7 Weight-Loss 'Myths' that You Shouldn't Believe
We have a list of the biggest weight-loss myths out there. Don't be fooled!
Jim White, registered dietician, ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, gave HealthySELF his top 7 weight-loss myths -- and the real truth behind each of them:
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1. Don't eat after 8 pm.
"There is no magic time when the carriage turns into a pumpkin -- and if there was, that pumpkin can't tell time anyway!" says White. It's not about the when, he explains, it's about the what and how much. One problem is that people tend to eat too much of the wrong types of food at night (mindless munching in front of the television). Not eating enough during the day or boredom are two reasons behind the nighttime binges, says White, but if you eat the proper amount throughout the day, you will not be famished at night and take it out on the chips and ice cream.
2. You should wait until you're REALLY hungry to eat.
If you wait too long to eat, it's more than likely that you will eat too much of the wrong types of food. "The more you starve yourself, the more likely your body is to turn off the hunger mechanism altogether and begin to hold on to and store fat," says White. "Hunger is actually a good thing; it's what signals that the metabolism is working and making use of the calories you are ingesting." So don't eat if you're not hungry at all, but don't wait too long to eat, either!
3. If you don't sweat, you aren't working out hard enough.
Sweat is the body's way of cooling itself off, and every body is different, says White. Some people sweat profusely after very little activity, while others sweat very little. "Sweating doesn't correlate with fat loss, just fluid loss," he explains. "So be sure to replenish your body with liquids if you do sweat frequently."
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4. Women who lift weights will get big and bulky.
"This myth has been around forever and women have yet to disavow themselves from it," says White. Genetically, he says, women are just not poised to get big and bulky; we are smaller and have less muscle tissue and testosterone. "While there is the occasional genetic exception, women will never be big like men, and never more muscular than their genetics allow," he says. So go ahead, make like Michelle O and work out those arms!
5. You can out-exercise a bad diet.
"You can't eat BBQ sandwiches and French fries and expect to elliptical through that," says White. (Darn.) Diet and exercise go together. As a matter of fact, White says, eating is a larger part of the weight-loss equation: "It's an 80-20 split with the food being the majority," he says. "If it were even possible to burn all the junky calories you ate, you would be on the treadmill all day long."
6. Carbs make you fat.
"Eating too much of anything will help you pack on the pounds," says White, adding that weight gain is caused by a simple thing: taking in more calories than you are burning. That being said, White points out that not all carbs are created equal. "Much of what passes for carbs is so processed that it lacks the fiber to keep you full for very long," he says. "Also, carbs with too much sugar will spike your glucose level and leave you hungry much sooner than carbs with less sugar and more fiber."
7. Your body has a set weight that you cannot move beyond.
"Genetics play a very important role in your physique, but just because you are naturally slim doesn't mean you can sit around and eat cheese doodles and not exercise," White says. "You still have to eat right and exercise." Conversely, even if you feel like you're "naturally" overweight or "big-boned," with the right amount of exercise and a smart diet, your healthy weight-loss goals are totally achievable!
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