Excess weight is a common topic of discussion at coffee
tables, amongst friends, family members, at work... Let's
have a look at the most common weight loss myths people
believe in:
Myth 1: Food eaten in the evening contributes more to
weight gain.
Wrong: It is the amount of calories accumulated throughout
the day, but the time of the day you consume those calories
is of minor significance. If you were on low calories
during the day you can afford a dinner without worries.
Myth 2: To skip breakfast or lunch is good for staying slim
or reducing weight.
Wrong: It is a bad idea to skip breakfast as your cravings
for food will increase so much till lunch time that you
will probably forget all you have pledged and eat a lot
more than you should. The same applies to skipping lunch.
If you still manage to stay away from all snacks and sweets
during the afternoon but your hunger will be out of control
latest at dinner time. Thus you will add more calories than
you would with regular meals.
Myth 3: Five meals instead of three are a better way to
lose weight.
Wrong: It makes no difference how many meals you have a
day. Important is that you limit the total amount of
calories. If you have more meals it might be easier for you
to control hunger. But on the other hand, if you are having
a hard time to resist eating more food than you should, you
might be better off with three meals only. It is giving you
more control while providing less temptation.
Myth 4: The metabolism of people over 40 is slowing down,
thus putting on weight is unavoidable.
Wrong: True is that muscle mass gradually decreases with
age if people do not exercise. As a result, increasing fat
deposition develops a risk factor for your health. Regular
exercise can help you to prevent that. A higher age is
therefore no excuse for putting on weight. It only takes
more effort to keep up your exercise routine and maintain a
healthy level of fitness.
Myth 5: If sport activities and regular work out keeps you
fit and slim, so you don't have to care about your choice
of food.
Wrong: The number of calories being burnt during workout is
mostly overestimated. To burn 300 calories one has to swim
for 40 minutes. Besides that, somebody wanting to loose
weight has to burn the daily calories of the food eaten and
additional calories from stored fat cells. That's a hell of
a task. One kilo of fat is equal to 7000 calories. To burn
such an amount one will have to work out on his home
trainer for 12 hours. This means, losing weight merely
through exercise is hardly achievable. But it is important
to maintain a regular exercise routine. It helps you to
build up muscle and increase metabolism, which in return
burns more calories. Besides this you will also feel a lot
better. But there is no way around limiting your calorie
intake. A combination of both will bring you a step closer
to your goal.
One last word: Most weight loss efforts collapse quite
quickly because people set unrealistic goals. Go for small
steps, easy to achieve and a glitch once in a while is
nothing bad. Just get back on track and never give up!
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Rudy Tiefnig, is an expert in the area of fitness and diet,
creating nutrition and diet plans for fitness and weight
loss and guiding people to achieve a fit, slim and healthy
body. To read more, go to: http://www.fit-slim-healthy.com
