Weight Loss

Weight loss is one of the greatest tread in the new generation schedule wherein it is a fashion and also a need as the number of obese people is increasing drastically.  But the problem is that people tend to choose the wrong way to get things on track.  So much is said about losing weight that it can be hard to sort truth from fiction.

Various myth are there which people tend to blindly follow to lose weight but to their dismay the estimated result does not happened and the dieters lose hope.

Here are a few myth which create hurdles in your weight loss program.

MYTH 1: YOU DON’T HAVE TO COUNT CALORIES 
Fact     : Counting calories is important.  You definitely need to count calories in order to lose weight. People tend to overestimate their physical activity and underestimate their calories. Don’t rely on eyeballing your caloric intake or trying to estimate it. Instead, every day write down what you eat, the corresponding calories, and your physical activity. To make it easier for you to quantify your physical activity, wear a pedometer. Do this every day. Don’t do it just once or twice a week. Consistency is important for dieting. Sure, this isn’t easy. But if you want to lose weight, this is important to do on a daily basis.

MYTH 2: ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST 
Fact     : Eat some thing during the morning.  If you wake up at 7 a.m., you don’t have to immediately eat a big breakfast. You’re probably not even hungry right after you wake up. You don’t have to jump start your metabolism. You simply have to structure your eating throughout the day, so you’re not too hungry later on. It's best to eat within three hours of waking. If you get up at 7 a.m., eat something by 10 a.m. Have some yogurt or a piece of fruit. If you don’t eat in the morning, you will be too hungry when you finally have a meal, and then you’ll likely overeat. Remember, what counts is your total daily calories.

MYTH 3:TO LOSE WEIGHT, CUT CARBS OR FAT
Fact:  Most get-thin-fast plans revolve around the idea that restricting your intake of one particular nutrient, usually carbs or fat, is the best way to lose weight. "To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn—regardless of what percentage of carbs, protein, or fat you're eating." Gimmicky diets just distract us from this simple truth.

MYTH 4:EXERCISE IN THE FAT-BURNING ZONE
Fact: The "fat-burning zone" lies between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. When you exercise at this low intensity, your body draws energy from fat. As your heart rate goes up, more energy comes from carbs. So it seems logical that to lose fat you should keep your heart rate low. But that's not the case.  "Running at higher intensities causes you to burn a lower percentage of fat calories in favor of carbs," says Karp, "but you use more total calories." And that's the key to slimming down. Plus, since you torch more total calories, the absolute amount of fat burned actually increases, too. So it pays to pick up the pace.  Of course, lower intensity exercise still has its place. Long, slow runs build aerobic fitness and endurance.

MYTH 5: SNACKING IS ALWAYS A BAD IDEA

Fact : The good news is you don't need to starve to lose weight. The idea that you shouldn't eat between meals is a myth. When you're stomach starts rumbling, you probably hear a little voice in your head telling you not to ruin your appetite. But having snacks in between meals might actually help you eat less, and stave off the urge to overeat or binge later. In fact, we often recommend that you have five smaller meals a day, instead of eating your calories all in one sitting.  One of the main reasons snacking has a bad rap is because of the choices we make from, say, vending machine that are packed with chips, cookies, candies, and other delectable -- and fattening -- treats.

MYTH 6 CRASH DIETING OR FASTING MAKES YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

Fact : This may be true in the short term, but ultimately it can hinder weight loss.

Losing weight over the long term burns off fat. Crash dieting or fasting not only removes fat but also lean muscle and tissue.'  The loss of lean muscle causes a fall in your basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories your body needs on a daily basis.  This means your body will need fewer calories than it did previously, making weight gain more likely once you stop dieting.  It's also why exercise is recommended in any weight-loss plan to build muscle and maintain your metabolic rate.

MYTH 7  FOOD EATEN LATE AT NIGHT IS MORE FATTENING.

Fact:  Many diets tell you not to eat after a certain time in the evening. They say the body will store more fat because it is not burned off with any activity.  A study at the Dunn Nutrition Centre in Cambridge suggests otherwise.  Volunteers were placed in a whole body calorimeter, which measures calories burned and stored.  They were fed with a large lunch and small evening meal for one test period, then a small lunch and large evening meal during a second test period.

