So you think you're overweight and you've got flabs? Or that you're too thin and need to put some bulk in your body?
There's always the desire to look like a cover model or to get great abs. And the wish that we were all born with great genes to put on model jeans fit for a ramp model.
And there are products in the market that taunt us to buy them in order to look like the model in the magazine picture. Advertising actually is the greatest lier! Believe me! You can put all your money into the advertising claims and you'll eventually find out that you're poorer, hungrier and grouchier than you ever were when you started this dieting program.
Franklin Roosevelt once said that "repetition does not transform a lie into a truth". What we hear people say about the food that we eat is who we are are partly true...but partial truths are also partial lies.
So let's get some nutritional myths out of the way:
1. EATING LATE AT NIGHT MAKES YOU FAT - while this may be so because we DO NOT metabolize when we go to sleep, our body doesn't have an internal timer that causes late night eats to be stored directly as fat. Weight gain happens when you eat too much yet exercise too little. You could eat too much in the morning, the afternoon, or late at night and it could all result in weight gain.
Solution: Count the calories you eat and burn each day, rather than what time of day you eat!
2. SNACKING PROMOTES WEIGHT GAIN - Eating snacks throughout the day is a great way to keep your metabolism up and to avoid overeating when it comes to mealtime. That's why when parents ask me why their kids are thin, it's because the kids snack in between. But if you snack junk food, then be prepared to pack on the pounds.
Solution: It's not about snacking. It's what you snack on and how much to avoid to gain weight! It's a no-no to snack on DQ (for the Dairy Queen fans out there). Look at the queue at DQ...most of them are abhorently obese, but wouldn't care less what their blood sugars and cholesterols are! When you get snack foods, make sure you read the nutritional content at the back. Rich in vitamins or all salt? Cholesterol content or zero transfat? How many servings does a bag fill? Read the label. Sometimes we think that just because it's zero fat, you can eat the whole bagful. You will notice that the big bags are usually 8-16 servings. Which means that if it's 100 calories per serving, and you ate the whole bag, you just ate 800 to 1600 calories. In short, do the math!
3. YOU CAN LOSE FATE WITHOUT EXERCISE - Hmmm...I've heard this line before. Exercise and healthy eating go hand-in-hand when it comes to permanent fat loss. Your body needs exercise just as it needs to be fed a diet filled with fresh produce, whole grains and lean protein.
Solution: Accept exercise as part of your daily life. Just as you're tempted to just sit down and fatten your ass while you're updating your status on Facebook, you need to remember that exercising is a habit that is learned. And it can't just be your fingers getting all worked up and toned, while your flab sinks slowly and molds your figure into that chair!
4. FAT-FREE MEANS "ALL YOU CAN EAT"! - duh? a fat-free diet or snack is not the equivalent of flavored air - they contain plenty of calories and often lots of salt or sugar.
Solution: Read the label on the box. That's why there's a label. If you're buying food that doesn't have a label, DON'T! Be mindful of calories when eating food that claims to be "fat-free".
5. EAT AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE FOR MAXIMUM FAT LOSS - eating too little causes your metabolism to shut down and puts your body into starvation mode. It then actually becomes prone to storing fat than burning (especially if you don't like to exercise).
Solution: When it comes to losing fat and eating right, think BURN rather than STARVE!
6. DIET PILLS WORK FOR FAT LOSS - think rubber band! You lose weight from diet pills because they cut down your appetite. But if you're not eating correctly and exercising regularly, the only thing the diet pills are burning is the extra cash in your wallet. Billions of diet pills are sold yearly to couch potatoes - and all to no avail. Get me a couch potato who claims that he has lost weight PERMANENTLY and developed a beautiful body from just diet pills alone. You lose weight then gain it back rapidly when these diet pills are not around anymore. And these diet pills have side effects - your heart and your brain.
Solution: Eating right and exercising regularly even for 15 minutes a day, can never be replaced by a pill.
Eating right and regular exercise is the key to it all. Sure, there's the temptation to binge, and we're allowed that once a week. But the secret to getting a body to die for is not to die before you achieve that goal. It's all about healthy living - both mind and body! You've got to learn to love that body of yours. Wouldn't you want to wow yourself every time you look in the mirror?
It's a work in progress...one day at a time. Without the use of illegal drugs!
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