Weight loss myths busted

We’ve all fallen prey to diet myths before, and we may very well be following some of them without even realising that they are baseless. We may even be missing out on some of our favourite foods!

• A large dinner is more fattening than a large breakfast. It all comes down to how many calories we ingest during the day versus how many we burn. Some diets maintain that we should not eat after 4pm. This approach can work as it forces us to stop eating after a certain hour, but it will not result in weight loss if we eat the same amount of calories during the hours that precede 4pm!

• Fruits should be banned when dieting. I often see meal plans in magazines that ban fruits because of their sugar content. Fructose, the sugar contained in fruits, is actually absorbed slowly by the human body, making fruit a slow-absorption carbohydrate. Their fibre content also makes fruit a great weapon against cholesterol and helps curb hunger (fibre tends to swell in our stomach).

• Bananas are fattening. This is totally false. An average banana contains about 60 to 75 calories - less than a supposedly fat-free yogurt! Bananas are an athlete’s best friend as they bring much needed potassium and energy.

• Chocolate is a no-no for dieters. Consumed in moderation on a daily basis, chocolate will not make you fat. I like to enjoy two to four squares after lunch or dinner. Depriving yourself of what you love to eat is the surest path to long-term weight gain, as you will eventually quit the restricted diet path and indulge in the "forbidden" food to an unhealthy extreme.

• Water is a weight loss miracle. We see multiple TV ads for mineral waters that shamelessly prey on us women who want to be fit and slim without too much effort. Though drinking when hungry can help reduce what I call "false hunger signals", (indeed 80% of the time we are NOT hungry, but actually thirsty, only our brain sends out the wrong signal), drinking water after a heavy meal will never make the pounds actually disappear (we wish!).  That said, water is an important weight loss ally: it helps eliminate toxins and is extremely beneficial when combined with healthy weight loss efforts.

• Eggs are bad for your health. Though I am personally allergic to eggs and don’t consume them, so far no studies have proven that eating eggs lead to a higher level of cholesterol. The problem is not necessarily that people who eat eggs have cholesterol; the issue is what they eat WITH their eggs! The average breakfast with eggs usually contains bacon and toast with butter and cheese.  Eating two eggs with a balanced side of sautéed tomatoes, wholewheat toast and a fruit, for example, will not increase your cholesterol.

• Bread & potatoes will make you fat. The high fibre content of wholewheat bread will help trigger the feeling of fullness much faster than other foods. Fibre is also a great way to reduce cholesterol. Potatoes, if eaten in moderation and without heaping tablespoons of melted butter on top, are diet-friendly, despite what you may read in dieting articles.  However, due to their high glycemic index, potatoes should not be eaten boiled or steamed on an empty stomach, because this will greatly impact blood sugar levels, and lead to more fat storage in the subsequent meal.

• Fat-free foods are best for losing weight. Serious studies have shown that dieters are most likely to stay on a diet if they get their fix in fat. If not, the body feels deprived, and staying on track proves very difficult to the point that dieters end up quitting. Let’s enjoy the natural, real "stuff" in moderation and we will be more likely to stay on the path to successful and permanent weight loss. When we eat fat-free foods, we tend to think that it’s okay to have more because it’s fat-free and end up eating twice as much as what we would have eaten otherwise!

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