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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.
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