4 Weight Loss Myths That Can Harm Your Body and Your Diet

The amount of information available today on how to lose weight and what the best diet plan is, is phenomenal. While this can be a great aid to anybody looking to lose weight, it can also be detrimental as much of the information available is simply not correct. This article will talk about four myths which are very common in the weight loss world.

1. You have to starve yourself to lose weight. This myth is as old as dieting itself, but the fact is that once you eat less than a certain amount, your body gets the message that food is scarce and that therefore it needs to save as much as it possibly can as fat. So while you do lose weight, it comes mainly from your muscle mass and not your fat, which means your fat percentage is actually getting higher. Instead of starving yourself, spread your meals throughout the day, which means you never feel hungry and your body is able to burn through your fat stores.

2. Don't eat any fat. This is also a very old misconception about losing weight, but in reality nothing could be further from the truth. Fat should make up between 15 to 20% of your total calorie intake, because fats are necessary for the body to function correctly. Of course, not all fats are created the same and you should be trying to get your fats from healthy sources such as olive oil, fish and nuts, and not fast food, snacks and other junk food.

3. Remove carbohydrates from your diet. This is a more recent misconception, which was made famous by the Atkins diet and several subsequent diets which followed. While cutting carbs does generally provide short-term weight loss benefits, most people find that they put on all the weight that they lost as soon as they begin eating carbs again. In addition, not eating carbohydrates it is not healthy for the body, as carbs provide the majority of the energy required for the body to function throughout the day. In fact, carbohydrates should make up around 60% of a healthy diet.

4. Meat is the only good source of protein. While there is no doubt that meat is an excellent source of protein, there are many vegetarian foods that can also provide the protein your body needs. These include, for example, low-fat dairy products, eggs, nuts and soy products. Most of these are an excellent source of protein and contain far less fat than meat, and are therefore a great way to substitute some or all of your meat intake without sacrificing your protein needs.

As a general rule, use common sense and sound nutritional decisions to guide your weight loss program. Trying to use the latest fad or picking up on a hot new dieting tip you read somewhere on the Internet is unlikely to assist you in your weight loss and may even end up damaging your body in the long term.
Other than health and fitness, Jason maintains a wide range of interests. His latest site is all about clear CD cases, and provides information on the best places to find clamshell CD cases and more.

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