Myths and Truth of Dieting - 9 Things Not to Do

Mass media is full of quick-fix recipes to lose weight: from celebrity diets to magic slimming pills. No surprise in here - someone is just making big bucks! The negative side of it, though, is that you are being deceived by false promises. You try different diets, follow the advertised recommendations and… end up frustrated and sometimes even more overweight. Any diet or slimming pill potentially can lead to health complications, some of which might be severe and irreversible. In addition, most of the “diets truths” are based on biases, and my purpose in this article is to analyze some of those dietary stereotypes and try to refute them.

Myth No 1: Strict diets are the most effective. Strict limitation of essential nutrients and reduction in the usual amount of food can be quite troubling. About 75% of people who have ever tried a strict diet, end up quitting it and returning to their old dietary habits. Severe food limitations can slow down metabolism and lead to changes in taste and food preferences, which could have a devastating effect on the overall health of the dieter. Even seemingly harmless fruit and vegetable diets may bring along such negative health consequences as attention deficit syndrome and fatigue, which can manifest as quickly as the fourth day from the start of your diet! I can conclude that harsh dietary restrictions are not the best way to lose weight, as the body suffers from monotonous and insufficient nutrition.

Myth No 2: Less frequent meals facilitate weight loss. As a nutritionist, I would advise quite the opposite - to have smaller portions of food more frequently. I am sure that this opinion is shared by majority of my colleagues. Reduction in food intake frequency can cause strong hunger between the meals, making you eat much more than necessary. You may become a glutton, packing down enormous amounts of food. The body is designed so that you start feeling full only about 15-20 minutes after the beginning of the meal. This is why my advise is that you should eat slowly, chewing your food carefully and enjoying every bite - this prevents overeating, pleases your taste buds, and quickly makes you feel full and satisfied. Also, I would recommend that heavier meals should be eaten in the morning, while lighter foods could be reserved for dinner.

Myth No. 3: No-fat diets are effective for rapid weight loss. First of all, it is practically impossible to completely eliminate dietary fat from your menu, as 90% of foods contain fat either in a vegetable or an animal form. Another important point is that essential fatty acids, which are crucial for your health, can be found only in rich, fatty products. Therefore, I do not recommend that you should try to eliminate dietary fats from your menu. A good slimming strategy, though, is to gradually reduce the intake of fatty foods.

Myth No. 4: Fruit and vegetable - based diet is beneficial for your health. This point of view is widely spread. Many people think that, if they substitute rich foods for fruit and veggies, they will feel better and benefit their overall health. This dietary myth is based on the theory of calories, which states that weight loss can be achieved by reduction in the amount of high-calorie foods. Although this approach in some cases might be effective, I would like to put a word of caution here: people after 40 and those with chronic diseases of the digestive tract, kidneys, and liver should be very careful while incorporating a lot of fruit and vegetables into their menu. Vegetables can be harmful if you suffer from gastritis, stomach ulcer or pancreatitis - they can cause attacks of pain and even serious complications. Also, if you mainly eat vegetarian foods, you will be deficient in calcium, which is contained predominantly in milk and dairy products. Calcium, by the way, not only helps reduce weight, but also ensures the long-lasting results of the diet. Therefore, if you tolerate these products well, milk, cheese, yogurt and butter should be a part of your everyday fare.

Myth No. 5: Starvation is the best diet. It is the most cruel way to lose weight. Yes, it works, but at a high price: starvation could lead to hormonal imbalances and a significant functional damage of your kidneys and liver due to protein loss and vitamin deficiency. You for sure will lose weight during long-term starvation, but the health consequences could be really bad. Most nutritionists agree that slow rates of losing weight, combined with some form of physical activity, are the most body-friendly. Such approach also ensures that a part of your body fat will be transformed into muscle tissues.

Myth No. 6: The longer you keep a diet, the better result you get. Thousands of years of human evolution have made your body an efficient machine, which is perfectly adjusted to rapid changes in quality and quantity of food. This is why any diet, if you follow it for too long, eventually becomes ineffective and the process of weight loss slows down.

Myth No. 7: Same diet fits all. If a particular diet helps your friend lose weight, it does not mean that it will also help you. Each body is different, and not only physiologically. Some people cannot stand hot weather, others suffer when it is cold. Some quickly respond to diets, others can gain a pound just watching the ice cream TV commercial…Same diet does not fit all. You have to find what works for you.

Myth No. 8: Quick weight-loss diets are the most effective. Quite the opposite is true - such diets are the least effective! Rapid weight loss is usually followed by rapid weight regain, together with a couple of extra pounds (so-called yo-yo effect). This is why rapid slimming methods are not recommended.

Myth No. 9: There should be a diet to quickly fix my body. No, such diet does not exist - a lean and healthy body requires a lot of hard work and long-term efforts, involving right nutrition and exercise. “Quick fix” would only harm your health, sometimes irreversibly. This is why I do not recommend any weight reduction diets which make your body quickly shed off pounds without taking into consideration physiological aspects of healthy weight loss. Therefore, the best slimming method would be a slow, long-term nutritional strategy that works for you and does not jeopardise your overall health.

Material prepared by staff writers

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