Losing weight is hard, and it’s not just because of the daily temptation of junk food and fizzy drinks that are constantly advertised everywhere you go.
The diet industry frequently sends out conflicting messages, and directly contradicts itself on a daily basis.
Here are some of those myths debunked, to ensure that you don’t fall into the same traps as others trying to lose weight.
The Famous Five
- Eating a good breakfast can help you lose weight
Whilst having a filling breakfast can definitely help you last until lunchtime without any excess snacking, it doesn’t necessarily kick start your metabolism and help you lose weight, like so many experts promise.
It will, however, help with energy levels and is a great place to get a piece of fruit or two into your daily intake. There’s nothing wrong with eating a good breakfast, it just won’t help you lose weight any faster than if you didn’t.
- Eat little and often
Now this one mainly depends on your metabolism. Some people do find it beneficial to eat little and often, because sitting down for a full meal can leave them feeling slow and sluggish – not the best way to get through the day!
Many people find that eating little and often (or “grazing” as the industry prefers) is helpful for maintaining a healthy weight and hunger levels. But in our busy modern day lives it is not always easy to continue a regular eating habit, especially if you are not allowed to eat at work.
- Stick to low-fat and sugar free products
Another industry trick, in fact low fat products are the ones that are often most unhealthy for people to eat. Laden with sugar and Trans Fat to reduce the excess calories, the way these foods are marketed can sometimes be in misleading.
- Avoid high carb foods like bread and potatoes
Giving up the high carb foods such as bread and potatoes can cause issues with energy levels and may not even have much of an effect on weight loss at all. Cutting down on these food items is a good idea, especially if you eat them in abundance, but totally limiting them is probably not the best idea if you want reliable weight loss results that stick around long-term.
- Fasting
Although fasting may show results in the short term, long term it can really play havoc with your body. It sends your metabolism into overdrive and means that as soon as you start eating again, your body stores up all the food as fat because it doesn’t know when the next meal will come.
“Losing weigh over the long term burns off fat. Crash dieting or fasting not only removes fat but also lean muscle and tissue,” says nutritionist Claire MacEvilly.
So, these three day fasts tend not to work. If you really want to try losing weight this way, then take part in a healthy detox, perhaps with lemon juice or some other kind of fruit.
One of the healthiest and most guaranteed ways to lose weight is to take part in a dedicated fitness program like the one run by Rowland’s Pharmacy. It is not just a weight loss program, it is a community that supports each other – with the added benefits of fitness videos and diet plans too!
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