“Losing weight is easy!” – said no one ever. Let’s be honest… losing weight can be extremely challenging, especially when you’re trying to figure it out on your own. Between TV, the internet, magazines, friends and family, and countless other sources that try to tell you how to do it, separating fact from fiction can seem nearly impossible. With all of this information overload, how do you figure out what will work for YOU?

1. DIETING MYTHS
6
And the Real Facts Behind Them

2. MYTH #1
C O M P A N Y . C O M
I T ' S M O R E E X P E N S I V E
T O E A T H E A L T H Y
F O O D .

3. THE FACTS
Withalittleplanning,eatinghealthyfoodscanactuallycost
lessthanshellingoutfortypicalfast-foodfare.Areyou
surprised?AstudyattheMaryImogeneBassettResearch
InstituteinCooperstown,N.Y.,foundthatapersonwho
followsadietofhearthealthywholefoodscanreduceher
grocerybillbyupto$8aweek.Thattranslatestoanannual
savingsof$416ayearforasingleperson.
Poundforpound,abalancedhealthydietwithhealth-
boostingwholefoodsisalotcheaperthanafast-fooddiet.To
helpparedownyourgrocerybill,swaplegumesformeat
products; buyless-expensiveproducesuchasapples,
oranges,carrots,spinachandcabbage; andpurchase
healthywholegrainslikeoatmealandriceinbulk.

4. MYTH #2
C O M P A N Y . C O M
C A R B S A R E B A D !

5. THE FACTSThismythisbasedononlyonepartofthecarbohydrate
family,simpleorrefinedcarbohydrates—sugar,juicesand
starchessuchaswhiterice,whitebread,potatoesandpasta.
Complexcarbssuchasfruits,veggiesandwholegrainsare
greatenergysourcesandyoucaneatmorewithoutaddinga
lotofcalories.Thehighfibercontentofcomplexcarbswill
makeyoufeelmoresatisfiedandnotleaveyouwithcraving
morethewaysimplecarbsdo.
Therealproblemcomeswhenyoucombinefatandrefined
orsimplecarbs—thiscombinationsendsoutmajorsignalsto
yourbodytostorefat.Itcausesabigincreaseinbloodsugar,
whichincreasestheproductionofinsulin,whichtellsyour
bodytostorefatinyourcells.So,enjoyhigh-fiberfruits,
vegetablesandwholegrains.Goeasyonpackagedfoods,
sodaandfruitjuices,pastaandbread,potatoesandwhite
rice.

6. MYTH #3
C O M P A N Y . C O M
C E R T A I N F O O D S , S U C H
A S G R A P E F R U I T ,
C E L E R Y O R C A B B A G E
S O U P C A N B U R N F A T .

7. THE FACTS
Itisbelievedthatfatburningfoodsspeedupthemetabolism
andpromotefasterweightloss.Thisclaimisfalse.Anymeal
ingeneralprovidesyouwithatemporaryboostin
metabolismduetothethermiceffectoffood.Thisis
especiallytrueinthecontextofamixeddiet,wherethe
differencesamongfoodsareveryminimaltobenoticed.The
truthisthatnofoodscanburnfat.Somefoodswithcaffeine
mayspeedupyourmetabolism(thewayyourbodyuses
energy,orcalories) foraveryshorttime,buttheydonot
causeweightloss.
Ruleofthumb:Losingweightrequiresyoutoburnmore
caloriesthanyouconsume.Soratherthanfocusingon
specificfoods,focusoncombiningahealthfuldietwith
regularexercise.

8. MYTH #4
C O M P A N Y . C O M
E X E R C I S E T U R N S F A T
I N T O M U S C L E .

9. THE FACTS
Fatandmuscletissuearecomposedoftwoentirelydifferent
typesofcells.Youburnfatandbuildmuscle.Youcanlose
oneandgainanother,butfatcanneverturnintomuscle.
Maintainingahealthfuldietandgettingregularexercise
withcardiocansupportfatburn; however,it'simportantto
alsoremembertohelpbuildmusclethroughactivitieslike
weighttraining.Infact,whilefatcannotturnintomuscle,
buildingmusclethroughweighttrainingcanhelpyouburn
fatmoreefficiently.Musclerequiresmoreenergyforyour
bodytomaintain,soincreasingyourmusclemasscanspeed
upyourmetabolismandhelpyouburnfatandkeepitoff.

10. MYTH #5
C O M P A N Y . C O M
E A T I N G L A T E I N T H E
E V E N I N G W I L L M A K E
Y O U F A T .

11. THE FACTS
Thismythoriginatedbecausemanypeopleeatalotof
snacksandjunkfoodatnightbeforebed,andeatingextra
caloriesaddsextrapounds.Sure,youmayfeelbetterifyou
don’tgotobedwithhalf-digestedpizzainyourstomach.But,
caloriesarecalories,whetheryoueattheminthemorning,at
noonoratnight.
Butlet'sfaceit,healthfuleatingusuallydoesn'thappenafter
10pm.IntheInternationalJournalofObesitystudy,
nighttimeeatersparticipatedinmorebinge-eating
behaviorsthanthosewhodidn’teatafterdinner.And
accordingto board-certifiedbariatricphysicianDr.Caroline
Cederquist,authorof'TheMDFactorDiet',"Atmidnight,
peoplewillrarelymakechickenandsalad.Theywilleatice
creamorchips,thehigh-fatorhigh-sugarfoodsthatour
bodiesstoresoeffectivelyasfat.”

12. MYTH #6
C O M P A N Y . C O M
S K I P P I N G M E A L S I S A
G O O D W A Y T O L O S E
W E I G H T .

13. THE FACTSStudiesshowthatpeoplewhoskipbreakfastandeatfewer
timesduringthedaytendtobeheavierthanpeoplewhoeat
ahealthybreakfastandeatfourorfivetimesaday.Thismay
bebecausepeoplewhoskipmealstendtofeelhungrierlater
on,andeatmorethantheynormallywould.Itmayalsobe
thateatingmanysmallmealsthroughoutthedayhelps
peoplecontroltheirappetites.
Ithasalsobeenshownthateatingsmallmealsthroughout
thedaykeepsyourmetabolismconstantlyworking,
encouragingincreasedcalorieburningthroughouttheday.

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