5 diet myths
Confuzzled4ever
Posts: 2,860 Member
It’s one thing to feel disappointed that you’re lugging around a few extra pounds when you know you've been a little lax with your eating or exercise. But religiously following diet rules and not making progress (or, worse yet, gaining weight) is infuriating and depressing. If you’re watching your weight and not getting any closer to your goal, look closely at the weight-loss principles you’re following. It could be that diet myths are causing you to pack on pounds.
Myth #1: As long as you’re eating healthy foods, calories don’t matter.
Truth: Not necessarily. Whole-wheat pasta (or bread or, um, pie crust) has just as many calories as “regular.” Same goes for brown and white rice. Avocados, nuts and olive oil deliver heart-healthy fats—and significant calories. Red wine and dark chocolate are full of antioxidants, but if you indulge every day without accounting for their calories, you’re likely to gain weight. Upshot: Pay close attention to calorie counts of all foods (OK, maybe not plain steamed broccoli) so that “health halos” don’t lead your eating astray.
Myth #2: You can lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. Truth: You probably can lose 10 pounds in two weeks if you crash-diet, but that pace is rarely sustainable—and most of the weight will return once you start eating normally. To truly lose 1 pound, you need to “eliminate” 3,500 calories—the amount stored in a pound of fat—by eating less and moving more. If you cut 500 calories (or cut 300 and burn 200 through exercise) every single day of the week, you’ll lose about a pound a week. And that’s real weight loss.
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Truth: Consider this: eat two medium cookies and you’ll take in about 400 calories. But to burn 400 calories, the average person needs to run or walk 4 miles. So essentially, “a moment on the lips” can mean an hour or more on the treadmill. Bottom line: Unless you’re working out like an Olympic athlete, to lose weight you’ll still need to keep an eye on how many calories you’re eating. Keep your calorie intake in check with these 7 Ways to Cut 100 Calories.
Myth #4: It’s better to eat lots of mini meals rather than eating fewer, larger meals.
Truth: There’s a kernel of truth in this myth, as EatingWell contributing editor Joyce Hendley reported in The 13 Biggest Diet and Food Myths Busted. Our metabolisms rev up slightly each time we eat, as our bodies process what we’ve consumed. So by having many mini meals instead of fewer, larger ones, we shift our metabolism into a higher gear more often—and burn a few more calories. But “the calorie difference is so small it doesn’t add up to a hill of beans,” says Dr. John Foreyt, director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. And for some people, eating more often may mean eating more, period.
Myth #5: It’s always a good idea to go with the salad.
Truth: “Salads trip up many of my clients,” Anne Daly, R.D., director of nutrition and diabetes education at the Springfield Diabetes & Endocrine Center in Springfield, Illinois, told EatingWell’s advisor Dr. Johnson. Most of us could use more vegetables—so what’s not to love? In a word, toppings. The pecans and Gorgonzola cheese on Panera Bread’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (580 calories, 30 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat), for instance, propel it into double-cheeseburger territory. A McDonald’s double cheeseburger has 440 calories, 23 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat.
Myth #1: As long as you’re eating healthy foods, calories don’t matter.
Truth: Not necessarily. Whole-wheat pasta (or bread or, um, pie crust) has just as many calories as “regular.” Same goes for brown and white rice. Avocados, nuts and olive oil deliver heart-healthy fats—and significant calories. Red wine and dark chocolate are full of antioxidants, but if you indulge every day without accounting for their calories, you’re likely to gain weight. Upshot: Pay close attention to calorie counts of all foods (OK, maybe not plain steamed broccoli) so that “health halos” don’t lead your eating astray.
Myth #2: You can lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. Truth: You probably can lose 10 pounds in two weeks if you crash-diet, but that pace is rarely sustainable—and most of the weight will return once you start eating normally. To truly lose 1 pound, you need to “eliminate” 3,500 calories—the amount stored in a pound of fat—by eating less and moving more. If you cut 500 calories (or cut 300 and burn 200 through exercise) every single day of the week, you’ll lose about a pound a week. And that’s real weight loss.
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Truth: Consider this: eat two medium cookies and you’ll take in about 400 calories. But to burn 400 calories, the average person needs to run or walk 4 miles. So essentially, “a moment on the lips” can mean an hour or more on the treadmill. Bottom line: Unless you’re working out like an Olympic athlete, to lose weight you’ll still need to keep an eye on how many calories you’re eating. Keep your calorie intake in check with these 7 Ways to Cut 100 Calories.
Myth #4: It’s better to eat lots of mini meals rather than eating fewer, larger meals.
Truth: There’s a kernel of truth in this myth, as EatingWell contributing editor Joyce Hendley reported in The 13 Biggest Diet and Food Myths Busted. Our metabolisms rev up slightly each time we eat, as our bodies process what we’ve consumed. So by having many mini meals instead of fewer, larger ones, we shift our metabolism into a higher gear more often—and burn a few more calories. But “the calorie difference is so small it doesn’t add up to a hill of beans,” says Dr. John Foreyt, director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. And for some people, eating more often may mean eating more, period.
