5 Diet Myths, weight loss myths, lose weight

5 Diet Myths you should be aware of

How to get rid of excess weight is a very common topic at home, amongst friends, at work...
Here are some of the most common weight loss myths people tend to believe when searching for a way to lose weight:

Diet Myth 1: Food eaten in the evening or before bed time contributes more towards gaining weight.
Wrong: What counts is the amount of calories you add up during the day, but the time of the day you consume those calories is of minor significance. If you were on low calories until the evening you can afford a dinner without adding fat cells.

Diet Myth 2: Skipping breakfast or lunch is good for dieting successfully.
Wrong: This is a wrong assumption. Skipping breakfast will increase your cravings for food till lunch time and you will probably forget your goal for the day and eat a lot more than you should.
The same applies to skipping lunch. If you are brave and manage to suppress you desire to give in and get some snacks during the afternoon, your hunger will be out of control latest at dinner time. Thus you will add more calories than you would with regular meals.

Diet Myth 3: Five meals instead of three are a better way to lose weight
Wrong: It makes no difference how many times you eat per day. It is important that you control the number of calories. If you have more meals it might be easier for you to limit your food intake. But if you are facing difficulties to resist eating more food than you should, you might be better off with three meals only. It is giving you more control while providing less temptation.

Diet Myth 4: The metabolism of people over 40 is slowing down, which makes increasing weight unavoidable.
Wrong: This is not unavoidable. It is correct that with increasing age, muscle mass decreases. This certainly creates a risk factor which is slowing down your metabolism and deposits more fat. But regular exercise can help you to prevent that and therefore it is no excuse to accept that you are putting on weight because you are ageing. It just needs more effort to increase metabolism, burn calories and maintain a good physical health.

Diet Myth 5: If sport activities and regular work out can keep you fit and slim, you don't have to care about your choice of food.
Wrong: For example if you swim for 40 minutes, you burn only about 300 calories. That shows, losing weight through exercise is hardly achievable and the number of calories being burnt during workout is mostly overestimated. Remember, to lose weight you don't only have to burn the calorie value of your daily food intake but also fat from your storage. One kilo of fat is equal to 7000 calories. You need at least three components work together to achieve weight loss. Regular exercise is essential, so is limiting your daily calorie intake and a selective food choice. Your aim is to increase your metabolism significantly.
Maintaining a regular exercise routine has also other benefits. It helps you to build up muscle mass, which in return burns more calories. Besides this you will also feel a lot better.

If you want to succeed in your weight loss efforts, you need to define your goals first and make sure they are achievable and not unrealistic. Go for small steps, easy to follow and always keep a positive mind set.