How to Lose Weight for Real - Recognize Diet Myths - Part 1

There a great many myths about Dieting and Weight Loss. Some of these are common sense and some are not-so-common. Following these myths can actually PREVENT Weight Loss! You really Must Read On... (I've also included pictures of delicious healthy foods along with each item to entice you to eat good food. :)

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• An open mind to your health.
• A desire to lose weight.

1. Diet Myth: Calories are bad.
   The Truth: Your body need calories to function. The goal of dieting is to only give your body the calories it needs to survive and thrive. Fat is the storage of excess calories that your body can't use right away.
   Guess what! Calories aren't really a dietary measurement, they're actually a heat-energy measurement. Calories are the energy that our body uses to perform tasks. You can't do anything without burning calories. (Even your heart beating burns calories!)
2. Diet Myth: Skipping meals will help me lose weight
   The Truth: Skipping a meal makes you more likely to overeat later in the day. It will also lower your blood sugar level which sends your body into "conservation mode" making it store more calories as fat.
3. Diet Myth: If I eat during the evening, I'll gain more weight from it.
   The Truth: The time of day that you eat at doesn't have an effect on weight gain, only the amount of calories that you consume. It is best to eat 4-6 small meals during the course of a day to keep a steady and even flow of calories. This method only gives your body the calories that it can burn in a short period, so it doesn't store the excess as fat.
4. Diet Myth: "Healthy" foods help burn fat (eg. - spinach, grapefruit, ...)
   The Truth: Foods don't burn fat. Using calories is the only thing that burns fat. When you exercise, your body uses the calories that it has available to it, some of those come from your fat. Remember? Fat is just stored calories.
5. Diet Myth: Quick weight loss is permanent weight loss.
   The Truth: These are usually just water losses. You're not necessarily burning extra calories! A steady loss of 1-3 pounds per week is the best solution for keeping off the pounds.
6. Diet Myth: I can eat what I want to and still lose weight.
   The Truth: Actually, this one is true! Ha! You can eat whatever you want, BUT you have to use more calories than you take in. So, if you eat a lot of calories, you're really going to have to work out! It's really just a numbers game.
7. Check out Part 2 of this article series for more Myths to Watch Out For!
   
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