Dieting Myths Exposed
Lose The Weight, And The Myths
Dieting is as part of our modern culture as fast food. We all try it at some point. What most people forget about a diet, however, is that medically, a diet is the food/A we eat every day. It's what makes up our routine. It's not a temporary fix to a problem of being overweight. That's why attempts to drop pounds lead to yo-yo weight loss and gain. By starting a diet we can't maintain, we're sentencing ourselves to a constant struggle. So what diet advice do we take, and what do we avoid? Here are some common dieting myths.
Drinking plenty of water will help you lose weight.
Sure, drinking water won't hurt you, but it won't do anything for your waistline. It's recommended that you drink half your body weight in oz. of water a day. For example, someone who weighs 150lbs should drink 75 oz. of liquid a day. Things like tea, coffee, fruits, and water rich veggies also count toward this total. But will it make you lose weight? Absolutely not. You need the water to aid in digestion, but it won't make you feel full, or burn off the weight any faster. In fact, you'll probably see a few lbs. of water weight gain if you over hydrate.
Eat foods with low calorie counts.
While it's true that a calorie is a calorie, sometimes you need to look past just the number of calories per serving. What's the fat content? Are all the calories in this derived from fat? How much sodium is being used? A bag of potato chips has the same number of calories as a piece of quiche…which one do you think is better for you? Avoid empty calories, and don't overload on sodium.
Lose weight fast with X diet!
You shouldn't be losing more than about 2lbs. a week, unless you're doing something extreme. Yes, it's tedious, but if you're losing any more than that, you've stepped into the realm of unhealthy dieting. Any diet that promises to help you shed 10 lbs in a week is not being very realistic, and it's a good way to get on the path of frustration and binging when it doesn't work.
Cut out the carbs!
Many fad diets will have people cutting out a food group entirely as a way to lose weight. This just isn't a good idea. When your body lacks a certain type of nutrient, that's when cravings kick in. Carbs are essentially sugars, so if you ditch all the bread, you may notice a sudden driving need for sugary things like soda, or cake. Your best bet is to stick with whole grains, and fiber rich carbs, instead of cutting them out entirely. Never go with any diet that advocates putting things you love off limits, either. It'll only make you miserable, and the rebound when you quit the diet will likely be extreme.
