Five Common Myths About Losing Weight Fast

Fast weight loss is becoming very commonplace throughout the world. We are undergoing an obesity epidemic that is causing people to seek more an better ways to lose weight quickly and permanently. There are many myths associated with this desire for quick weight loss and we will discuss some here.

Myth 1: You can achieve permanent weight loss with fad diets.

Fact: This is another common myth among the weight loss crowd. Fad diets are generally not healthy for you. A proper diet supplies the body with all the calories, proteins and minerals it needs. Diets that cut out foods without regard for the needs of your body cannot be healthy for you. Fad diets usually fail to deliver on the promise of permanent weight loss because people will continue crave the forbidden foods and will always end up by cheating, breaking the rules and eventually ditching the diet.

The real key to making weight loss permanent is to increase your exercise and to avoid eating foods that make you fat without nourishing your body. Extensive studies confirm the importance of exercising and of a well-balanced diet.

Myth 2: A high protein/low carbohydrate diet is OK.

Fact: These diets secure most of the daily requirement of calories from high protein foods, such as meat, dairy products and eggs, with a very small portion taken from foods containing a lot of carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes and fruits. The biggest problem with these diets is that many common and popular foods are forbidden. As a result it is easy for the user to get bored or frustrated. Once boredom and frustration set in, quitting time is never far off. Another problem is the lack of nutrients that are usually brought in by foods with carbohydrates, while allowing the user to eat bacon and cheese can raise cholesterol levels.

High protein/low carbohydrate diets result in fast weight loss in some users, but its not only fat that goes away. You can also lose some of your lean muscle mass and a lot of water as the kidneys work harder to rid the body of excess waste from the metabolizing of the protein and fat.

This stress to your kidneys is not healthy at all. Over time it can lead to dehydration, headaches, feelings of nausea and dizziness. Before engaging in a long-term diet to lose weight fast on a high protein/low carbohydrate diet you should discuss it with your physician. And if you are really committed to dieting, try a balanced diet first, because it will help you lose weight without injuring your system.

Myth 3: You will lose weight faster and stay healthier by switching to vegetarian foods.

Fact: It is a hard pill to swallow, but no food plan will work for you unless you take charge of your eating habits and make sure that everything that goes past your lips is the right kind of food. You need to be absolutely sure that the vegetarian diet will give your body all the nutrients and calories it needs. Eating large quantities of foods that do nothing for you nutritionally may fill your stomach but can cause you a lot of trouble in the future.

Plants tend to have lower concentrations of nutrients than meat consequently you will have to eat more food to make up for this difference. A strictly vegetarian diet will not get you enough vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium and zinc. Your body derives these substances mostly from dairy products and eggs in a regular diet, but true vegetarians don’t eat them. To keep you levels of these nutrients normal you have to rely on the few and uncommon vegetables that can provide these substances.

Myth 4: No-fat and low- fat foods are always the best choice.

Fact: Fruits are the only low fat foods that are also low in calories. Most of the low-fat or non-fat group are not a safe choice when you are dieting. Almost all of these products have added sugar, starch or flour to make them taste better. This means extra calories that do not belong into your diet. Make sure that you check the list of ingredients on packages whenever you decide to buy low-fat or no-fat foods.

Myth5: Dairy products can cause heart problems and will make you fat.

Fact: Modern medicine has declared that eating a lot of dairy products is a surefire path to high blood pressure and stroke, despite the fact that a large group of people from France refuses to die even though they consume large quantities of cheese and wine.

Dairy products provide a main source of calcium that keeps your bones strong and healthy. They are absolutely essential for children and should not be overlooked by adults. Dairy products also contain vitamin D, which is crucial to maintaining the normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in your bloodstream.

To avoid weight gain from dairy products choose low-fat or non-fat brands. They are becoming more and more popular with people losing weight. If you are lactose-intolerant, drink lactose free milk, soy milk or rice milk. It does not taste exactly the same as true milk, but it’s still very nutritious.

The only dairy products you should worry about are butter and margarine. They do contain high levels of fat. If you can’t survive without them, at least eat butter. Margarine is a highly processed fat that is not very good for you. Butter may be a bit fatter, but it definitely is the lesser of these two evils.

These five myths only scratch the surface of what is out there. Be sure to confirm the facts before starting on a quick weight loss program. It is always imperative to combine a good diet with sensible exercise. You can often accelerate your results by utilizing a good diet supplement.

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