Aug
6
Debunking The Diet Myths
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Guest Post, Weight Loss
Today’s post was guest written by Heather Johnson, from Nursing Degree.
Debunking the Diet Myths
You’ve heard everyone from your mother to next-door neighbor tell you how to keep the weight off after you’ve successfully reached your weight-loss goal. Some of these tips certainly have their credence but many are devoid of any value. It boils down to you knowing your body and what your body can handle as you try to keep the body you worked so hard to attain. Take any advice with a grain of salt. Just know that some of what you hear is complete nonsense. Here are a few of the myths that are just not true and ones you should avoid:
- Cut your meals down. The idea that you have to starve yourself to keep the weight off is not only ludicrous but dangerous. Low-calorie diets are completely unhealthy and should only be adhered to when ordered by a physician. The only acceptable reason for such a diet is if losing weight is mandated by a serious medical condition.
- The fad diet is just that – a fad. All fads pass. Remember bell-bottoms, afros and the pet rock? Yeah, they’re all gone and this is what will happen to the fad diet. Lose 30 pounds in a month? If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you go on a crash diet and see immediate results it’s probably due to water loss. This won’t last as the true way to lose weight is to lose the fat.
- Eat everything and still lose weight. Once again, common sense needs to be applied here. If you intake more calories than you burn you’re not going to lose weight. Putting anything in your body besides water is going to add calories to your mass. You lose the calories by performing cardiovascular activities. It’s simple math, just make sure you pay attention to it.
- Try a bunch of different diets. Jumping around from one diet to another is not the answer. If you keep fluctuating what your diet is then you’re setting yourself up for failure. Sticking to one dietary program is much healthier in the long run than trying all the different diets you hear and read about.
- Just because it worked him doesn’t mean it will work for you. Hey, you get lots of great ideas from your friends. Just remember that because a diet worked for one person doesn’t equate into success for you. We’re all built differently and we have different needs when it comes to dieting. Stick to what works for you and applaud your friends and family when they achieve success.
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This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of nursing schools in Georgia. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
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3 Responses to “Debunking The Diet Myths”
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I can see the sense in some of these points, but can imagine a lot of people might be left wondering exactly what it is they should do if these are all the things they should not.
I also think the term ‘fad’ diets is rather loose and leaves a lot of room for doubt. I can imagine a lot of people would regard a low-carbohydrate diet as a ‘fad’ diet, yet a number of these have been around for many years now and proved successful.
Finally, the inference in #3 that simple math determines weight loss (calories out, calories in etc) is a gross oversimplification of the mechanisms of fat storage and metabolisation, as the writings of Gary Taubes have illustrated.
Sorry to be a kiljoy, but I just wanted to share these thoughts.
Methuselah
Pay Now Live Later
@Methuselah
1. Not sure why Wordpress keeps thinking your comments are spam. I’ve had to manually approve them which is why they are delayed sometimes. Bear with me while I figure it out.
2. Agreed. People need to know what TO do as well as what NOT to do. There are a whole bunch of articles already written about that. I would urge people to look under the healthy eating and weight loss topics.
3. Absolutely correct about the simplification, although I thought it was acceptable for a short article. I plan on expanding on Heather’s post in the future and giving a bit more information about our metabolism and how it works.
Thank you for the comments,
Gal
I stumbled across your blog today for the first time. Congrats on putting such a great blog together, lots of valid information. Good simple article. I do however disagree with Methuselah on his oversimplification comment. Losing weight is as simple as what you put in and what your body burns. However how that occurs can be more complex. The most important thing to remember though is there is NO quick fix, all changes MUST be life changes. If everyone accepted that it can take months to lose and keep off 5-10lbs rather than weeks, then maybe we would have more weight loss success stories!