Weight Loss Diet Myths

If you are overweight, chances are you must have heard a lot of weight loss dieting tips from friends, colleagues and more. They are not experts but are spreading their word about something that is a plain myth or something that has worked for someone they know.

We have a tendency to follow such tips, hoping it would work for us. But we do not realize it could have some adverse side effect. Following are some common dieting myths which are mostly ineffective and some may cause damage to your health.

1. Fad diets work only if you continue them for long term
   Fad diets mainly consist of only some particular kind of foods in combination, Fad diets do not allow normal food intake and ban you from eating some products temporarily. These diets work but the results can not be long term as our body loses weight when it is in deficit of normal food intake. This sort of diet can cause malnutrition as it is very restrictive.
   
   Healthy dieting for weight loss is possible when you take balanced diet and keep a regular exercise routine.
   
   
2. High-protein and low-carb diets make you lose weight
   
   While you are on a weight loss program you lessen the amount of carbohydrates and instead replace them with whole grains fruits and vegetables. If you considerably reduce carbohydrate intake, chances are you will gain back as soon as you get back on your normal diet. Large protein intake can create problems. It is common to see side effects like fatigue, nausea, constipation in people eating such diets.
   
   
3. Low-fat or sugar free foods are good for weight control.
   Markets are flooding with non fat, low fat and sugar free products, which include jams, jellies, candies, granola bars, flavored yogurts, ice creams and more. There is no way to judge if they genuinely are less in fat or sugar content. Too much intake of such foods can cause no help. These must be completely avoided if you are diabetic or obese.
   
   
4. Only Grapefruit or only Cabbage soup diet causes quick weight loss
   Some kinds of foods, herbs and medicines help you to increase your metabolism but there is no such diet that can burn your fat, it is it just regular exercise which makes you burn the stored up fat and hence lose weight.
   Going on a grapefruits or cabbage soup diet will limit your food intake, it will make you lose some weight but it is extremely unhealthily to follow. Such diets are like starvation, which can damage your health.
   
   
5. Drinking water will make you lose weight.
   While it is true that ample water consumption is an important part of well-balanced diet, but drinking water alone can not cause weight loss. Avoiding high soft drinks will cause weight loss because by replacing them with water or a less calorie drink you are save calories. When you are hungry you need food, not water, it can just take care of your thirst. One must drink adequate water for proper body functioning.
   
   
6. Becoming vegetarian causes weight loss
   If you are prone to eating non vegetarian diet all your life, going vegetarian will cause drastic change and you are likely to lose muscle mass. There is no harm in becoming vegetarian, but one has to make sure that high protein food is consumed. In place of eating lean meats and fish, one can manage adequate protein intake by eating tofu, beans and high protein grains. Limiting yourself with non vegetarian food will not cause desired weight loss.
   

Go For Protein Rich Diet To Lose Weight

The high protein diet can help you build muscles and lose fats by providing your body the necessary nutrients to give you the energy to stay active. A high protein diet will enable a person to lose a lot of weight in a relatively short period. You can decrease your fats intake and cover up that by taking in more protein rich foods. The energy from protein is more beneficial and lasts longer. Sometimes the high protein diet is referred to as the power protein diet because of the amount of energy an individual receives from it. Protein consists of chains of amino acids that are used by our bodies to grow muscles, hair, nails, skin and internal organs.

Some foods that are high in proteins and can be used in diets:

Casein: Casein is the milk protein in cow’s milk and it is used in processed foods such as cheese and coffee. It helps in losing fats and cholesterol. Casein fills up the stomach by creating a gel-like substance that makes you feel full. It is also used by body-builders since it has high source of glutamine.

Whey: Whey is a natural protein from cow’s milk. It is obtained after milk has been strained. Whey provides the body with essential proteins and contains no fat or cholesterol . Whey is used in making variety of cheese along with heath foods.

Nuts: Nuts have a high protein content but they also contain a lot of fat. Nuts may be very beneficiary in protein rich diets for vegetarians. Since they are rich in fibres so they help in digestion.

Soy beans: There is no secret why Soya beans are recommended by anyone. Soy beans contain linolenic acid which is necessary for the growth of certain hormones. They are rich in high quality proteins which are essential for the the growth of body.