Myth #5: It’s always a good idea to go with the salad.
Truth: “Salads trip up many of my clients,” Anne Daly, R.D., director of nutrition and diabetes education at the Springfield Diabetes & Endocrine Center in Springfield, Illinois, told EatingWell’s advisor Dr. Johnson. Most of us could use more vegetables—so what’s not to love? In a word, toppings. The pecans and Gorgonzola cheese on Panera Bread’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (580 calories, 30 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat), for instance, propel it into double-cheeseburger territory. A McDonald’s double cheeseburger has 440 calories, 23 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat.
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Replies
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I'm surprised anyone actually believes any of these "Myths" It's all pretty much common sense.0
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thanks for sharing0
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Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Whether or not this is a "myth" would totally depend on how much you want to eat, because it's not as if every person wants to eat the same amount.0 -
Oh yes people don't just believe it. They teach it. I have heard and been told all of them. Just yesterday the group I play ultimate frisbee with said "why aren't' you coming with us for ice cream? You just exercised!" Not saying ice cream is bad (not getting into that debate) just saying people believe this stuff. And I believed the whole salad myth before I really started watching calories. I remember going to outback and getting this salad that had blue cheese and pecans and all kind of yumminess on it. The salad was more calories then the rest of my dinner combined! I was shocked! The salad wasn't unhealthy.. it was just high calorie when I thought I was eating something low-calorie.
Common sense isn't as common as you'd think either. So many people just restrict their intake until they do the quick drop and then go right back to their bad eating habits.Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Whether or not this is a "myth" would totally depend on how much you want to eat, because it's not as if every person wants to eat the same amount.
I would assume it means exactly what it says. The whole " yes i can eat that third slice of pizza because i did 20 minutes of exercise today mentality. I would think a lot of people, who are not already watching their calories and who do not understand nutrition, which is a lot of people, would absolutely believe this and eat like they used to an then wonder why they don't lose weight like they want too and/or are unable to keep it off.0 -
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Whether or not this is a "myth" would totally depend on how much you want to eat, because it's not as if every person wants to eat the same amount.
I would assume it means exactly what it says. The whole " yes i can eat that third slice of pizza because i did 20 minutes of exercise today mentality. I would think a lot of people, who are not already watching their calories and who do not understand nutrition, which is a lot of people, would absolutely believe this and eat like they used to an then wonder why they don't lose weight like they want too and/or are unable to keep it off.
But it still comes down to what you want to eat, or what you were eating before. With exercise I CAN eat anything I want. I didn't change my diet much at all when I decided to lose weight. All I did was start exercising again and the weight fell right off. It took me almost 6 years to become 30 lbs overweight. I just needed to burn a little more each day.
So, for some of us, this is not a myth at all. The phrase "eat all you want" is always dependent on who "you" is.0 -
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Whether or not this is a "myth" would totally depend on how much you want to eat, because it's not as if every person wants to eat the same amount.
I would assume it means exactly what it says. The whole " yes i can eat that third slice of pizza because i did 20 minutes of exercise today mentality. I would think a lot of people, who are not already watching their calories and who do not understand nutrition, which is a lot of people, would absolutely believe this and eat like they used to an then wonder why they don't lose weight like they want too and/or are unable to keep it off.
But it still comes down to what you want to eat, or what you were eating before. With exercise I CAN eat anything I want. I didn't change my diet much at all when I decided to lose weight. All I did was start exercising again and the weight fell right off. It took me almost 6 years to become 30 lbs overweight. I just needed to burn a little more each day.
So, for some of us, this is not a myth at all. The phrase "eat all you want" is always dependent on who "you" is.
Eating all you want is not the same as eating anything you want. Evidenced by the increasing obesity epidemic, people do not know when to stop. 5th time through the buffet? (ever been to golden corral??? lol) Why yes please! And we're not talking just a few things on a plate. I certainly cannot eat as much I want simply because I exercise. I have learned to listen to my body and not stuff it, but it seems that is no longer an innate power that people just possess. Lots people seem to have to fight the urge to eat the entire plate full, simply because it is there. Guilty as charged, well I used to be. Now leftovers are becoming my best friend. (all that yumminess two days in a row?? AWESOME!) King sized candy bar?? Heck yes and all in 5 minutes and it's gone. One of those will now last me 3 or 4 days. Sometimes longer. That's the difference. Their not saying it's the foods you choose to eat, rather the quantity. And exercising does not change that fact. Sure you can eat more if you exercise then if you do not, but i just walked for 20 minutes and it bought me only 100 calories. Not even a candy bar.. or 1 trip through the buffet. sigh. That's what they mean. You can't eat as much as you want even if you exercise.
Unless it's lettuce or celery. You could probably eat that by the truck load and still lose weight . :drinker:
Perhaps you are a person who can moderate portions fairly easy and do so without much thought or effort. That is not easy for a vast amount of people.0 -
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Whether or not this is a "myth" would totally depend on how much you want to eat, because it's not as if every person wants to eat the same amount.
