Big Fat Myths

Myth No. 1: Don't Eat After 8 pm

Why?

Your metabolism is higher during the earlier part of the day, so food eaten late at night will not be used but stored as fat.

Reality?

Food is digested and the energy is used throughout the day, while the energy from the food you ate late at night may stay longer, it will get used eventually. However, it is a good move to avoid late night snacks, because you tend to make poor food choices when tired.

Practice

Try not to go more than 5 hours without eating. Being very hungry forces you to make lousy food choices. If you want to snack at night, choose something light like fruit or cereals rather than things like ice cream.

Myth No. 2: Eating Fat Makes You Fat

Why?

Fat has double the calories per gram compared to protein and carbohydrates. To lose weight, stop eating fat!

Reality?

Fat is not all bad, it gives flavour and a small amount of fat helps you feel full so you eat less in the end. We need fat to help absorb the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and other nutrients which are beneficial to health.

Practice

Eat a little fat, but choose the right kinds of fat such as mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats in olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts and in oily fish.

If there is a fat to avoid as much as possible, it is trans fat which is found in processed foods, fried fast food and margarine. Trans fat is unhealthy as it raises LDL cholesterol while depressing HDL cholesterol, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, recent studies suggest it also increases the risk of other health problems not connected to cardiovascular disease.

Myth No. 3: Rice Makes You Fat

Why?

The carbohydrates in rice are digested into sugars which are then stored as fat.

Reality?

Carbohydrates do not make you fat, extra calories do and that can come from eating excess carbohydrates, fats or proteins. Carbohydrates which includes vegetables, fruits and whole grain cereals form an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. So the real problem is the amount of rice that is eaten not the rice itself.

Practice

Eating rice is fine in moderation. So eat rice in small amounts, accompanied with vegetables and protein like chicken or meat. Choose brown rice or unpolished varieties which are more nutritious and contains more fibre than usual white rice.

Myth No. 4: Coffee Can Help You Lose Weight

Why?

Caffeine suppresses the appetite and boosts the metabolism.

Reality?

Drinking a couple of cups of coffee daily may keep your appetite at bay for a while but it is not enough to help with weight loss. To drink more coffee, four or more cups a day, can increase anxiety, pulse rate and blood pressure. Too much caffeine causes sleep disruption which is increasingly linked with weight gain. The stress of sleep disruption increases the level of the hormone, cortisol causing fewer calories to be burned. It also causes a shift in the balance of the hormones ghrelin and leptin in favour of the ghrelin which is a appetite stimulant.

Practice

Enjoy your coffee, but be aware for the things you add to it, sugar, whipped cream or chocolate, those are extra calories. Some of the ice blended coffees can have as many calories as a meal because of these extra add ons.

Myth No. 5: Going on a Diet Is the Best Way to Lose Weight

Why?

Changing to a temporary eating plan will help you lose some weight.

Reality?

Yes, a short term plan of eating less will lose some weight but because it is only a temporary change, the weight loss may not be permanent.

Practice

Instead change the way you eat, find an eating plan that you can sustain for the long term for weight loss. When you have achieved your desired weight, do not return to your old eating habits, to keep your lighter weight plan to eat less than you did when you were heavier.

Including exercise in the plan is important to help maintain the weight lost.