The results revealed the large meal eaten late at night did not make the body store more fat.

It's not when you eat that's important, but the total amount you consume in a 24-hour period.

It is true that people who skip meals during the day, then eat loads in the evening are more likely to be overweight than those who eat regularly throughout the day.  'This may be because eating regular meals helps people regulate their appetite and overall food intake.'

MYTH 8 CHOLESTEROL IS BAD FOR YOU.

Fact:  Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is made mostly by the liver.  It can be bad for us, because it forms deposits that line and clog our arteries. Clogged arteries contribute to heart disease.  But we all need some blood cholesterol because it's used to build cells and make vital hormones - and there's good and bad cholesterol.

'Saturated fats found in food like meat, cheese, cream, butter and processed pastries tend to raise low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as 'bad' cholesterol, which delivers cholesterol to the arteries.  'High density lipoprotein (HDL), or 'good' cholesterol, transports cholesterol away from the arteries, back to the liver.  'So choose unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.

MYTH 9 VEGETARIANS CAN'T BUILD MUSCLE.

Fact  Vegetarians can be as muscular as meat eaters by getting their protein from vegetable sources such as cheese, nuts, pulses and grains.

Protein is needed to build muscle, but too much can lead to long-term side effects.  'The body can only store a certain amount of protein, so too much can damage the kidney.  'The Department of Health recommends that 50 per cent of energy should come from carbohydrates, 35 per cent from fat and the remaining 15 per cent from protein.'

MYTH 10 : HIGH-PROTEIN/LOW-CARBOHYDRATE DIETS ARE A HEALTHY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Fact: The long-term health effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet are unknown. But getting most of your daily calories from high-protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is not a balanced eating plan. You may be eating too much fat and cholesterol, which may raise heart disease risk. You may be eating too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which may lead to constipation due to lack of dietary fiber. Following a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet may also make you feel nauseous, tired, and weak.  Eating fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrate a day can lead to the buildup of ketones in your blood. Ketones are partially broken-down fats. A buildup of these in your blood (called ketosis) can cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid, which is a risk factor for gout (a painful swelling of the joints) and kidney stones. Ketosis may be especially risky for pregnant women and people with diabetes or kidney disease. Be sure to discuss any changes in your diet with a health care professional, especially if you have health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, or type 2 diabetes.

MYTH 11: CERTAIN FOODS, LIKE GRAPEFRUIT, CELERY, OR CABBAGE SOUP, CAN BURN FAT AND MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

Fact: No foods can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism (the way your body uses energy, or calories) for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss.

MYTH 12 : SKIPPING MEALS IS A GOOD WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Fact: Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. This may be because people who skip meals tend to feel hungrier later on, and eat more than they normally would. It may also be that eating many small meals throughout the day helps people control their appetites.

MYTH 13: LIFTING WEIGHTS IS NOT GOOD TO DO IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT, BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU“BULK UP.”

Fact: Lifting weights or doing strengthening activities like push-ups and crunches on a regular basis can actually help you maintain or lose weight. These activities can help you build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. So if you have more muscle, you burn more calories—even sitting still. Doing strengthening activities 2 or 3 days a week will not “bulk you up.” Only intense strength training, combined with a certain genetic background, can build very large muscles.

MYTH 14 MARGARINE CONTAINS LESS FAT THAN BUTTER
Margarine and butter contain different types of fat. Margarine is usually lower in saturated fat than butter. But it's more likely to contain hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenated fats, also called trans fats, may be more harmful to health than saturated fats. To lose weight, and for heart health, reduce the amount of saturated and hydrogenated fats you eat. If oil in margarine has been hydrogenated, this has to be listed on the ingredient listing on packaging, so check labels carefully..

MYTH 15: DON’T WEIGH YOURSELF 
Fact: Get on that scale! You really need to weigh yourself to keep your weight in check. Sure, you can notice if your belt is getting tighter — or looser — but chances are you don’t have an accurate assessment of your weight. Weigh yourself at least once a week. If you don’t have a scale at home, go to your doctor or health club and weigh yourself.  Weighing yourself shouldn’t be seen as punishment. It’s just a way to keep an eye on your weight. And your scale doesn’t always have to tell you bad news. You may not have noticed that you lost two pounds the other week.