When you want to lose weight fast, consulting a nutritionist is always a good idea. Putting too much faith into advice that seems to work for others doesn’t always produce results. Discover 5 diet myths that don’t help with weight loss or at least not as much as they should when you’re applying them incorrectly.
Low-Fat is Best
When you base your diet on low-fat foods without counting the calories, you’re in for a big surprise. Always check the label carefully on low-fat foods. To qualify, they should contain a maximum of 3g fat per 100g, but other ingredients can make them big diet mistakes. Extra sugars added for flavors can increase the calorie intake by a lot, making these foods useless for dieting.
Eating Smaller More Frequent Meals Helps
There is scientific evidence that shows a small effect on the metabolism when you eat smaller meals throughout the day, but most people stop counting calories when they switch. Portion size isn’t everything and this is one of the most dangerous diet myths since some dieters end up consuming more calories with smaller meals.
Crash Dieting Doesn’t Hinder Long Term Weight Loss
Losing 10 pounds in a week is a dieter’s dream come true but believing the effects will last is one of the silliest diet myths. Most people gain back the weight they lose using crash diets and they can also slow down their metabolism with repeated period of big calorie restrictions. In the long run, the crash diet effects on body include making you gain weight.
Salad is Always the Right Choice
Vegetables offer fiber, vitamins and minerals, but that doesn’t mean switching regular meals for salads always helps with weight loss. Adding high calory nuts and cheese to salads instead of dressing can make them as fatty as junk food if you’re not paying attention. Salads do usually contain healthier fats, but when you want to lose weight, you shouldn’t skip counting calories when making or ordering salads.
If You Quit Smoking, You’ll Gain Weight
Nicotine has a small effect on the metabolism, increasing it, while also cutting back appetite. However, when you quit smoking, your weight could go up, down or stay put. The main issue that has placed this on the list of diet myths is that replacing cigarettes with comfort foods can lead to weight gain. Replacing cigarettes with vegetable strips and sugar-free gum is a good way to keep your weight once you quit smoking.
