WEIGHT LOSS AND DIET MYTHS REVEALED

Unfortunately for dieters, most information about a healthy diet is misguided and flawed. There are hundreds of diet myths that have been found to be untrue and counterproductive in your quest to lose weight. Some of the most common diet m

yths include the following:

Fats are bad: The common belief of most dieters is that consuming fat means you will store more fat. The truth is fats play an important role in helping you lose weight and have numerous benefits as well.

First, fats are an easy source of energy for your body. Next to carbs, fats are the second easiest compounds that your body can convert into usable energy to burn off. Second, healthy fats found in nuts and fish actually have numerous heart benefits and can help reduce the risk of heart disease and arthritis.

Fat-Free or Sugar-Free is better: Food companies have long been preying on dieters by promoting “fat-free” or “sugar-free” products. In reality, these products are often worse than the regular versions that contain the fat or sugar.

The reason for this is because food companies often replace the fat or sugar with artificial chemicals or the other compound. In other words, the fats in a fat-free product are replaced with sugar and vice versa. So when it all comes down to it, the product is in no way healthier for you and the artificial chemicals and sweeteners often have a negative effect on your weight anyways. The bottom line is to eat in moderation. A little fat or sugar is not going to ruin your diet.

Eating late at night causes weight gains: The common thought is that your body stores more calories as fat that you consume later at night. The truth is calories cannot tell time and eating late at night does not play a role in weight gains in any way, at least in itself.

The only reason this myth is even a common belief is because of what people eat late at night. Humans tend to eat unhealthy snack foods late at night because they do not have the desire to cook a healthy meal or make a healthy snack. Instead, we grab the chips or pretzels, which is why we see the weight gains. Bottom line: if you have to eat late at night, eat a healthy snack.

A low carbohydrate diet is the best way to lose weight: Carbohydrates found in breads, pastas, and other starches are the body’s primary source of fuel. A low carbohydrate diet reduces this excellent source of fuel, which means your body may start burning away muscle instead of fat.

Muscles help burn fat faster, so unfortunately this can have a negative effect on your weight loss. Plus, carbohydrates are found in whole grains and vegetables, which are two primary types of foods you should eat to lose weight. Therefore, a low carbohydrate diet should not be a long-term solution for weight loss and eating a healthy diet consisting of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats is the most effective diet.

These are just a few of the many diet myths that you may have heard before or believed. There is no substitute for a healthy diet as consisting of lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats as we mentioned above. If you stick to this principle of dieting and exercise a few times a week, you will lose weight and will keep it off in the long-term, which is your ultimate goal.