If there is one thing that is rarely affected by the economic situation in the USA, it is our love for food. Americans eat a lot, and most times, unhealthy foods, irrespective of what the White house, congress, or stock market is saying. This fact is evident in the weight and physical size of many Americans. Weight is more significant issue to women as compare to men; whether as a work-at-home mom or a retail worker, women tend to gather much fat in the body from their daily food consumption and general lifestyle.
How about shedding that weight, what is the best method to diet and lose weight? There has been a lot of talk about eating natural foods only, cutting out soda completely, or just exercising daily no matter what one eats. Many of the things we hear about weight loss are just myths, cooked-up fads that have lived with us for decades and have become a part of our lives. So, what are the top three women’s weight loss myths?
- Eating less would help you lose weight.
There is no bigger myth than this, especially in respect to women. In fact, experience has shown that even some people suffering from obesity eat even lesser than other people who don’t suffer from that terrible condition. So, where did this myth come from? The idea that skipping meals is equivalent to eating less calories is one of those advices we get from our grannies; some use them as examples. “Old people eat less and that explains their slim frame.” Wrong!
Eating less or frequently skipping proper meals leads to another vice – frequent snacking. And because most of the snacks we pick up at restaurants and fast foods centers are not high in nutrition, instead they tend to pack unnecessary oils, sugars, and fat which would in turn fill the stomach with huge amounts of calories (even from small bites); foods etched into our culture like cheeseburgers, fries, and apple pies fall into this category.
In essence, it is not about skipping meals or eating ‘6 mini meals in place of 3 full meals’ that solves the problem; this is just a myth. Better to pack your plate with green vegetables, fruits, beans, and other healthy foods in varieties of combinations 3 times a day than snack on unhealthy foods and beverages in pretense of ‘skipping meals.’
- Lifting weights leads to weight gain.
This one is also far from the truth. To maintain a natural body structure and avoid obesity, it is necessary to stimulate your muscles through physical activities, and weight lifting is just one of such exercises. Apart from the toning of the muscle and body fat loss during this process, the sweat that comes out of the body helps keep the skin pores open and clear for proper oxygenation and overall wellness.
Lifting weights uses up the fat in the body for energy to see the process though, and as such, fats are being burnt up rapidly. In its place, it builds up the muscles making them firmer and stronger. The different light weights used at home or in the gym are designed to concentrate blood flow around the muscles of the arm or legs; even simple weights lifted while squatting and standing helps burn fats considerably. To say the contrary is simply one of those myths we grew up believing.
- Eating more fat free foods is healthy.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions in the science or art of weight loss. Sometimes, the issue is not about the huge calories in fatty foods, understanding what fat to consume is the key. Running away from low fat foods is not in any way healthy. The body needs fats to repair broken tissues, for energy purposes, and to transport vital vitamins like A, D, E, and K around the body. These vitamins are crucial to the general wellbeing of women. According to dieticians, a woman requires at least 30g of fat per day or 70g as ideal quantity.
In other words, selecting the type of fat and their sources is what is most important. Instead of margarine, try olive oil; instead of butter, use avocados. These also contain important oil but far safer and better than saturated, unsaturated, or hydrogenated fats. It is these sets of fats that kills your weight loss efforts drastically.
In the end, it’s all about information. As the days go by, more work is done in research and academic institutions which are shedding more light on what would work best for women to have a proper diet which is natural, avoid obesity, and lead a healthy, happy life.
