Diet Myths? Diet Fact!

Every where you turn these days there is a new diet charging its way to the surface in the sea of fad diets. It’s a fact that fad diets are invading our lives and pulling us in so many different directions that we give up on the drive to reach our finish line. There are so many things to pick from diet pills, workout routines, low-carb, low-fat, and I am sure you can name a few too. Celebrities tell their secret diet tips and people write books with tons of advice. With all the information out there it is a challenge to find the right fit for you.

Not all the advice is bad. Some things that people share may have very well been the light bulb to their own success but that doesn’t mean it will work for Joe public. The problem with weight loss advice is we are making it harder then it really needs to be. There are some diet tips that are a complete myth and knowing the truth about them can possibly be the determining factor that gets you to your finish line.

Myth: Calories do not need to be counted.

Fact: Calories do need to be kept track of. Calories are what put the pounds on.

Calorie counting is extremely important as it can be very easy to underestimate how many you have had. People tend to shrug this part off as a tedious task that isn’t worth the time it takes to count everything up. This thought process couldn’t be further from the truth.

A calorie is just what it is a calorie it doesn’t matter if it is a 400 calorie burger or a 400 calorie salad. At the end of the day what matters most is the calorie count. Now don’t get me wrong and run out and eat 3 burgers and call it a day. See calories found in fatty foods need to be eating in moderation as they are more calorie dense. You want to limit your intake of fat but don’t cut it out all together. Fat provides us a sense of fullness, fat is part of our cell structure, and our body needs it to function.

Myth: Why diet? Just exercise.

Fact: It is a lot more work to burn off a big piece of cake then it is to take a smaller slice.

This one really gets me. I hear so many people say oh I will just walk for 30 extra minutes tonight to work off that cake. Well, let’s say a slice of cake is 500 calories. What that is an hour of walking right easy, huh? No, you would have to walk for 2 hours at a fast pace just to burn 500 calories. So that just touched that one slice of cake so yeah you won’t gain but you won’t lose either. You have to cut calories to lose weight and exercise to tone.

Myth: Do not eat three hours before you go to bed.

Fact: Calories don’t wear watches.

All that matters is the whole calorie count in the day not when you eat them. Now I don’t recommend that you go eat a 5 course meal then head to bed. You can have a snack though and it doesn’t mean you will gain weight from doing so and it is actually good for your metabolism.

Myth: It isn’t good to weigh yourself.

Fact: You have to weigh yourself to track your progress.

In order to truly know if you are headed in the right direction you have to weigh in. It is best to weigh in at least once a week and up to once a day. I wouldn’t suggest weighing in more than once a day. The best way to do this is to weigh yourself when you get up in the morning.

Myth: Don’t eat desserts.

Fact: If you cut out desserts all together you won’t last with your weight loss plan.

You can’t deprive yourself. You have to plan to have small doses of desserts if you don’t you are likely to go over the deep end and overindulge which in result will cause you to consider yourself a failure.

These are just a handful of myths that hold people back on their success with weight loss. It is important to keep it simple otherwise it can be a bumpy road to the finish line. Calories are a key factor to weight loss. Exercise should be a part of your daily life but not used to burn off something you ate. Time is not a factor in when you eat, weigh yourself to keep tabs on your success, and have room in your weight loss plan for desserts.