Myths From The Weight Loss Hawks

Myth: You will do fine with a high protein/low-carb diet

Fact: This kind of diet looks to get most of the daily
required amount of calories from protein foods, such as
dairy products and meats, and a very small portion taken
from foods that have a lot of carbs, i.e. potatoes, fruits,
pasta, and bread. The main problem with this kind of diet
is that many of the most common foods that people like to
eat are excluded, which makes it easy for this kind of
dieter to get bored or frustrated. When boredom and
frustration take their toll, the end of the diet is usually
close behind. Another problem with this diet is that the
carbohydrates recommended usually lack in essential
nutrients, while advocating that the dieter eat cheese and
bacon which will raise cholesterol levels.

What it all comes down to is that high protein/low-carb
diets result in fast weight loss in some people, but it
isn't just fat that is lost. People lose some of their lean
muscle mass as well, and a lot of water, as the kidneys now
need to work harder to excrete the extra waste that is
coming in from fat and protein. The stress added to your
kidneys is not healthy at all and, in the long run, leads
to dehydration, headaches, feelings of dizziness and
nausea. Before starting a long-term diet, you would do well
to discuss it with your doctor. If you are really set on
dieting, try a balanced diet first, because it will help
you lose weight without hurting your bodily systems.

Myth: Permanent weight loss can be achieved with fad diets.

Fact: This is another common myth among the weight loss
hawks. Like any other diet that tells you to cut this or
that from your daily meals, fad diets are not healthy for
you. The cornerstone of any diet is getting the body
supplied with all the calories, proteins, and minerals it
needs. Diets that cut out foods without regard for your
body's needs cannot be healthy for you. Fad diets fail to
deliver on the promise of permanent weight loss because
people will always crave the foods they are not supposed to
be eating and will always end up breaking the rules and the
diet itself.

The key to making weight loss permanent is more exercise
and avoiding food that makes you fat without nourishing
your body. It has been confirmed through extensive studies
about the importance of exercise and a well-balanced diet.

Myth: Low-fat or fat-free food is always a good choice.

Fact: The only low fat foods that are also low in calories
are fruits. The rest of the huge low-fat or non-fat group
are not a safe choice if you are dieting. These products
may have added sugar, starch or flour to make them taste
better, which means extra calories that do not belong into
your diet. So make sure you carefully check the list of
ingredients on packages whenever you decide to buy low-fat
or fat-free products.

Myth: Switching to vegetarian foods will help you lose
weight and stay healthy.

Fact: I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but no food
plan will work for you unless you take charge of your
eating and make sure that everything that goes down your
throat is the right kind of food. The key here is to be
absolutely sure that the vegetarian diet will give your
body all the nutrients and calories it needs. Eating loads
of foods that do nothing for you from a nutritional
perspective, outside of filling your stomach maybe, can
bring you a lot of trouble down the road.

Since plants tend to have a lower concentration of
nutrients than meat, you will have to eat more food than
before to make up for this difference. Not to mention that
a strictly vegetarian diet will not get you enough vitamin
B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium and zinc. These vitamins and
minerals are taken mostly from dairy products and eggs in a
regular diet, but true vegetarians can't touch those.
You'll have to rely on the few and uncommon vegetables that
can provide these substances.

Myth: Dairy products make you fat and cause heart problems.

Fact: Thanks to modern medicine, everybody knows that
eating a lot of dairy products is a surefire path to high
blood pressure and stroke, although a large group of French
people refuse to die, despite the large quantities of
cheese and wine they consume.

Dairy products are the main source of calcium that keeps
your bones strong and healthy. It is absolutely critical
for children and can not at all be overlooked by adults.
Dairy products also contain vitamin D, which is crucial to
maintaining the normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in
your bloodstream.

If you want to avoid gaining weight from dairy products,
choose low-fat or non-fat brands. There are enough of those
around. If you are lactose-intolerant, drink soy or rice
milk and eat lactose-free cheeses. Soy milk does not taste
exactly the same as regular milk, but it's still good and
nutritious. The fat-free and lactose-free cheese taste will
probably go unnoticed, or atleast eventually, since you are
usally eating it with something else anyway.

Butter and margarine are the only dairy products you should
worry about. These absolutely have large levels of fat,
saturated and trans fat included. Still, if you must eat
these, at the very least, choose the butter over the
margarine. Margarine is an over-processed fat that is not
at all good for you. Butter may be somewhat fattier in
content, but it's definitely the healthier of the two.

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