas party, our bodies will get things back in order in a day. If you’re hoping a cleanse will rid you of excess pounds, remember this: Weight loss is only about calories in versus calories out. When we eat less than we need, we lose weight. Cleanses cannot change that.
Myth: Colonics can get rid of excess pounds
Fact: This one falls into the downright dangerous category. First, it’s dangerous and can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and even perforated bowel. Second, there’s no reason to even think that it could cause real weight loss since it doesn’t affect calorie intake or calorie expenditure. Don’t get suckered into this weight loss myth; it won’t help you and may seriously harm you. Here’s a link to an article at WebMD that debunks the colonic myth and the hCG diet. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/weight-loss-cure-dont-want-you-to-know
Myth: The hCG diet works miracles
Fact: Don’t even get me going on this one! You may lose weight at first because you’re only allowed 600 calories a day, but not eating any food is not a good way to lose weight and you’ll eventually start eating again (I hope.) The injections don’t do anything to help with weight loss. I’m not even going to expand on this because there’s nothing to say. It doesn’t work, ask any REPUTABLE physician. What can I say, Dr. Dre and Dr. Pepper are both “doctors” but I wouldn’t take medical advice from either one.
Myth: Eating late in the evening will make me gain weight
Fact: It doesn’t matter when you eat, if you eat more calories than you need, you’re going to gain weight. There are reasons why many of these myths persist. In this case, it’s that when we eat at night we’ve probably already had dinner, we’re eating calorie dense foods (ice cream, potato chips) or there’s a good chance we’re eating more than we realize because we’re watching TV or playing on the computer while we eat. In other words, for one reason or another we’re eating too many calories but blaming it on the time of day. Some people think that if they sleep right after they eat their bodies will automatically store that food as fat, but that’s just not true. Extra calories will eventually be stored as fat, but it’s spread out over several days not hours.
Myth: We should consume a very low fat diet to lose weight
Fact: Honestly, as I write this I realize what a broken record I must sound like, but the only thing that matters is calories. That said, here are some of the reasons that this type of thinking persists. Fat has a lot of calories in it. A gram of fat has 9 calories so things that have a lot of fat in them tend to have a lot of calories. Things like avocados, nuts, cheese, fried foods all have a lot of fat in them so they have a lot of calories or are “calorie dense.” Think about it, if you have a handful of almonds and the same size handful of grapes, the almonds will have a lot more calories because they have quite a bit of fat in them. Food with fat tastes good, fat makes us feel satisfied, our bodies need fat and some high fat foods are very nutritious.
Myth: I have to limit carbohydrates if I want to lose weight
Fact: I’m not even going to say it, but you know what I’m thinking! Lots of foods we think of as “carbs” have a lot of calories because they also have a lot of fat in them. Things like cookies, cakes, ice cream, muffins and French fries have a lot of carbs, but they also have a lot of fat. You know how I told you that fat has 9 calories per gram, well carbohydrates only have 4 calories per gram. So why do we still think that eating carbs will make us gain weight? A big part of it is portion size. Have you ever measured what a serving size of pasta or a cup of rice is? We tend to eat two to three times the serving size of many foods with lots of carbohydrates. Another reason is that carbohydrate rich foods and drinks lots of times don’t satisfy us and are “empty calories.” (Remember that term from junior high health class?) Sugary sodas, sports drinks and even healthy fruit juice have a lot of carbohydrates and a lot of calories, but they don’t keep us feeling full or satisfied the way the same number of calories from a banana or peanut butter sandwich would.
Myth: Don’t use a scale to measure your weight loss progress, just see how your pants fit
Fact: Two pound weight loss isn’t going to show in how your jeans fit, but it can be a huge motivator to see that change on the scale. For some people using the scale can become an obsession and can really affect how they feel about themselves or can reinforce disordered eating. For most people, though, using a scale once a week at the same time can help them see changes in their weight that they wouldn’t see in the way their clothes fit.
Myth: BMI (Body Mass Index) doesn’t really matter. It tells lots of people that they’re overweight when they’re not.
Fact: Body Mass Index or BMI is an excellent indicator as to whether or not you’re at a healthy weight. For weight lifters and serious athletes, sometimes BMI isn’t a great indicator of whether or not they’re at a healthy weight because they have a great deal of muscle mass. However, if you’re an average Joe (or Joan), a BMI calculator or chart will tell you if you need to lose weight and will tell you how much you should weigh for how tall you are. Here’s a site I like: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ It will tell you if you’re at a healthy weight, if you’re underweight, overweight or obese.
I hope you all have a wonderful week. Please feel free to comment on my posts or ask questions. If you want to be updated as I post, please subscribe to the RSS feed.
Regan
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