Many people think that diet is the best way to lose weight. They adopt diet regiments that are passed around to be good and effective in making you lose weight. But wait! Many of these diet data have been proven to be wrong.
Here are some misconceptions many people have about dieting. Only the excess carbohydrate is converted into bad fat. And even if it is converted to body fat, it will just be stored energy that can be dissolved by using up that energy.
- Eliminate all carbohydrates. Many diet and weigh loss programs concentrate on elimination of all carbohydrates. The theory is that the key to losing weight is avoiding all sources of carbohydrates. Thus, we are asked to stay away from all carbohydrates-high food such as pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. This is wrong. Carbohydrates are our bodies’ preferred energy source. Only the excess carbohydrate is converted into body fat. And even if it is converted to body fat, it will just be stored energy that can be dissolved by using up that energy. You will only gain weight if you eat more energy than what is needed by your body.
- You should not eat desserts because it is fattening. Wrong. The key to a good diet is a balanced diet. That means the right amount of food from all food groups. You can actually eat anything as long as you control your total intake of calories. Denying yourself the foods you like can actually lead to bad things. It can make you feel deprived and will not want to continue dieting anymore.
- Do not drink while eating because it is fattening. This is founded upon the misconception that the digestive juices and enzymes in your stomach will be diluted by the water and will thus not allow you to digest the food properly and will result to the food being transformed to body fat. This is wrong. Drinking while eating may actually aid in digestion. Also, it can help you have the feeling of being full and will make you eat less.
- It is necessary to lose a lot of weight. Yes, losing a lot of weight is good but you should not go beyond your ideal body fat. Also, large amounts of lost weight are not always necessarily good. Small, sustained improvements are better and have the biggest impact on your health.
- The most important thing is to control what you eat. No. What matter is how much of this you eat. Remember that it is not the type of food you eat but the total calorie intake you have, along with carbohydrates and others. It is how much you eat that you must control.
- You should only eat fruits for breakfast. Wherever this idea came from, it is wrong. There is no concrete study showing that eating only fruits for breakfast has actual health and weight loss benefits. In fact, it may even give you the result, which is opposite that which you expected. After not eating for one whole night because of being asleep, our body needs to supply more energy through food. This is one reason why breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. Fruits alone will not be able to provide our body with the needed energy to last us all day. Fruits provide fiber and vitamins, which are also needed by the body, but most of them are not good sources of carbohydrates that provide energy.
- You can eat whatever you want in whatever amount if you work out. This is wrong. Diet and exercise must always go together to have a healthy and effective weight loss regime. You might be losing fat and weight through exercise but you can regain them again by eating more than you need to. And if you gain more fat by eating than you lose by exercising, then you will gain more weight instead of losing it.
- Some food can help you lose weight if you eat them. They say that food such as grapefruit or kelp can burn off body fat. This is not true. There is no evidence that such food actually has the effect of fat-burning that many people attribute to them
These 8 diet rules are myths. If you believe any of them, then it is time to correct your mindset. To be sure, before going on a diet, consult a dietician or any expert to make sure that your diet regime is healthy, effective and free from the many misconceptions that are spreading around. Another question people often ask is, can chiropractors help them with their weight issues? I have covered this topic earlier. Enjoy!