Fit Talk: Weight Loss: Facts & Myths

Myth #1: You don’t have to count calories.
Fact: Counting calories is important.
To lose weight, you definitely need to count your calories. Many people tend to underestimate their caloric intake (by up to 40%) and overestimate their calories burned through physical activity. Don’t rely on eyeballing your caloric intake or trying to estimate it. Instead, start writing down what you eat on a daily basis. Don’t just do this for the first day or two, do this everyday. For best results do this until your eating habits start becoming more refined, more nutritionally sound, and more regular. Better yet, do this until you have met your weight loss goals. By that time you should have a good idea of how many calories are in the foods you are eating and you should have an easier time measuring your food.
Myth #2: Eat three solid meals a day.
Fact: Eat 4-6 small meals daily (a snack counts as a meal).
How you take your calories in is just as important as how many you take in. To lose weight more effectively you want to eat 4-6 small meals a day. This way your body acts like a furnace and is constantly burning calories. Your body will be constantly burning calories because it will be constantly digesting the food you are taking in. So it’s not just how many calories you consume, but it’s also how you consume them.
Myth #3: Carbohydrates make you fat.
Fact: Carbs are necessary for a balanced diet.
Carbs don’t make you fat. Calories make you fat. Although I am in favor of lowering your carbohydrate intake and upping your protein intake – in order to lose weight – you should never cut out a whole food group. (You can up your protein intake to 50-55% and lower your carb intake to 30-35%, leaving your fat intake to about 10-20%.) Carbohydrates will help power you through your workouts, especially for aerobic activity (cardio) and for intense anaerobic activity (weight training). Proteins main purpose in the body is to supply amino acids to the body and repair damaged tissue.
What you should do is modify the carbohydrates you are eating. Stick with whole grain carbohydrates (oatmeal, whole grain pasta, whole wheat pita bread), they are less processed and will help you feel more satiated (full) even though they may have the same amount of calories as processed calories. Because they are less processed you will be geting more fiber in your diet – fiber is what will help you feel full longer. Also eat fruits and veggies: stick with color, the more color in your diet the better. Processed sugar is what usually makes you gain weight from carbohydrates.

Myth #4: Cut out the fats.
Fact: Fats increase your sense of fullness and are needed by the body.
Fat is twice as fattening as carbohydrates and protein, but you don’t want to avoid them. Fats contain 9 calories per ounce, while protein and carbs contain 4 calories per ounce. Studies show that fat gives you a sense of fullness and adds flavor to many foods. Fat keeps you fuller longer, because it prevents your stomach from emptying out too quickly. Certain vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, can only be absorbed through eating fats. These vitamins are necessary for daily repair and functioning of bodily organs. Just like proteins and carbs, you want to eat fats in moderation.
Myth #5: Cut out desserts.
Fact: Don’t deprive yourself.
If you deprive yourself of any one thing you will start to have cravings. You may be able to keep your cravings at bay but there will be a time where you will splurge and overeat, possibly destroying the caloric deficit you had created for the last week or so. Give yourself one cheat day or one cheat meal. Be sensible though, even though it is a cheat day, you don’t want to eat 5 double cheeseburgers, 2 sundaes, and 3 large fries in one meal. Eat what you have been craving or eat something to treat yourself, but don’t go overboard. Also, try to keep your cheat day on the same day every week.
Myth #6: You don’t need to diet – all you need to do is exercise.
Fact: Exercising alone is not enough.
Remember the key to weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in. If all you do is exercise you may lose weight up to a certain point, then your body will adapt and you could possibly start gaining weight again (even with exercise). To lose weight effectively and to keep it off, you need to workout and watch your diet. Especially if you are looking to get that six pack, you need to pay special attention to your diet, your calories, and what type of foods you are eating.
Myth #8: Don’t weigh yourself
Fact: Get on that scale!
You really need to weigh yourself to keep your weight in check. You may be able to tell if your clothes are fitting tighter, or looser, but you need a number to accurately measure you progress. 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. However, weight isn’t the only measurement to go by – you should definitely get your body fat taken too. Get your body fat taken once or twice a month. Even though the scale may not change your body fat should. If your weight stays the same but your body fat goes down, this means you gained some muscle and lost some fat.
Final Tip: Reduce your calories and exercise more.
If you eat 300 fewer calories a day, and burn 200 calories more a day, you are creating a 500 calorie caloric deficit – leading to about 1lb of fat loss per week, which is fairly fast and safe weight loss. Of course, this depends on your body type, age, health, gender, and level of physical activity. Men typically need to eat from 1,600 to 1,800 calories to lose weight; women need 1,400 to 1,600. If you want to lose weight at a faster — or slower — rate, you can adjust your calories.