I would assume it means exactly what it says. The whole " yes i can eat that third slice of pizza because i did 20 minutes of exercise today mentality. I would think a lot of people, who are not already watching their calories and who do not understand nutrition, which is a lot of people, would absolutely believe this and eat like they used to an then wonder why they don't lose weight like they want too and/or are unable to keep it off.
But it still comes down to what you want to eat, or what you were eating before. With exercise I CAN eat anything I want. I didn't change my diet much at all when I decided to lose weight. All I did was start exercising again and the weight fell right off. It took me almost 6 years to become 30 lbs overweight. I just needed to burn a little more each day.
So, for some of us, this is not a myth at all. The phrase "eat all you want" is always dependent on who "you" is.
Eating all you want is not the same as eating anything you want. Evidenced by the increasing obesity epidemic, people do not know when to stop. 5th time through the buffet? (ever been to golden corral??? lol) Why yes please! And we're not talking just a few things on a plate. I certainly cannot eat as much I want simply because I exercise. I have learned to listen to my body and not stuff it, but it seems that is no longer an innate power that people just possess. Lots people seem to have to fight the urge to eat the entire plate full, simply because it is there. Guilty as charged, well I used to be. Now leftovers are becoming my best friend. (all that yumminess two days in a row?? AWESOME!) King sized candy bar?? Heck yes and all in 5 minutes and it's gone. One of those will now last me 3 or 4 days. Sometimes longer. That's the difference. Their not saying it's the foods you choose to eat, rather the quantity. And exercising does not change that fact. Sure you can eat more if you exercise then if you do not, but i just walked for 20 minutes and it bought me only 100 calories. Not even a candy bar.. or 1 trip through the buffet. sigh. That's what they mean. You can't eat as much as you want even if you exercise.
Unless it's lettuce or celery. You could probably eat that by the truck load and still lose weight . :drinker:
Perhaps you are a person who can moderate portions fairly easy and do so without much thought or effort. That is not easy for a vast amount of people.
Assuming that it's an average truck that can carry 1000 pounds, 1000 lbs of celery would be 68,000 calories and 1000 lbs of lettuce would be 63,000 calories.
So you could not eat a truck load of celery or lettuce and lose weight.
Semantics and science!0 -
Apparently the myth that saturated fat is bad for you is still alive and well upon reading that article.0
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congratulations on your weight loss.0
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Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Whether or not this is a "myth" would totally depend on how much you want to eat, because it's not as if every person wants to eat the same amount.
I would assume it means exactly what it says. The whole " yes i can eat that third slice of pizza because i did 20 minutes of exercise today mentality. I would think a lot of people, who are not already watching their calories and who do not understand nutrition, which is a lot of people, would absolutely believe this and eat like they used to an then wonder why they don't lose weight like they want too and/or are unable to keep it off.
But it still comes down to what you want to eat, or what you were eating before. With exercise I CAN eat anything I want. I didn't change my diet much at all when I decided to lose weight. All I did was start exercising again and the weight fell right off. It took me almost 6 years to become 30 lbs overweight. I just needed to burn a little more each day.
So, for some of us, this is not a myth at all. The phrase "eat all you want" is always dependent on who "you" is.
Eating all you want is not the same as eating anything you want. Evidenced by the increasing obesity epidemic, people do not know when to stop. 5th time through the buffet? (ever been to golden corral??? lol) Why yes please! And we're not talking just a few things on a plate. I certainly cannot eat as much I want simply because I exercise. I have learned to listen to my body and not stuff it, but it seems that is no longer an innate power that people just possess. Lots people seem to have to fight the urge to eat the entire plate full, simply because it is there. Guilty as charged, well I used to be. Now leftovers are becoming my best friend. (all that yumminess two days in a row?? AWESOME!) King sized candy bar?? Heck yes and all in 5 minutes and it's gone. One of those will now last me 3 or 4 days. Sometimes longer. That's the difference. Their not saying it's the foods you choose to eat, rather the quantity. And exercising does not change that fact. Sure you can eat more if you exercise then if you do not, but i just walked for 20 minutes and it bought me only 100 calories. Not even a candy bar.. or 1 trip through the buffet. sigh. That's what they mean. You can't eat as much as you want even if you exercise.
Unless it's lettuce or celery. You could probably eat that by the truck load and still lose weight . :drinker:
Perhaps you are a person who can moderate portions fairly easy and do so without much thought or effort. That is not easy for a vast amount of people.
Assuming that it's an average truck that can carry 1000 pounds, 1000 lbs of celery would be 68,000 calories and 1000 lbs of lettuce would be 63,000 calories.
So you could not eat a truck load of celery or lettuce and lose weight.
Semantics and science!
What about the calories burned while chewing?? I'm sure you'd get full way before even halfway through a truck load. :smokin: :drinker: :bigsmile: and I though there were 64 calories in a pound.. that would make it 64,000 calories.0 -
congratulations on your weight loss.
Is this directed at me?? Thank you!
:flowerforyou: :drinker: 0 -
Myth #5's salad example sounds YUMMY! If it's low carb and has low carb chicken, I would inhale that *kitten*!0
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