High protein diets also include lots of meat, fish, eggs, beans and lentils.

We need proteins at all stages of life, for a variety of bodily functions. It’s the major component of all cells, including muscle and bone. It’s required for growth, development, and immunity to fight against infections and protect the body.

Healthy weight loss

In order to successfully reach your weight loss goals, you first have a need to understand how to lose weight in healthy way. Healthy weight loss is attained neither through crash diets nor by too much of exercise. Understanding and adopting the healthiest way to loose weight is half of the solution to your problem.

In terms of food and exercise body needs slow changes. Following are some healthy weight lose Tips knowing which you can understand weight loss process better:

1. Energy intake and weight lose
   Food is the primary source of energy. Our body stores excess of energy as fat that is provided by the food. So eating more food then required by the body for the daily activities and cell maintenance, you probably will gain more weight. So you have to burn this excess amount of calories in order to lose weight in a healthy way and you can do this by reducing the amount of calorie intake or by increasing your daily activities.
   
2. Increasing the levels of activities
   Increasing the amount of exercise but maintaining the same diet and calorie intake helps in losing weight. There are lots of ways of increasing the amount of activities you do.
   
3. Reduce the calorie intake
   Reducing the calorie intake helps in a great way in losing weight. If you are currently overweight, then you have to change your eating habits.
   
4. Create your own diet plan
   You must see a dietician and take help in creating the perfect diet plan for you, which will provide you balanced diet and basic nutrients and also help you overcoming the hunger.
   
5. Write your own daily plan
   After making a decision on what changes you are going to make write them on a paper. Maintain a daily diary of food items you have had and at what hour, this will help you regularize your food intake.
   
6. Create your daily calorie maintenance level.
   Your daily calorie maintenance level is the key factor in creating your weight loss plan. As it is a key factor so it is very important that you must calculate this number accurately. It is based on many factors and is very specific to each person. As you note down the food and time you must also start interpreting what calories you have consumed by eating what. Educate yourself to the calories.
   
7. Create your weight loss diet plan
   After knowing your daily calorie maintenance level its important to create your daily weight loss plans. Measure your weight once a week before the breakfast so that you can properly track your progress. At last, it must be kept in mind that calories you are consuming each day are coming from the right food sources.
   
8. Continue losing weight
   At some point you may stop losing weight. When there is a small amount of weight to lose then it may happen that your weight loss might come to a stop. The reason for this is because as you gradually begin to lose weight, your body will start to change.
   
9. Keeping the weight off
   Once you have lost that amount of weight you want to, you have to stick to the same currently working habits. You cannot go back to your old eating habits. Going back to unbalanced meals and less activity will put you into gaining weight again.
   

Here are some weight loss diet tips that can be followed anywhere, everyday

1. Make a delicious low fat mayonnaise by combining one teaspoon of Dijon mustard or satay sauce with a low fat yogurt.
   
2. Do not skip meals. Skipping meals slicks the body into slowing down the metabolism, attempting to conserve calories during a period where limited fats and fuel are available. Remember that eating increases the metabolism.
   
3. Stuff vegetables like capsicum and zucchini with flavored fillings or minced chicken, white meat or fish. These are healthy and contain low fat.
   
4. Take pita bread roll ups or wraps with salad fillings.
   
5. Eight hours after waking up, our metabolism slows down that is why 30 minutes of exercise before dinner will increase the metabolism for about two to three hours. This produces an increase in burned fat even hours after the work out is over.
   
6. Add alfalfa or mung beans to salad to get extra iron.
   
7. Good cooking and healthy eating begins with learning about nutrition and how to prepare healthy recipes.
8. Learn how to make the family favorite recipes and make sure that fats, salt, and sugar are cut out. Substitute non-fat yogurt for cream, stir-fry without oil and use herbs and spices instead of salt to taste.
   
