If you think you’ve heard everything there is to know about your atomic waistband spill (a.k.a. beer gut, flabby wings), and how to avoid its devastating effects through the proper application of dieting? You may be counting on the countless myths to carry you through. If your current diet plan hasn’t been working as well as you’d like, you may not know as much as you should.
Myth 1:
All fat should be avoided– You need some fat (and cholesterol) in order for the body to function properly, produce hormones, and grow hair. If you want to cut down on saturated fats, which consists of meat (more turf than surf), creams, butter, and cheeses, go right ahead. This will only give your heart a breath of fresh blood flow. Otherwise, cut fat some slack. At least, one-third of your daily calorie intake should be coming from it. Some of the best sources of fat can be found in avocados, dark chocolate, and nuts, which are also known to reduce visceral fat, which is the squishy stuff around your internal organs that tends to give you a beach ball look.
Myth 2:
You have to shop at a health-food store in order to find fit food– Whole foods can be found anywhere. You don’t just have to shop at an organic/natural food store in order to find healthy options. A good tip is to imagine your local grocery outlet as a jelly donut. The least offensive stuff can be found around the outside of the store, while the processed foods, filled with preservatives, sodium, and fructose, are most likely concentrated towards the center aisles. You can find ‘whole food’ just about anywhere if you know where to look.
Myth 3:
Eat fat-free– When you hear the phrase ‘fat-free,’ there is often a little devil sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear, telling you that by eating this food, you will somehow lose weight and get a fit body. How? Nobody seems to know, because it is not all about the fat content of food that causes you to gain and lose. Excess weight is typically caused by ingesting more calories than the body can burn off. The words, fat-free, give people a false sense of security to eat more than usual. It is not fat that makes you gain; it is the overabundance of unburned calories.
Myth 4:
Spot training is effective– The biggest problem with focusing on just your trouble areas (gut, skinny arms, etc.), is they leave out the fact that a truly healthy body must be well rounded. If you want great abdominal muscles, you also have to exercise the entire body. Full body workouts burn more calories. In addition, spot training focuses on only the muscles, which leaves out the fact that it is rarely the muscle causing the problems; it is the excess skin and flab. You’ll develop a much better body if you focus on your overall health, rather than just one area.
Myth 5:
You can lose 20 pounds in one week– The only way that you are going to lose weight and keep it off, is to lose it s-l-o-w-l-y, and by that, I mean over a period of months. It took you a while to put on the extra weight, and it is going to take a while to take it off. There is no short cut. If you lose weight too quick, your body will react to the sudden changes of fat, tissue, and muscle loss, by holding onto its fat stores for dear life. This often results in gaining more weight. At the end of crash diets, the only substance in your body that you will have lost by any significant amount is water, healthy organ tissue, and lean muscle. This will unfortunately leave you farther behind, because muscle is what burns fat.
Myth 6:
Busy People Stay Thin– There is a fine line between being busy and living stressed. A busy person may schedule a lot into their day, but they are in control of their time, and still enjoy friends, family, and hobbies. This is a happy person who is able to maintain their weight. However, the average busy person is always fighting to catch up with life. These people never seem to have time to cook a healthy meal, so they tend to eat out a lot. They are always seeking extra hours in their day, so they don’t always get a full nights sleep. In other words, they are overly hard on their body. Studies show that stress puts the body on alert, encouraging it to hold onto its fat stores. It also increases your urge to eat junk food. Busy can be good if managed right. Stress, on the other hand–is not!
Also:
Getting Healthy – You Are What You Eat
About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech