7 Common Myths of Healthy Weight Loss

Our ideas about healthy weight loss can sometimes be erroneous. Check if you have the following misconceptions!

MYTH 1: Skipping meals will help cut down some calories.

FACT: The body goes into 'starvation mode' when meals are skipped, decreasing the body's metabolic rate. The body tries to hold on to the calories and becomes more efficient in storing what we eat as fat. In fact studies have shown that those who eat fewer times over the course of the day are often heavier than people who eat breakfast and four or five small healthy meals each day.

MYTH 2: Refrain from snacking between meals.

FACT: Snacking is not the issue, it is what you snack on. Choose healthier alternatives like fresh fruit or nuts instead of candies, chips and chocolates. By definition, a snack is a "quick, light meal". But I guess, with the copious amounts of sugar, fats, and salt commonly found in the snacks today, many of us have naturally associated snacks with junk food.

MYTH 3: No food should be consumed after 8pm.

FACT: What you eat and how much physical activity you do during the day is more critical than when you eat. No matter what time of the day or night you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat. Interestingly, in the Mediterranean, very few people are overweight even though dinners are taken very late. The Hibernation Diet theory believes it's important to go to bed with a fuelled liver and activate fat burning biology.

MYTH 4: There's no need to exercise if the daily amount of calories is being watched and counted.

FACT: Exercise works on our basal metabolic rate, so the more you exercise, the higher our metabolic rate. It's an important part of any healthy weight loss management programme. Strengthening of the heart muscle, enhancing the bone tissues are some of the many health benefits of exercise.

MYTH 5: Abstain from dairy products like milk and cheese as they are fattening.

FACT: Dairy products contain nutrients that nourish the body and provide protein and calcium for building muscles and strengthening bones. Choose low-fat dairy products that are lower in calories. And also remember that our bodies do need a certain amount of fat to function properly.

MYTH 6: Stop eating desserts.

FACT: It is not necessary to eliminate all sweet stuff in your diet. Have your sweets in small portions and choose desserts which also contain natural sweeteners, valuable vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting chemicals over those that offer pure empty calories.

MYTH 7: Sleep less so that more calories can be burnt while staying up late at night.

FACT: Research shows lack of sleep retards our body ability to perform metabolic functions such as breaking down carbohydrates and producing hormones. The body's fat cells secrete less of the "appetite control" hormone leptin, sending an erroneous signal from the brain that more food is needed when, in fact, enough food has been eaten.

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