Perhaps you’ve considered going on a weight loss diet at various times in your life. But maybe you hesitated because you thought it was too complicated or too hard. Judging by all the information about dieting that’s out there, there are a lot of myths making the rounds. Read on to learn more about them, and why they’re wrong.

1. The most popular of dieting myths is that the best way to lose weight is by cutting out as much food and calories as you can. This way of dieting can be highly damaging to your health. Your body thinks it’s starving and will cling to its fat stores tenaciously.

2. Another myth we face in our quest for a slimmer waistline is one that tells us to eat only one specific type of food. The peppered water, grapefruit and the hot dog diet fads have resulted in many binges over the years. Following dangerous fad diets means your body’s not getting the necessary nutrients it needs to fight off illnesses and stay healthy.

3. Perhaps you’ve read that you must never stray from your eating plan, even the tiniest bit. If you do slip up, you have to make up for it by exercising for long hours. This just isn’t true. Really, you can have that piece of chocolate cake occasionally. You only need to adjust your calorie intake for the day. There’s really no need to exercise for hours just to compensate for one little treat.

4. A popular myth is that you should avoid eating before bedtime because your body will just store all the calories as fat. This just isn’t the case, since dieting only involves healthy eating and restricting your daily calorie consumption. If you have a small snack before bedtime, it won’t have any real impact. That is, unless it’s a three course gourmet dinner or a family size tub of ice cream.

5. Maybe you’ve heard of the one that tells you not to eat at all between established mealtimes? It’s actually healthier if you do snack occasionally. Consume several mini meals through your day and your hunger won’t overwhelm you. By eliminating snacks between meals, you’re only going to make yourself hungrier at meal times. You might end up eating considerably more food than your body requires just to keep hunger at bay.

6. There’s another myth that says you shouldn’t consume any dairy products at all because they’re too fattening. But dairy contains nutrients your body needs, so you shouldn’t eliminate it from your diet. Indeed, there is research indicating that regular consumption of dairy products can lead to dropped pounds. But don’t overindulge, and choose lower fat products.

Try not to fall victim to the myriad of diet myths circulating the internet. Nutritious, mindful eating along with regular exercise can be the combination that will help you with your healthy weight loss.

Tags: dieting, healthy weight loss, Weight Loss

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 12:28 pm and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.