Weight Loss And Nutrition Myths ? What You Need To Know! Part 1

MYTH: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.

FACT: Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Fad diets often promise quick weight loss or tell you to cut certain foods out of your diet. You may lose weight at first on one of these diets. But diets that strictly limit calories or food choices are hard to follow. Most people quickly get tired of them and regain any lost weight.

Fad diets may be unhealthy because they may not provide all of the nutrients your body needs. Also, losing weight at a very rapid rate (more than 3 pounds a week after the first couple weeks) may increase your risk for developing gallstones (clusters of solid material in the gallbladder that can be painful). Diets that provide less than 800 calories per day also could result in heart rhythm abnormalities, which can be fatal.

TIP: Research suggests that losing ½ to 2 pounds a week by making healthy food choices, eating moderate portions, and building physical activity into your daily life is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. By adopting healthy eating and physical activity habits, you may also lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

==========================================================

MYTH: 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 (partially broken-down fats) in your blood. A buildup of ketones 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.

TIP: High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are often low in calories because food choices are strictly limited, so they may cause short-term weight loss. But a reduced-calorie eating plan that includes recommended amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and fat will also allow you to lose weight. By following a balanced eating plan, you will not have to stop eating whole classes of foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables-and miss the key nutrients they contain. You may also find it easier to stick with a diet or eating plan that includes a greater variety of foods.

============================================================

MYTH: Starches are fattening and should be limited when trying to lose weight.

============================================================

FACT: Many foods high in starch, like bread, rice, pasta, cereals, beans, fruits, and some vegetables (like potatoes and yams) are low in fat and calories. They become high in fat and calories when eaten in large portion sizes or when covered with high-fat toppings like butter, sour cream, or mayonnaise. Foods high in starch (also called complex carbohydrates) are an important source of energy for your body.

TIP: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 6 to 11 servings a day, depending on your calorie needs, from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group-even when trying to lose weight. Pay attention to your serving sizes-one serving is equal to 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of pasta, rice, or cooked cereal. Try to avoid high-fat toppings and choose whole grains, like whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, and bran cereal. Choose other starchy foods that are high in dietary fiber too, like beans, peas, and vegetables.

=================================================================

MYTH: Certain foods, like grapefruit & celery, 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.

TIP: The best way to lose weight is to cut back on the number of calories you eat and be more physically active.

====================================================

MYTH: Natural or herbal weight-loss products are safe and effective.

====================================================

FACT: A weight-loss product that claims to be "natural" or "herbal" is not necessarily safe. These products are not usually scientifically tested to prove that they are safe or that they work. For example, herbal products containing ephedra (now banned by the U.S. Government) have caused serious health problems and even death. Newer products that claim to be ephedra-free are not necessarily danger-free, because they may contain ingredients similar to ephedra.

TIP: Talk with your health care provider before using any weight-loss product. Some natural or herbal weight-loss products can be harmful.

For free advice, tips and education about weight loss, fitness and dieting visit Weight Loss Information at http://www.effective-weight-loss.info

---

4 Great Diet Tips

Here are 4 diet tips we all need reminded of... Read More

Natural Weight Losss: The Minor Changes That Can Have Huge Affects On Your Future Health

People always ask me " how it is that your... Read More

Fourteen Reasons Why Dieting Is Bad For Your Health

1. The lower the calories eaten per day, the harder... Read More

When is a Diet not a Diet? When Its a Lifestyle!

Dieting and weight loss is almost certainly the most lucrative... Read More

Hang In There Dieters, Help Is At Hand!!

I was thinking about diets and such and it occurred... Read More

Results Not Typical

I had 14 weight/health-oriented newsletters in my inbox this morning.... Read More

How I Lost 51 Pounds In 4 Months Using The Simplest Diet Plan In The World

Like many people I've been on dozens of diet plans... Read More

Meet the New Look Ronald McDonald

In a global television commercial just launched (10 June 2005),... Read More

The Importance and Confusion of Fat in Your Diet

Fats are always looked at as a negative in a... Read More

Gastric Bypass Friendly Eating: Cantaloupe and Melons

Many gastric bypass patients report melon to be one of... Read More

Add High Water Content Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet For Fast Weight Loss

Include in your diet things that contain more water like... Read More

Walk Your Way to Weight Loss

"The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of... Read More

Quick Weight Loss or Quackery

Cellulite - Reduce The Appearance --------------------------------- Sallie Elizabeth has always... Read More

Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss Lesson #5

Wow! You must be on fire by now burning and... Read More

A Warning of the Complications of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery involves stapling the stomach to make it... Read More

Conventional Dieting Wisdom That Works for WLS Patients

In many cases conventional dieting wisdom simply doesn't work for... Read More

Why Do All Diets Fail?

There's a dirty little secret in the diet industry. The... Read More

Tips For Successful Weight Loss

Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my... Read More

The Low Carb Craze and Other Dieting Mistakes

Dear BMTers,Low carb this and low carb that?that's all you... Read More

5-Step Weight Loss Program for Permanent Weight Loss

Every Journey Worth Taking Begins with a Single StepHere are... Read More

Im Freezing! Why Gastric Bypass Causes Patients to be Cold

Body temperature is the result of your body generating and... Read More

The Atkins Diet - Separating Fact From Fiction

Have you ever wished for a diet where you ate... Read More

Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Lead to Weight Loss Success?

So your neighbor, office mate, best friend, whoever just lost... Read More

From Now On, Europe Focuses On Dieting Pills

A state of emergency has been recently put on European... Read More

Finding a Weight Loss Program

Getting involved in Weight Loss Program can be intimidating for... Read More

The One and Only Way to Lose Weight

There is only one way to lose weightThere really is... Read More

The Papaya Diet: A Guaranteed Loser

Search Yahoo for "papaya" and "kirstie" and you'll find at... Read More

Gastric Bypass Surgery - Weighing The Risks of Obesity Weight Loss Surgery

RISING POPULARITYGastric bypass surgery has become a popular surgical procedure... Read More

Weight Loss: Its Not About the Numbers, Its Your Approach!

Today obesity, diabetes, and heart disease run through us at... Read More

Top Thirty Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More

How To Burn 50% More Fat In Every Workout With Secrets For Weight Loss Success

If your health and fitness are important to you, you... Read More

What are Fats?

Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A... Read More

Fast Weight Loss - 7 Day Diet Program for Quick Weight Loss

Do you have a big event coming up? Perhaps you... Read More