Right now, you are probably an expert on the weight loss TIPS from twenty years ago. Tips like starving yourself to lose weight (it just makes your body hold onto fat)… crash dieting for superfast weight loss (effects are short term with long-term damage)… and the big one, completely eliminating one food group, like carbs or fat (completely unsustainable).
But what about the new rumors going around? Here are the top five tips circulating today that will actually keep from losing weight – if you fall for them.
Weight Loss TIP #1: Everything I eat needs to be “low” or “non” fat
Natural fat in food products is not necessarily the culprit in our nation’s widening waistlines.
When natural fat is removed, the flavour goes with it. Food companies add the
flavour back with sugar or unnatural sweeteners, which slap on the pounds at least as
quickly as the natural fat. (Not to mention the dangerous chemicals your food was exposed
to in order to remove the fat in the first place!)
Weight Loss TIP #2: Lifting weights will make me bulky
Please do not be so hasty to cut weight lifting out of your fitness regime. You are not going to
bulk up without a LOT of high weight, low rep lifting work along with a high-protein, high
calorie diet. For weight loss, integrate both high and low rep weight sets into your fitness
program to increase muscle endurance, stamina, and of course, muscle density. Higher
muscle density increases your metabolism to shed pounds faster than ever.
Weight Loss TIP #3: “Healthy” restaurant menu items are just as healthy as cooking at home
Restaurants may try to tempt you with specially marked “low calorie” and “heart healthy”
items. Don’t fall for this weight loss tip. Unless you’re cooking your food in your kitchen, you probably have no idea what butter is being slathered over your meals, what oil is being used for cooking, or how nutrient depleted your vegetables are.
Weight Loss TIP #4: Salad is the best meal for weight loss.
Unless it’s filled with a variety of dark leaves like arugula and kale, colourful vegetables,
lean meats or seafood, and goodies like julienned carrots and diced egg, then salad is not
a meal, it’s a side. Plain iceberg lettuce is 95% water, which is why your body will be unsatisfied, most likely leading to a binge later. Eating is as much about filling your stomach as it is satisfying your eyes and taste buds, so don’t be afraid to enjoy something more filling.
Weight Loss TIP #5: Exercising on an empty stomach will burn more fat.
You might feel a little bit sick if you eat a big meal and then go for a long run, but running
on a hungry stomach is counterproductive. You need energy for an effective calorie- and
fat-burning workout. Without it, the intensity of your exercise – and your results – will suffer.
Plus, once you get back, you’re going to be so hungry that everything in the fridge will be
fair game.