9. Consult the doctor before beginning an exercise or weight loss program.
   
10. Slowly eat and chew each bite during meals as this would decrease one's appetite.
    
11. Complete three small meals and two snacks everyday instead of one or two huge meals.
    
12. Use chicken stock when stir-frying. This will cut down on hidden fat.
    
13. Buy non-toasted muesli instead of the toasted ones. A plate of toasted muesli contains more fat than a plate of bacon and eggs.
    
14. As much as possible do not remove the skins of fruits and vegetables since most of the nutrients are concentrated under the skin.
    
15. Warm water with just a squeeze of lemon juice before breakfast get the metabolism going for the day, this also help preventing constipation and is excellent for the skin.
    
16. One of the best sources of vegetable protein is from soya beans or tofu. All legumes provide some protein, so include lentils, lima beans etc into casseroles and soups.
    
17. Look for a weight loss "buddy," club, or support mates. This will motivate you to stay and enjoy your weight loss program.
    
18. Though it's hard at first, try not eating 3 hours or more before bedtime.
    
19. Make pasta a fast food choice - preparing a pasta meal or salad will only take 10-12 minutes.
    
20. Chilli helps to speed up metabolism - even the milder varieties.
    
21. Try making omelettes without adding the yolks! A dramatic decrease in fat.
    
22. Substitute baking soda, baking powder, MSG and soya sauce in cooking.
    
23. Remove fat by dropping ice cubes into the baking tray. Fat will stick to the ice cubes.
    
24. Drinking hot water instead of cold water in the morning can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.
    
25. Eat before you go food shopping and always prepare a shopping list. Only buy food which relates to your weekly menu plan and don't be tempted to buy goodies.

Make sure that the right discipline is still practiced to promote consistency on the diet plan. This will lead eventually to a healthy life-style and a more fruitful living without the extra fat and extra pounds on the side.

Weight Loss: High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diets

High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been widely promoted in recent years as an effective approach to losing weight. These diets generally recommend dieters receive 30% to 50% of their total calories from protein. By comparison, the American Heart Association, the National Cholesterol Education Program, and the American Cancer Society all recommend a diet in which a smaller percentage of calories are derived from protein (nutrients essential to the building, maintenance, and repair of tissues in the body).

The Atkins diet is an example of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.

How Do These Diets Work?

By restricting carbohydrates drastically to a mere fraction of that found in the typical American diet, the body goes into a different metabolic state called ketosis, whereby it burns its own fat for fuel. Normally the body burns carbohydrates for fuel -- this is the main source of fuel for your brain, heart and many other organs. A person in ketosis is getting energy from ketones, little carbon fragments that are the fuel created by the breakdown of fat stores. When the body is in ketosis, you tend to feel less hungry, and thus you're likely to eat less than you might otherwise. However, ketosis can also cause health problems, such as kidney failure.

As a result, your body changes from a carbohydrate-burning engine into a fat-burning engine. So instead of relying on the carbohydrate-rich items you might typically consume for energy, and leaving your fat stores just where they were before (alas, the hips, belly, and thighs), your fat stores become a primary energy source. The purported result is weight loss.

What Are the Health Risks Associated With High Protein, Low Carb Diets?

High protein diets can cause a number of health problems, including:

• Kidney failure. Consuming too much protein puts a strain on the kidneys, which can make a person susceptible to kidney disease.
  

• High cholesterol. It is well known that high protein diets (consisting of red meat, whole dairy products, and other high fat foods) are linked to high cholesterol. Studies have linked high cholesterol levels to an increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke and cancer.
  

• Osteoporosis and kidney stones. High protein diets have also been shown to cause people to excrete more calcium than normal through their urine. Over a prolonged period of time, this can increase a person's risk of osteoporosis and kidney stones.
  

• Cancer. One of the reasons high protein diets increase the risks of certain health problems is because of the avoidance of carbohydrate-containing foods and the vitamins, minerals, fiber and anti-oxidants they contain. It is therefore important to obtain your protein from a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Not only are your needs for protein being met, but you are also helping to reduce your risk of developing cancer.
  

• Unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis). Low carb diets can cause your body to go into a dangerous metabolic state called ketosis since your body burns fat instead of glucose for energy. During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can cause organs to fail and result in gout, kidney stones, or kidney failure. Ketones can also dull a person's appetite, cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.