There is no shortcut to losing weight. If you want to drop a few pounds, you need to focus on eating healthy foods.
There are many different myths that people follow, when trying to lose weight, that could lead to weight gain. When you try to watch what you eat and follow healthy eating habits, it is important that you find honest advice backed by medical research.
The following eight weight loss habits are actually myths that could backfire and cause you to gain weight. One may ask what health habits that can cause to gain weight are then. Let’s look over these common weight loss myths which are the following:
Count Calories
Cutting calories is not always the best option for losing weight. Obviously, if you eat a lot of food, you are going to have trouble losing weight, so cutting calories can have some benefits; however, this should not be the focus of your diet.
Just because you are counting calories does not mean that you can eat whatever you want.
Many people run into the problem, when counting calories, of filling their calories with junk food. Energy bars or granola bars sold with “low-calories” most often are not helpful as they are processed foods.
Instead of focusing on the calories, you should focus on the food. Look for healthier options, instead of worrying so much about calories.
Eat Low Fat Foods
Don’t be tricked into thinking that a food with “low fat” on its label is better or will help you to lose weight.
Many “low-fat”, “reduced fat”, and “fat-free” foods are really not what they claim to be.
A recent study found that 10% of diet foods contain the same or more calories than the regular stuff, and that 40% had more sugar.
When food companies remove fat from their products, they will have to use more sugar, salt, and artificial additives to make the food taste better. These additives are really more harmful than fat itself.
A research also showed that a “low-fat” nutrition label leads all consumers, especially those who are overweight, to overeat. This certainly will defeat the purpose of your wanting to eat healthy and lose weight.
Eat also A High-Protein Diet
If you’re eating a high-protein diet that you think will help you to lose weight, eating a meaty meal is not desirable in late evening as your digestive system slows down in the evening.
The wrong foods that you eat at a late hour will not be used up as fuel, thus will be stored away as fats that you will find difficult to lose.
Try avoiding these types of food and realize how light you will feel the next morning.
Avoid Carbohydrates
The low-carb diets have become a popular way to try to lose weight. While some low-carb diets may be useful for dropping a few pounds, studies suggest that they can be bad for your health —in the long run.
A very low carb diet can lead to an imbalanced gut flora. When you avoid carbs, you’re also avoiding important prebiotics (i.e. food for your gut flora) like soluble fiber and resistant starch.
These prebiotics are essential for promoting the growth of beneficial gut flora. Without them, your beneficial flora can’t produce as much gut-healing substances, and your microbiome composition may even shift in an undesirable direction.
You’re only as healthy as your gut is: an unhealthy gut contributes to everything from obesity and diabetes, to digestive illness, to autoimmune disease, to skin disorders and various other diseases. Opt for the healthy carbohydrates that you get from fruits and vegetables.
Avoid Snacks
Avoiding snacks can be good or bad, depending on the snacks that you choose. Actually, many nutritionists recommend that you eat several snacks throughout the day, or even five to six small meals. This will help keep your metabolism active and improve your digestion, so that you can lose weight a bit easier.
6. Salad is Healthy
Salad is not always healthy—IF you add salad dressings full of unhealthy fat and fried or processed meats, then a green salad can quickly become an unhealthy meal.
If you want to eat a healthy salad, skip mayonnaise, thousand islands and the like. Make your own healthy dressing with balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar, with some extra virgin oil and a tinge of honey if you like. Focus on including healthy ingredients—dark, leafy greens and other fresh ingredients, such as fruit.
Here are some tips on how to make a healthy, wholesome bowl of delicious salad.
Avoid Fat
Fat is often thought of as something that you need to avoid. What many people do not realize is that there is healthy fat and unhealthy fat. Actually, fat should comprise at least 20 percent of your daily calories.
Unhealthy fats to avoid are foods
? Vegetable cooking oil
? Hydrogenated fats (read the labels)
? Transfats
? Fried foods (French fries, doughnuts, deep-fried fast foods)
? Margarine (avoid at all cost!)
? Vegetable shortening
? Baked goods (cookies, cakes, pastries)
? Processed snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn)
Healthy fats to include that will actually help with your weight loss:
? Saturated fats (yes!)
? Coconut oil (for cooking)
? Extra virgin olive oil (not for cooking)
? Avocado
? Shea butter
? Whole eggs
? Fatty fish
? Nuts and seeds
Work Out While Hungry
Some people believe that skipping a meal before a workout can help them burn more fat. The thought process behind this is that if you deprive your body of fuel before the workout, you will be able to burn more calories. Unfortunately, this is not a good idea. Your body needs fuel, for you to get more out of your workout.
A glass of green juice may also keep you feeling full and provide you the energy you need for your workout that will continue to burn fats even while you’re sleeping.
You do not need to completely change your diet to start losing weight. Combine some moderate exercise with a healthy meal plan.
Let’s finish by saying that Your plate is filled with veggies. You carve out time to exercise. And yet every time you step on the scale, the needle seems to be creeping upward. Here’s unsettling news: Some of your most health conscious habits may add pounds. However, with a few tweaks you can alter the following healthy behaviors to get help shed that unwanted weight. (Snack AND lose weight with this box of Prevention-approved treats from Bestowed.)
Yet you’re starving a few hours later. “The number one problem we see is people having oatmeal and juice for breakfast,” says Louis Aronne, MD, an obesity expert at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “They think it’s healthy because it’s fat-free and low calorie, but they’re still hungry and gaining weight.” Breakfast grains like cereal and oatmeal spike blood sugar levels. Adding juice or a banana piles on the carbs and ramps up fat storage. Instead, Aronne recommends a breakfast with protein, like Greek yogurt with berries, or an omelet with lots of veggies (check out these 6 surprising ways to use Greek yogurt). Starting the day with a low-carb, high protein diet can help you burn 150 more calories per day, according to a 2012 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Kudos to you for spending more for sustainably produced, healthy foods. But smart purchases don’t give you a green light: “Too often people who buy fat-free or low-fat products think it’s fine to eat more,” says Cheskin. “However, the fat is often replaced with sugar, and the food is just as caloric.” When people see organic or reduced-fat labeling, they underestimate calories and overestimate serving sizes, according to research from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. Don’t let your virtuous shopping habits lull you into believing you can eat as much as you want.