Weight Loss Myths
Myth #1: Atkins diet is the healthy way to lose weight.
Reality: Atkins diet is unhealthy way to lose water.
You, my dear reader, don't have to be reminded that unfortunately America is considered the fattest country in the world. Billions of dollars are spent to create new products and diets to help us lose weight.
Let's take Atkins diet, for example. It is one of the most popular diets in the market right now. Did you know that it was actually popular in the 70's? And where did it get us? Well, if in 70's we were one of the fattest countries, now we can proudly claim that we won a fat country contest.
If it didn't work back then, why is it popular again? One of the main reasons is that Atkins diet gives people immediate results. Yes, you will lose 14 pounds in two weeks, but that won't be fat. All you lose is water and if you don't do any weight resistance training or any type of exercise, you are also losing lean muscle weight.
As a result your metabolism slows down drastically. As soon as you get back to normal eating habits (because you can't live all of your life eating like this) your body will gain all the lost weight back.
The problem is that in our blind desire to lose weight we are following Atkins diet religiously without bothering to use any common sense. Just tell me how eating greasy bacon is better than eating an organically grown fresh juicy apple?
And have you ever paid attention that some Low Carb products contain a huge amount of saturated fat? I looked at the ice-cream label once. Only 2 carbs, but 45% of saturated fat in one serving! Does that sound healthy to you?
Sure, it doesn't mean that you should eat tons of chips, cookies, candy and french fries, but to avoid rice, nuts, fruit and vegetables is silly.
What you need to do to really lose weight and keep it off is a balanced diet with a proper amount of calories, fat, carbohydrates and other nutritions. In addition you have to exercise on a regular basis. Then your success is guaranteed!
Myth #2: Pills can help you lose weight.
Reality: Our market is just flooded with so many different pills that promise to help you lose weight fast and easy without any diet changes. How do you choose the right one for you?
The answer is simple. You don't. Next time you'll see another commercial about how Gina lost 40 pounds in two months just switch your TV to a different channel. There is no pill created that will do all these things. It's a big, fat scam and you'll be a fool to fall for it.
First of all, a rapid weight loss is:
a) unhealthy
b) quickly regained back along with a few extra pounds
Second, your fat won't melt away if you eat fast food every day and drink a lot of soda.
If a particular company promises you that their pill will block all the absorbtion of fat, calories or carbs, it's a fraud, because:
a) it is very unhealthy to block any of vital processes in your body
b) there is no non-prescription drug that can do that.
And my personal favorite claim "Lose weight in your sleep without any exercises".
Have you ever noticed, how people, who advertise it normally have a lean, toned bodies with a six pack showing? I believe they got that six pack magically by just popping one pill before going to bed. Sounds ridicules, doesn't it? And still how many people spend their hard-earned money on this stuff?
Don't be one of those people! Commitment to your goal and small changes towards healthy way of life will help you lose weight, not some "magical" pill.
Myth #3: You have to look at the scale to check if you've lost any weight.
Reality: Yes, it sounds logical. But, unfortunately, there is a huge difference between "lost weight" and "lost fat".
If it was up to me, I would put all the home scales straight into the garbage can. Believe me, scales are deceptive evil.
Let me explain you why. For example, Nora has been doing one of the fad diets and scale is showing that she lost 16 pounds in two weeks. She is happy. The only problem is that she didn't lose any fat. She lost water and muscle. As a result her body is dehydrated. She feels tired and fatigue. Her skin looks saggy and she is constantly fighting her food cravings. After Nora will get back to her normal diet, she'll quickly gain all that weight back plus a few extra pounds as a bonus.
Now let's look at the different example. Robin has been eating frequently, but just a little bit at a time. She cut back on coffee and stayed away from cakes and sodas while exercising three times a week. Her clothes feels loser. She is full if energy. Even her friends tell her that she looks better. And then she steps on the scale. "Oh my God!" She haven't lost any weight, she even gained a little! How could it be?!
What happened in reality is that Robin not only lost fat, she gained muscle instead. Since fat is lighter than muscle, the scale is showing that Robin gained weight. Do you understand the concept? It's not your weight that matters, it's how you feel, how many inches you've lost in your waist and how you look.
So my advice to you is to put your home scale in your closet and forget about it.
Keep eating healthy, avoiding any processed foods and products that are made with enriched flour (like bread or biscuits). Drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. After 6 months get your scale out of the closet and check your weight.
I know it can be hard not to check your weight for so long. One of my close friends became what I call a scale-addict. She gets up in the morning and runs straight to the scale to check her weight. She comes back from the gym and goes to the scale again. It's like her life is revolving around the reading of the home scale. Scary, isn't it?
I know that most of us curious and impatient by nature. We all want to see immediate results, but aren't good things worth waiting for?
Myth #4: To lose weight just skip one meal a day.
Reality: Some of the fad diets suggest skipping one meal a day to lose weight. By skipping one meal you are cutting your calories Makes sense, doesn't it?
Sure it does. After you'll get accustomed to it, make it one meal a day. And then no food at all. Just think about it, you'll cut about 2000 calories a day. Great, right?
Not so great any more? Let's see what happens, when you skip a meal.
Your body is used to eating three meals a day. It is expecting and counting on all of them. It is so exited, it starts getting ready to process that meal, but no food is coming. Your body goes to a "starvation mode".
As a result metabolism slows down and your body will try to burn muscle instead of fat. When you'll eat something later, most of it your body will store as fat to get ready to another "starvation mode" you might threw at it.
So instead of cutting your diet down to two meals a day, make it 3 to 5 smaller meals. That way your metabolism increases. Your body thinks "Finally good times. I won't need that extra fat for now!" and you lose weight.
One more thing! It is also very important to eat at the same time of day. Don't keep your body guessing when you are going to feed it again.
Myth #5: Energy bars and drinks are a good way to boost energy.
Reality: Supermarket stores are just loaded with a huge variety of energy bars and energy drinks. Most of them claim to boost your energy level while being "healthy" and contain 0 calories, 0 carbs or 0 fats.
I used to buy ginseng and agave energy drinks all the time until I've learned more about how our body actually works.
Your body can create energy only from carbohydrates, proteins or fats. No exceptions. Other nutritions like B12, B6 vitamins or iron help your body to use energy, but never create it. Then why do we feel energized after we consume caffeine, ephedra, ginseng, guarana, ma hang, xenedrine and so on?
All these things are actually stimulants. They affect your heart rate, making it beat faster As a result your brain gets more oxygen and you feel like you have more energy. How is it bad?
Well, for one thing when the effect wears off, you will feel more tired than you felt before. Which leads you to have some more of that delicious "magic" energy boosting drink again...and so the cycle continues. Congratulations, you are officially hooked!
Another thing that makes me want roll my eyes is when an energy bar or energy drink contains 0 calories. Let me explain why. A calorie is a measure of energy your body is able to get from food. If amount of calories is big zero, your body will get zero energy. If no energy is received, how can you get more energized?
Bottom line is that real energy means calories. Product containing 0 calories that claims to give you more energy is a scam.
