Myth #1: As long as you're eating healthy foods, calories don't matter.Truth: Not necessarily. Whole-wheat pasta or bread or pie has just as many calories as regular. Same goes for brown and white rice. Avocados, nuts and olive oil deliver heart-healthy fats -- and significant calories. Red wine and dark chocolate are full of antioxidants, but if you indulge every day without accounting for their calories, you're likely to gain weight.Pay close attention to calorie counts of all foods so that "health halos" don't lead your eating astray.
Myth #2: You can lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks.
Truth: You probably can lose 10 pounds in two weeks if you have miserable diet, but that pace is rarely sustainable and most of the weight will return once you start eating normally. To truly lose one pound, you need to "eliminate" 3,500 calories -- the amount stored in a pound of fat -- by eating less and moving more. If you cut 500 calories every single day of the week, you'll lose about a pound a week. And that's real weight loss.
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat as much as you want.
Truth: Consider this: Eat two medium cookies and you'll take in about 400 calories. But to burn 400 calories, the average person needs to run or walk 4 miles. So essentially, "a moment on the lips" can mean an hour or more on the treadmill.Unless you're working out like an Olympic athlete, to lose weight you'll still need to keep an eye on how many calories you're eating.Calories are the currency for weight loss..
Myth #4: It's better to eat lots of mini meals rather than eating fewer, larger meals.
Truth: There's a kernel of truth in this myth, as EatingWell contributing editor Joyce Hendley reported in The 13 Biggest Diet and Food Myths Busted. Our metabolisms rev up slightly each time we eat, as our bodies process what we&'ve consumed. So by having many mini meals instead of fewer, larger ones, we shift our metabolism into a higher gear more often -- and burn a few more calories. But the calorie difference is so small it doesn't add up to a hill of beans..So eat normaly you don't need to eat every 2-3 hours..
Diet Myth #4: Eating After 8 p.m. Will Make You Put on Weight
Truth: It’s not the time of day that makes you gain weight – it’s the extra calories! It does not matter when you consume the calories – if you exceed your recommended calorie intake, what you don’t burn will be stored as fat. Always be vigilant of how many calories you consume throughout the day. A healthy woman should consume between 1800-2000 calories a day,men around 2.500 calories a day..
