|
The dieting world is full of myths, hearsay and soundbites. We all
have heard them a thousand times, but does that make them true? Is it
really a good idea to ban sugar completely from your diet? Is it really
a good idea not to touch fat and alcohol ever again? This seems to me
like an invitation to failure. Too few people can swear off certain
foods forever and stick to the oath. The rest of us need a little treat
now and then. And there’s nothing wrong with getting a treat once in
while, provided that treats don’t happen every day.
 The
basic idea of any diet is to eat food that contains fewer calories than
your body needs to maintain its current weight. This way, the body is
forced to use the accumulated fat in order to make up for the energy it
doesn’t get from food. But a diet also has to be tasty and
nutritionally sound. Simply banning certain types of foods and
ingredients is not a solution because anybody following such a diet
will have to acknowledge sooner or later that he or she wants those
foods and ingredients badly and a relapse into the old eating habits
becomes inevitable.
People should also learn
not to put their faith into meal replacements, such as Mypoplex,
Slimfast or Eat-Smart. These combinations of low-fat and high-protein
substances cannot substitute a proper diet. They should never be used
for more than 4 four weeks in a row. Calories are important to the body
and nobody can go on for long without them. Cutting calories out of the
long-term nutrition is a huge mistake because the internal organs and
muscles need them to function. Using meal replacements for a week or
two, as a shock treatment, is fine. Relying on them for two months is
asking for trouble. And the same goes for single-food diets, such as
the cabbage soup diet, because they are based on the same idea.
Another widespread myth is the idea that the best approach to weight loss is a low-carb, high-protein diet.
This
is one of the myths that emerged from the Hollywood slimming industry.
Nearly all movie stars and singers are on some such diet. However, this
approach is not exactly good for you because a diet low in
carbohydrates and calories forces the body to use existing carbs
located in the liver and the muscles. In time, this diet leads to
weight loss mainly from water stored in the body, instead of fat, and
also strains the internal organs.
And people should not be so afraid of potatoes, bread and pasta, the leading sources of carbohydrates.
Carbs are actually good for you because they quell the feeling of
hunger without bringing in too many calories. So you can safely eat
moderate amounts of potatoes and bread as long as you don’t use butter
or sauces, which are laden with fat. Naturally, you also have to pay
attention to how these foods are prepared. French fries are not a
low-fat food. Still, a high-carb, low-fat diet is far better than
banning potatoes and bread from your daily meals and it’s also easier
to stick to.
Drinking a certain quantity of water every day is a good idea because it keeps the body hydrated and fills the stomach.
Water also keeps the intestines healthy by facilitating the movements
of undigested food to the exit point. However, simply drinking water
does not trigger weight loss. There is only one way to lose weight and
that is to burn up the existing fat and water cannot do that. Nor
should a diet be judged solely by how much weight is lost per week.
Some people claim that a diet can be considered effective if the weekly
loss of weight is above two pounds. Frankly, two pounds per week is a
lot of weight to lose and you can be sure that not all of it is fat,
but also the lean tissue that makes up the muscles.
Another myth claims that fat is absolutely bad for you.
It’s not. Quite on the contrary, the body needs some fat in order to
get the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K circulating
through the cardiovascular system. Moreover, fat also brings into the
body the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 that cannot be
synthesized in the body. The word “essential” means that these fatty
acids simply have to be present in your daily food since they play an
important role in your health. The recommended dose of fat is 35
percent of your daily calories. And last of all comes the idea that a
diet or eating plan is enough in itself and does not have to be coupled
with exercising. But exercising is the most effective way of burning up
the extra calories stored as fat. Simply sitting at your desk all day
long is not going to do the trick, regardless of what diet you’re on.
Remember that a diet that has plenty of food (the right kind of food)
and plenty of exercise is far better than sitting on the sofa and
drinking cabbage soup every six hours. It works faster and is less
stressful to your body.
|
