Diet fact or fiction: 5 more weight loss myths
BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
Last week I talked about some of the biggest diet myths that often get heard when it comes to health and fitness, but that was far from all of them.
Last week I talked about some of the biggest diet myths that often get heard when it comes to health and fitness, but that was far from all of them.
I'm on a mission to help people understand the truth behind a lot of what they hear. If you put in the hard work at the gym, it's only fair that you should have the right information available to get the most out of your diet.
Poor carbs, they really do get a bad rep. It's been suggested for years that a high carb intake will result in weight gain, so best bet for dropping pounds was always to keep intake low.
However, in reality too much of anything - protein, carbs, or fats - will contribute towards weight gain if it makes you overshoot your total calorie needs.
As such, it's too many overall calories which will cause weight gain, not too many carbs.
We've all heard that to lose weight we should eat Breakfast, but truth is it holds no real benefit over not eating Breakfast.
Remember, the key to weight loss is energy balance, so regardless of whether we eat Breakfast or not, if we eat too many total calories across a day, we won't lose weight.
It's not enough to look at a single factor of our day when we are considering weight loss, we really need to look at the full picture.
Don't get me wrong, zero carb diets do suit some people better, but there's nothing magical about them.
When they work, they succeed in achieving weight loss through the same basic method as any other diet- by creating a negative calorie balance.
Considerable weight loss during the early stage of a zero carb diet is often because the body drops water weight (carbs make the body hold water).
However, as soon as they are reintroduced, much of that water weight is gained back. Expect a sudden increase on the scales!
Read more: Myth busters: 5 diet 'tips' that simply aren't true
Short and sweet, a calorie is still a calorie.
You could eat nothing but avocado, quinoa, grass-fed beef and chia seeds, but if you manage to pack away 5000 calories-worth, you will still likely gain weight.
Weight loss or weight gain ultimately boils down to the total number of calories eaten versus the total number burnt - if you take in too many, regardless of what foods they come from, you won't see the weight loss you want.
I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, too much fruit can make you gain weight, but only in the same way that too much of any food can make you gain weight if it causes you to eat too many calories.
Sugar is just a carb, and carbs contain 4 calories per gram, so from a calorie perspective, it's no more "fattening" than any other carb.
Fruit is a great source of vitamins and fibre, and so long as you don't consume too many calories from it, eating it won't lead to weight gain.
Want to know more? Make sure to check out the Facebook page for daily tips, advice, and guidance, all geared towards helping you get the results you want.
Belfast Telegraph Digital
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Diet fact or fiction: 5 more weight loss myths - Belfast Telegraph
