Fact or Fiction??

Good morning!

THIS JUST IN: Skipping meals can help you lose weight!!! True? Maybe not. I'm sure we've all heard this before, or even questioned skipping a meal or two ourselves. Is this good for you? Yeah, this one probably not.

Today we are going to talk about those diet myths that we've tried or maybe we want to try because we hear they work. But, do they? Some of them might, while others might just be...FICTION.

1. Everything in Moderation

Although, this is a great motto, it might not always be true. If you are trying to lose weight or decrease your body fat then you should probably throw this rule out the window. While it is a good to treat yourself once in a while, there is a such thing as good food and bad food. If you are wanting to see results, a stricter diet is what you need. And that applies to increasing muscle mass as well. So when you're reaching for that bag of potato chips, think twice, a baked potato is a much better option for you. You will stay full longer and that baked potato will fulfill some nutrition requirements as well.

2. Fat Equals Bad

Are all fats bad? No way!! Fats are treated completely different in the fitness industry. What type of fat your ingesting is a much better question. If the nutrition label reads TRANS FAT or SATURATED FAT throw it out the window. They bad news!!! The good fat we are looking for that we need in our diet is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These fats help aid in nerve transmission and nutrient absorption.

3. Cutting Carbs Will Cut Pounds

I feel like we've all tried this one before! Many people do still believe that cutting carbs is the answer. However, when you cut carbs you are also decreasing your calorie intake. Many of these low-cal food options have fewer calories in them. Therefore, you are also restricting your calorie intake a bit which WILL help you lose weight. This will cause a negative energy balance in your body. (more calories out then in) If you have a calorie deficit in your diet, you will lose weight...period. Be healthy about it, but focus more on your calories in verses calories out, you will see a different. j

*To lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you are taking in. Meaning if you wanted to lose one pound a week, you'd need to decrease your daily caloric intake by 500.

For more information on energy balance in the body: Visit my 7/10/15 Nutrition Tips entry.

4. Skipping Meals is the Road to Success

Hopefully by now you've already gathered that skipping meals is NOT the answer. But, I'll still tell you why!

When you skip meals your body goes into starvation mode. Because our bodies are so adaptable and in survival mode, our metabolism will slow itself down to adjust. If our metabolism slows down, we need less food to survive. Do this long enough and we could develop a permanent problem.

A better solution is to have more frequent small meals throughout the day. This fuels our metabolism and can help turn your body into a food burning machine. Translation: Eat more, burn faster!!

5. Low Fat Verses Full Fat

Especially when it comes to dairy, such as cheese, we have been made to believe that the reduced-fat option is the better option. But, that's not always true. In the bigger scheme of things, it's not necessarily about the low fat verses full fat verses no fat. It's more about the processed verses unprocessed foods. More than likely your low-fat foods have been mixed with some other compounds to taste as good as the real thing. Also, throw in a few preservatives to create a longer shelf life and we have a winner...of a not-so-great-thing to put into our body. So let's make it simple unprocessed, natural foods without preservatives are the best choice.

And there we have it, 5 myths debunked...hopefully! If you still need some convincing, feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Until then, see you in 2 weeks. I have a family reunion next weekend so Nutrition Tips will continue in 2 weeks. See you on the 29th!