Myth: Fad diets promote permanent weight loss.
Many fast weight loss programs (such as Atkin’s Diet, South Beach Diet, Cabbage Soup diet, Detox diet, 7-day diet, among others) have enjoyed a huge following through the years. Although many have succeeded in losing weight (even Hollywood stars do the claiming), many people have gone to the other direction. The fact is, fad diets are not “balanced diets” even if some of them claim to be. It is not recommended to be followed for a long time, perhaps only when you want to reach your ideal weight fast. After that, you can go on having normal meals and maintain the weight with proper exercise.
These diets are so difficult to keep up with, as they require total lifestyle change and utmost discipline. If you’re someone who’s been so used to having rice, bread, pasta, mashed potatoes as main meal, then going for the low-carb diets will really prove to be a looking-for-a-needle-in-the-haystack task. Permanent weight loss is totally out of the picture if you can’t afford to stick with the fad diet in the first place.
Myth: Low-fat or non-fat foods contains no calories.
Almost all food products these days have their non-fat counterparts. But does taking in low-fat food stuff mean that you’re not taking in calories? Think twice. Although not all the time, several processed non-fat or low-fat foods contain calories that are just as much as their full-fat versions. While it is true that manufacturers take out certain amount of fat, they may be adding portions of sugar, starch, flour, and other ingredients to substitute the flavor of lost FAT. As a tip, don’t just rely on the front labels that say “99% less fat” and the like. It is important for you tom always read the Nutrition facts at the back label of every food product that you purchase to actually see their real calorie content.
Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. Skipping meals definitely promotes hunger. It has been proven by studies that people who skip meals on regular mealtime are bound to be heavier than the ones who eat 4 to 5 times a day. Meal skippers tend to eat more portions when they actually eat because they are already very hungry. On the other hand, the ones who eat normally during the day can control their appetite during regular mealtime. Likewise, eating smaller portions more often during the day somehow stimulates metabolism and can therefore also regulate weight loss.