Weight Loss Myths?

SweatinSammie
SweatinSammie Posts: 126
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I just had a visit with my nutritionist where she cleared some things up for me! From countless tries with Weight Watcher's I thought that saving calories for the weekend, a big meal, or a party was acceptable. She said this is a big NO NO! Any meal that contains more than 600 calories will be converted to fat. I had no idea!

Another myth she helped me with was the 'No eating after 7 rule' or 6, or 8, or whatever. She said the rule of thumb is to have your last snack/meal an hour before you go to sleep! I don't go to bed until 11 so the whole don't eat after a certain time does not work for me. It's such a relief to know that I can have a snack at 9 or 10 and its OKAY!

I would love to hear about some other weight loss myths!

Thanks! Sam :)

Replies

  • Winter0916
    Winter0916 Posts: 80
    Wow! Thanks for the tips!
  • unocentavo
    unocentavo Posts: 82 Member
    Yeah, I even know personal trainers that tell their clients they "save" calories for a big meal and to count your cals for the week, not the day. That is so wrong.

    The "don't eat after 7pm" rule...I read an article not long ago that this was proven false, in which I was glad to hear because I've never followed it,lol. I'm a late night eater and usually never hungry in the morning and afternoon. It makes sense though if you think about it...we're getting ready to fast for basically 8 hours, so a light meal an hour before bedtime would have to help more than hurt.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    Oprah was wrong haha. She always went on about how you shouldn't eat 3 hours before you go to bed, "not even a grape!" But the one hour before going to bed makes more sense and would be much more easier to do.
  • RedneckWmn
    RedneckWmn Posts: 3,202 Member
    Good to know about the 600 calorie meals! Makes sense!
  • MDVOID
    MDVOID Posts: 45 Member
    Here is one more:

    "Myth #6: Cut out desserts
    Fact: Don’t deprive yourself sweets
    Deprivation is the downfall of all diets. You can have a small portion of dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth and still stick to your diet. You just don’t want to eat a large portion, or more! Food is pleasurable for many people. So, treat yourself but don’t overindulge. You can create a diet that lets you eat a sweet once a day or once a week. Dieters who deprive themselves tend to go overboard when they have candy, cake, or cookies. So make a good choice of what you include in your diet. Maybe you can have a small dessert after dinner or lunch."

    via http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/13897378
  • SharonsJetSet
    SharonsJetSet Posts: 159
    great information thanks for sharing
  • SharonsJetSet
    SharonsJetSet Posts: 159
    Here is one more:

    "Myth #6: Cut out desserts
    Fact: Don’t deprive yourself sweets
    Deprivation is the downfall of all diets. You can have a small portion of dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth and still stick to your diet. You just don’t want to eat a large portion, or more! Food is pleasurable for many people. So, treat yourself but don’t overindulge. You can create a diet that lets you eat a sweet once a day or once a week. Dieters who deprive themselves tend to go overboard when they have candy, cake, or cookies. So make a good choice of what you include in your diet. Maybe you can have a small dessert after dinner or lunch."

    via http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/13897378

    This is a proven FACT!! ok maybe not but it is with me. if I deprive myself some small indulgence, I end up shoveling food - not just food but REALLY FATTENING food. If I give into temptation just a little bit (reasonably like not a tone of sugar, fat or calories) then psychologically, emotionally and physically I feel satisfied.

    Thanks for posting this
  • Lindsay7360
    Lindsay7360 Posts: 99
    In case anyone is interested. :)

    http://www.shape.com/weight_loss/diets/eating_to_lose/7_things_you_need_to_know_about_dieting
  • Pendragn
    Pendragn Posts: 15
    I used to be very worried about the no eating after 7 "rule" because my taekwondo classes don't generally get out until 8 or 8:30pm. By the time I get home, shower and change clothes, and make it down to the kitchen to cook dinner, it's well after 9. I'm happy to say that eating that late hasn't slowed my progress at all. Paraphrasing what someone on another site told me, it's far better to eat late after an intense workout than not to work out because you're worried about eating too late.

    As far as other myths, a common one is that all you need to do is count calories. This is a myth because not all calories are created equal for each individual. Knowing your body's protein, carb, and fat needs can help you eat the right combination of calories. If you have an auto-immune disorder (chronic fatigue, thyroid, celiac, etc.), too many carbs can inhibit weight loss even if you're not eating a lot of calories overall. Carbs are important for energy, though, especially if you're exercising while dieting. If you work out a lot, not eating enough protein can inhibit muscle growth, so you won't get the full benefits of all that exercise. Protein also stays in your system for awhile, making you feel full longer. Cutting back on fats is generally good, but not getting enough healthy fat (olive oil, avocado, etc.) can sap your energy and affect your HDL/LDL balance. Also, if you're staying under your calorie goals but eating a lot of processed foods, all the extra sodium in your diet can cause water retention. So if you find that you're still struggling even though you're staying under your calorie limits, try playing with your proportions of macro-nutrients and look at your sodium intake to see if changing those up breaks the plateau.
  • SweatinSammie
    SweatinSammie Posts: 126
    Great feed back and tips guys - it's so helpful!!!
  • Nina74
    Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
    Good to know about the 600 cal meal!!!!

