Debunking “Weight Loss” Myths

I just returned from a fabulous week teaching nutrition & wellness @ Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Upon my return, I watched an episode of Dr. Oz to get my fill on how he is communicating wellness to the world. His episode corresponded with my first lecture @ the Ranch regarding the confusion surrounding nutrition and dieting.

Here are a few of the common myths:

1. You CAN NOT restrict, deprive and trick your body into losing weight. Counting calories and fat grams will not assist you in achieving health and balance. There are tools for you to become more aware, however your body needs vitamins and minerals from food to be converted to lean muscle to run efficiently. Dieting does not support this concept and leaves your body starving and breaking down muscle to store as fat for survival.

2. Drinking water before you eat meals to help you feel full is not best for fat loss and health. Try to drink water the entire day except with meals. While you are eating you need the digestive juices to properly breakdown the food and the water will dilute these and this can cause bloating and other digestive issues.

3. It is best NOT to eat after 8 pm is not a permanent rule to implement. If you arrive home late from work and this is your relaxing home cooked meal, this is a wonderful healthy lifestyle choice. I recommend to NOT worry about this fact, however to review your entire day as a whole. If you are hungry every 2 hours or always want to have late night snacks, you are not eating a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat through out your day. Also, people in other countries eat dinner late and have a positive attitude about food and health.

4. Read labels with a new intention of NOT looking @ fat grams first. However, look at the sugar content and the ingredients. In the late 1980’s we were all taught that fat was “bad” and trained to look at fat grams on labels. Low fat foods got our health into heaps of trouble. Now, look at the label for sugars and you want this number to be lower than 15 grams, depending on the product. Then check the ingredient list of the item and make sure you can read these and they come from whole food sources. Try not purchasing foods containing hydrogenated oils or false sugars such as; sucralose, Splenda, and aspartame. Real, whole foods is what your body craves.

Make it a great day,
Heather Fleming