Five Healthy Weight-loss Myths & Why You Shouldn't Believe Them

The constantly changing advice and myths surrounding how to lose weight are overwhelming and confusing. Bad advice seems to persist, even without sound scientific evidence backing it up. And therein lies part of the issue. Understanding the dynamics of body weight --- especially in light of constantly changing available foods and dietary habits --- evolves over time. Moreover, there are so many individual dynamics involved, like your metabolism rate and complicating health issues. Hold up any weight-loss claim to scrutiny. If a diet plan, for example, promises physically impossible weight-loss results, a diet supplement makes claims that have not been evaluated by public health authority or a purported health specialist tells you that you can lose weight with no effort, eating whatever you want, take them with a grain of salt.

Fat In, Fat Out

You may have heard that eating fat will make you fat. You have certainly seen walls of products in the supermarket that have modified fat content, and for decades "low-fat" was a mantra in nutritional advice. Harvard School of Public Health says in the short term, following a low-fat diet can lead to weight loss, just like a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet or a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can lead to weight loss. In most cases, dieting involves reducing calories, which is the major reason for weight loss. In reality, fat is not your biggest enemy. A little bit of fat makes some foods taste better and it provides a little body to foods, making them more satisfying. Moreover, your body needs a little fat. It helps you absorb some vitamins and nutrients. Some fats are good for you, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in olive, canola and safflower oils. Continue to limit saturated fats from meat and dairy and trans fats found in packaged foods and margarines. They can increase your bad cholesterol. Trans fats can lower good cholesterol.

Low-Fat Labels

The marketing claims on the front of food packages promise to help you with your weight-loss efforts by offering you lower fat or lower carbohydrate content. In addition, diet sodas offer the promise of the bubbly taste you love without the sugar you can't have. The truth is low-fat and low-carb doesn't always mean low calorie. Worse, you may eat extra portions of foods with these labels. A November 2006 study published in the "Journal of Marketing Research" says food intake increases by up to 50 percent in a single sitting when consuming snacks labeled as low fat. In addition, most people broaden their opinion of what's considered a healthy portion with low-fat labeled food. Overweight people tend to consume more food at all sittings when they've eaten low-fat foods. Perhaps unconsciously, substituting low-fat or low-carb foods may give you license to splurge more later. Sodas, too, because they're less satiating, can make you eat more.

Eat Late, Gain Weight

A pervasive myth is that if you eat too close to bedtime, you'll gain weight. The theory goes that your body burns more calories during the day when you're awake, while late-night calories just sit in your tummy, promoting fat gain. Although eating a large meal late at night may cause problems, you need not worry about excessive weight gain being one of them. Calories can't tell time. The Weight-control Information Network says it doesn't matter what time you eat. What matters is what you eat and how much you eat. Moreover, your body will always store some extra calories as fat. That's what it is supposed to do. If you're hungry, a little "maintenance food" close to bedtime won't hurt you says fitness expert John Hussman. But night eating may be a sign that you are not eating enough during the day. Hussman says you should try to keep your calories stable throughout the day to maintain a constant nutrient stream and stable blood sugar, which will prevent sudden hungriness and cravings late at night.

Lifting Weight Adds Bulk and Weight

Some people think lifting weights will make the scale go up because they'll be packing on additional muscle. You may have heard the advice that you should use cardio to get fat off your body and then begin weight training. But regular muscle-strengthening activities can help you control your weight and burn fat, according to WIN. Muscles are metabolically active and help burn more calories beyond what you expend during your workout. Bulking up requires intense strength training along with a certain genetic profile --- or taking mass-building supplements. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that everyone who can should do some muscle- and bone-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups, two or more days each week.

Resist the Urge to Splurge

Arguably one of the most difficult myths to deal with is that you must ban certain foods from your diet. Indulgent foods are, after all, what caused your weight problem. Following an overly restrictive diet usually backfires, however. Going back and forth between eating that includes treats and one that banishes them activates your stress system and makes you gorge on the bad foods even more. You will be better off learning to balance your personal tastes and moderate your unhealthy eating within the context of an otherwise healthy eating plan. As long as you reduce your overall caloric intake, you will still lose weight. So if you eat that pint of ice cream, account for it by eating fewer calories later on.