    The other- I always work out later, and eat later, so I generally eat around 8/9 and go to bed around 11.
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    I love my minni snack befor bed. If I go to bed without one I can't sleep for thinking of food. It's usualy just a very small fruit,yogurt w sweet granola spinkled on it. Less then 100 calories. Or a cup of hot milk is about the same calories. I think it is a blood sugar thing, but I've always felt guilt about the "rule"
  • Jovialation
    Jovialation Posts: 7,632 Member
    I love that article....I am so sick of the low carb high protein b.s. so many people are pushing all the time.
    sorry to those running with that theory, but its just silly.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    600 calorie meals being converted to fat?

    That's a myth in itself, people.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    I love that article....I am so sick of the low carb high protein b.s. so many people are pushing all the time.
    sorry to those running with that theory, but its just silly.

    If it works for them, then who cares? No one is forcing you to eat that way.
  • spaniel
    spaniel Posts: 468
    Interesting info - thanks!!
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
    I love my minni snack befor bed. If I go to bed without one I can't sleep for thinking of food. It's usualy just a very small fruit,yogurt w sweet granola spinkled on it. Less then 100 calories. Or a cup of hot milk is about the same calories. I think it is a blood sugar thing, but I've always felt guilt about the "rule"

    You're the same as me! I can't sleep if I feel hungry and I always save 100 calories or so so I can have something to eat before retiring for the night. Otherwise I just lie there fantasizing about food. With something in my belly, I can turn my thoughts to more appropriate fantasies for bedtime:wink:
  • saverys_gal
    saverys_gal Posts: 808 Member
    I love that article....I am so sick of the low carb high protein b.s. so many people are pushing all the time.
    sorry to those running with that theory, but its just silly.

    It's not bs, nor is it silly. Cutting down on crappy, processed white carbs is great for you. It's a necessity for some people and it's how some of us have decided to be healthy. Who's to say that counting calories but still eating a bunch of processed crappy carbs isn't silly bs?

    Don't knock what you don't understand.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    600 calorie meals being converted to fat?

    That's a myth in itself, people.
    That's kinda what I was thinking but I don't actually have any proof.
  • Jovialation
    Jovialation Posts: 7,632 Member
    I love that article....I am so sick of the low carb high protein b.s. so many people are pushing all the time.
    sorry to those running with that theory, but its just silly.

    If it works for them, then who cares? No one is forcing you to eat that way.
    no no, i dont mind that people do it or that it works for them....
    ive just got some pushy friends and id like to remind them that what i do works just as well.

    sorry, a friend had just posted a "holier than thou" tweet about their diet not long ago and so my post turned out a little aggressive.
    believe me, Im all for the "to each their own"
    and ive switched to almost all whole grains, myself. just the occasional donut or serving of white rice doesnt even cross my mind as a bad idea haha

    (i really need to not post places when im flustered with something)
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    600 calorie meals being converted to fat?

    That's a myth in itself, people.

    That is a huge myth.

    With extra calories our body stores glycogen first and then body-fat. If you are restricting your calories your body is burning up glycogen at a high rate especially while exercising. Therefor if you have a larger meal all you end up doing re-storing glycogen back into your liver and muscles. It's the exact same reason why it's not bad to eat late in fact I eat the majority about 75% of my daily calories after 6pm and on top of that I have 2 days a week where I eat very large meals.

    The mainstream is pretty clueless when it comes to weight loss and that goes for many nutritionist and doctors. Did you know that eating 6 small meals being better for metabolism as opposed to 1-3 large meals is also a myth.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html

    Also high protein and lower carbs definitely burns more fat than high carb low protein due to the Thermic Effect of protein.
  • SweatinSammie
    SweatinSammie Posts: 126
    Not eating more than 600 calories per meal is just a rule of thumb. Eating a large amount of calories in one sitting is MORE LIKELY to contribute to weight gain. This is not a myth - it is a good way to help people pace their calories through out the day.

    Once your body meets its metabolic needs at one meal the rest is more likely to be stored as fat.

    ALSO, eating 6 small meals a day versus 3 normal meals does not make a difference. Neither is wrong or right. The point of eating every 3 to 4 hours is to send a signal to the body that it does not need to store calories. This is why skipping meals can be negative for our metabolism. However for some people 3 meals is enough through out the day to keep the body from storing calories.

    I think the main point is that everyone is different and needs to eat in a way that is specific to their body. For people struggling with weight loss I think it's a great tip to not hoard your calories and blow them all in one sitting. Staying around or under 600 calories is a usefull tool.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    600 calorie meals being converted to fat?

    That's a myth in itself, people.
    That's kinda what I was thinking but I don't actually have any proof.

    saying "over 600 calories is converted to fat" is wrong, but the concept is not. The human body can only use a certain amount of food at any one time, if you eat too much at any one sitting, any food that is converted but not used either as energy or for it's other nutrient qualities will indeed be converted to fat for storage (or eliminated if it's not a macro nutrient). For some people that could be 400 calories, for others it could be 800, everyone is different, but that doesn't make the concept a myth, just the set amount of calories (I.E. 600), maybe that dietitian was speaking specifically to her when she said 600 calories, if that is the case than I'd say that for her, it's not a myth, but it could be the wrong number for most others.

    edit - OOP, sorry, I guess I was a little late with this response, it was already said right above me. :tongue:
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