FIVE WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS DEBUNKED

1) If you're eating fewer calories, it's guaranteed that you'll lose weight
On the surface, this would seem to make plenty of sense. You can cut calories, but be mindful of how, and when, you are eating the calories you do take in. Eating regularly is more important than most people realise. People who eat only one or two times a day store more fat than those who eat every few hours – even if they are eating the same number of total calories.



"It can sometimes be difficult to understand just how important it is to eat frequently. But eating every 3 hours is a normal eating pattern. Here is a good analogy:

Let's say you are in Vancouver and you want to drive all the way to Toronto. Now, just for fun, let's pretend you can talk to your car. Since you are so busy, you make a deal with your car that if it takes you all the way to Toronto, you will give it all the gas it needs once you arrive. We all know this won't work. The car needs fuel from somewhere.

If you are a person and you delay eating (fuelling your tank), this means you will begin breaking down large amounts of muscle tissue to keep your body going. That's right, muscle tissue – not fat. Our bodies consider fat to be an emergency energy store so a high proportion of muscle tissue is broken down first. When you break down muscle, you lower your metabolism.

Another example would be to give the car all the fuel it needs for the trip up front – it just has to figure out some place to store it. In human terms, this means storing fat.

The third option is to fill up the tank and stop every few hours to fill up again. Makes sense, right? We all understand that we need to do this with a car, but for some reason when we think of ourselves, we often believe we can let the tank go empty or overfill it without any negative consequences. That's simply not true."

2) If you cut carbs out of your diet, you'll lose weight
Slimband Dietitian Rachel:

"True, you will lose weight in the short term by cutting out carbohydrates completely, but what you might not realize is that not eating enough carbohydrate puts you right on course for a major plateau.

Your body actually needs a small amount of carbohydrate for fat to be properly burned and to avoid breaking down muscle tissue for energy. Without carbohydrates, there is an incomplete breakdown of fat, and unless carbohydrates are reintroduced to the diet, weight loss will plateau. The Slimband guidelines are designed based on this, recommending a small but consistent intake of carbohydrates throughout the day and pairing that carb with a good protein source at meals and snacks. Remember to make healthy choices when it comes to carbohydrates. Healthy sources of carbohydrate include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and legumes."

3) Exercise and eat as much as you want
Many people trying to lose weight believe that by exercising, they'll be able to eat more and still lose weight. Food rewards for exercising can add up quickly and may sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Make sure you're not underestimating the amount of calories you're consuming and overestimating the calories you're burning.

Slimband Nutritionist Ashley:

"The benefit of burning an additional typical 200 to 400 calories during exercise can be easily wiped out by consuming, for example, a venti latte from Starbucks with whipped cream. It's important to stick with your regular meal plan, even while exercising, to reap the benefit of that extra calorie burn.

The benefits of exercise are not seen in a single day's calorie balance. Consistent exercise will build more muscle tissue, and as a result your resting metabolism increases. Exercise is not only important for weight loss, but also has copious health benefits and is vital for longevity!"

4) Jogging every day is the best form of exercise for weight loss
It's a mistake to limit your exercise to cardiovascular activity alone. Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories than fat. Start incorporating weight training into your fitness routine and prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Start with small weights, and make sure to do a session with your gym's trainer if you're unfamiliar with how to use the weightlifting equipment.

As you age your body loses muscle mass, making it more important than ever to hit the weight room to keep your body functioning at its best.

Rachel:

"Doing strength training one to two times per week can provide dramatic improvements in body composition, and it doesn't have to be strenuous. Go for light to medium weights of about 12-15 repetitions. The trick is to leave your muscles fatigued at the end of the session. Many women fear they will look 'big' if they lift weights, but weight training will actually tone muscles faster and give your body a much leaner look overall. Building lean muscle helps with weight loss because it increases resting metabolism and your body becomes more efficient at burning fat during exercise to fuel that muscle.

If you are not comfortable lifting weights or can't get to the gym, you can achieve similar results at home by using your own body weight. Exercises like push ups, squats, lunges, step ups, sit ups, and series of jumps and bounds (also known as plyometric training) will build muscular strength and endurance. You can further heighten the benefits of strength training by adding it at the end of a cardio session. At this time, your heart rate is up and your body is already burning more calories for energy. Because muscles are already fatigued it triggers a greater response in surrounding muscle groups to support the additional movement. This means that you will be able to boost total calorie burn for the exact same exercise, although you may find you are huffing and puffing a bit more!"

5) The Scale is the best way to measure your progress
Weight alone is not always the most reliable measure of your success and health. Knowing your weight is good, but you want to lose fat, not necessarily weight. Other non-scale measures include body fat percentage, inches lost, clothing size and of course how you are feeling and energy levels.

Don't make it a daily routine to weigh yourself since weight can vary anywhere from 1-5 lbs in a day depending on hydration levels and a variety of other factors. Aim to weigh once a week and look at your general weight trend over time.