To Your Health: 172) ANOTHER FIVE MORE MYTHS ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS

Are you still digesting the first 15 myths about weight loss? I hope you won't end up with indigestion as I have five more myths to feed you!

Let's get to the chase but remember to chew slowly when reading the following five myths and facts.

MYTH # 16 CARBOHYDRATES OR STARCHES LIKE BREAD MAKE YOU FAT

Some people argue that one should avoid starchy foods such as potatoes and rice when they want to lose weight.

FACT

For a balanced diet, we still require carbs and none of the 3 macronutrients-fat, protein, carbs) make you fat. It is only excess calories that can make you put on the pounds.

You can consume as many carbs as you like. As long as your total daily caloric intake is less than the calories you burn, you will not gain more weight.

MYTH # 17 AVOID EATING DESSERTS

You never see a cookie or cake in a diet plan do you? We are always mindful of these tasty desserts because it contains fat and sugar which spells 'fattening, right. Well, here is the fact.

FACT

Researchers have found that eating dessert, especially in the morning actually satiates cravings throughout the day. People who include dessert in their diet not only lost more weight than those who abstain. Furthermore, they also keep the pounds off longer.

When you eliminate sweets completely from your diet, it actually increases your desire for these food to the point of addiction in the long term. So indulge a little from time to time is beneficial.

MYTH # 18 YOU DON'T NEED TO DIET. EXERCISE ALONE IS SUFFICIENT FOR WEIGHT LOSS

You may have heard one time or another a person say this right before eating a meal, "Well, I am going to burn it off by exercising"?

Fact

No doubt that exercise is a great way to burn calories, mots of the times it is still not sufficient by itself to create the caloric deficit required for the weight to drop. Dieting should also be adopted with exercise to make the result more effective.

For example, to lose 1 lb a week, you need to burn 500 more calories a day than you eat. If you are relying totally on exercise to get this 500 calorie deficit, to achieve, you need to swim every day or walk briskly for 2 huours or clean yourhouse for 3 hours.

To keep doing these activities every day and for that long is very difficult. Just by snacking on two cans of Coca-cola or two cups of Caffe Latte already contain 500 calories!

Which would you prefer? Walk for 2 hours or skip the calorie laden snacks?

So for the purpose of practicality, exercise alone will not help you lose weight fast. Calorie restriction is still the key and much more effective.

MYTH # 19 TO PERMANENTLY LOSE WEIGHT, FOLLOW A FAD DIET

You get attracted to the tag lines such as "Lose inches from your waist wearing the Muscle Tone Belt!" Do you notice that each year there is a new diet craze or exercise devise that makes hyped up health claims?

Bold promises and appearing to work better than its predecessor stir up the enthusiasm of consumers and gaining masses appeal.

You may have come across a cabbage soup diet or the lemon with red pepper juice diet, then the African cactus Hoodia pills and the fads keep cropping up.

FACT

The truth is fad diets work but only temporarily. They do help you lose a few pounds, but they require you to strictly follow the plan by cutting many foods from your diet and the goal is to limit your calories. Or you take a pill that will decrease your hunger. You will come to a realization that this method is not sustainable and it is hard to follow. Moreover, fad diets are usually not nutritionally balanced. That is why fad diets come and go. Results are short-lived and so is their notoriety.

Fads can also be deceptive. For example, if the company claims that their abdominal exercise device can make you lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks by just using it for 3 minutes a day it sounds too good to be true. So beware.

MYTH # 20 BECOME A VEGETARIAN, LOSE WEIGHT AND BE HEALTHIER

Since vegetables and fruits have low calories and are full of vitamins and minerals, they should help one lose weight and become healthier. Well, this is a misconception.

FACT

A poorly planned vegetarian diet can make you fat and nutritionally deficient. Similar to all other diets, a vegetarian diet need to be properly monitored in order to lead to a healthy weight loss.

Irregardless of the type of diet you follow, you will always gain weight if you eat more than what you burn. It is true that vegetarian foods are usually not high in calories, however, there are plenty of calorie-dense choices available such as plant oils such as olive oil, fruits such as avocados, starchy vegetables such as potatoes that can make a vegetarian gain weight fast.

Furthermore, research has shown that vegans generally become deficient in iron, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B12, zinc, and protein, which will lead to lower bone density which is a risk factor for bone fractures. It increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in comparison with meat eaters. So unless you plan your diet carefully, going vegan may not be healthier.

My next topic for discussion is, "5 Reasons Why You Are Still Single."