17 Big Fat Diet Lies

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We’ve all been inundated with so much information about fat, calories and losing weight that it’s difficult to tell what’s true and what isn’t.  Here are 17 everyday diet myths – just how many have you been sucked in by?

 

1. Diets don’t work: Not true.  Even though “Diet” is becoming a dirty word, most weight-loss plans do help you shed kilos (that is, if you stick to them!).  The problem is keeping the weight off.  The key to success, say the experts, is twofold.  First: pick a program that helps you improve eating habits by teaching you to make smarter food choices.  Two: ease into a maintenance program by gradually introducing more foods and larger portions week by week, watching the scales as you do so.

 

2. Dinner should never be your biggest meal: Why not?  As long as your overall fat and calorie content is within reasonable bounds, it doesn’t matter which meal is larger.  If you want a bigger dinner, skimping may just push you to snack later on.

 

3. Popcorn is a dieter’s dream food: At 30 calories a cup and with virtually no fat, air-popped popcorn is.  But prepared packs for the microwave can contain nearly 30 grams of fat.  Eat one bowl and you can easily take in 2 to 15 grams of fat.  Also, watch out for snack bags of popcorn that have fat, sugar, even nuts added after the corn has been popped; ditto popcorn sold at the movies – it can be loaded with fat.

 

4. If you want to lose weight, cut out snacks and desserts: This might be a formula for failure.  Research shows that people who “graze” – eat many, small snack-like meals during the day – tend to be slimmer and have steadier blood-sugar levels, which help prevent hunger.  Besides, banishing desserts could make you feel deprived and trigger a binge.  You can – and should – eat a little of anything while you are on a diet plan.

 

5. Fruit flavoured mineral waters are more slimming than regular soft drinks: Not if they’re loaded with added sugar.  Some have over 86 calories for a small 200ml glass, slightly more than the same drink of regular cola.  To keep on the right diet track, look for varieties that have just the fruit flavour but no sweeteners added.  Best of all?  At zero kilojoules, plain mineral water with a twist of lemon.

 

6. White wine has fewer kilojoules than red: Guess again.  White wine contains the same number of kilojoules as red – about 100 calories for a 150ml glass.  While that’s not very high, drinking wine (or any alcohol) can hinder weight loss by loosening your resolve, so you end up eating more than you originally intended – and calories add up if you have a couple of glasses.

 

7. Brown bread is a good source of fibre: Not always.  For high fibre, you need to go for bread that is made from wholemeal flour.  So called “brown” bread is not necessarily high fibre, while some white breads can have added fibre.

 

8. Muesli-based cereals are better for dieters than sweetened cereals: Sorry! While sweetened cereals do have more sugar (but not much more) they are often fat-free or close to it.  For instance, one Weetbix biscuit is about 65 calories.  Healthy-sounding toasted muesli can weigh in at 138 calories and 6 grams of fat for a 30g serving.  Always check the label.

 

9. If you eat a very low-fat diet, you can lose weight without counting kilojoules: Not necessarily.  Fat is more calorie dense than carbohydrates – 9 calories per gram versus 4 calories – so reducing fat will help you lose.  But you must also burn off more calories than you take in.  You cannot lose weight on a low-fat diet that is high in calories.

 

10. It’s okay to be lavish with olive oil: It isn’t!  While monounsaturated olive oil is low in cholesterol and for health reasons preferable to animal fats, it needs to be used with caution in a slimming diet.  Oil is oil and whatever its origin has 120 calories per level tablespoon.

 

11. Whole milk is more nutritious than skim milk: Since whole milk is richer in fat, it stands to reason that it’s richer in everything else, right?    When fat is removed from milk, the other nutrients become more concentrated, so not only is skim milk more slimming, it’s slightly higher in protein and calcium.  This makes it perfect for dieters, who may skimp on nutrients like calcium.

 

12. Margarine has fewer calories than butter: Sorry, but in terms of calories the two are created equal: 145 calories and 16 grams of fat per tablespoon.  Reduced fat and whipped margarines are lower in calories.

 

13. Salad bars are the safest place for dieters: Sadly, they’re not.  A recent study found that salad dressing is one of the top sources of fat in women’s diets.  High-fat add-ons like croutons, cheese and marinated vegetables don’t help either.  Keep your greens lean by sticking to fresh vegies, chicken breast or mayonnaise-free tuna, and go easy on dressing (look for low calories versions).

 

14. Multivitamins provide all the nutrients you need: Dieters often pop a daily multivitamin to cover their nutritional bases.  But while some multivitamins are more complete than others, none of them has everything you need.  Even if you take vitamins, do eat foods rich in calcium (such as skim milk and broccoli) and magnesium (dark leafy greens, dried beans and bananas).

 

15. Drinking lots of water will flush out fat: Water may be essential to live, but not for shedding kilos – it has no proven weight-loss benefits.  However, some people mistake thirst for hunger, so drinking a lot of water may be a good idea for them.

 

16. Salad bars: These are not always the dieter’s best friend.  Salad dressing can be a major source of fat.

 

17. White wine is better: Think that white wine has fewer calories than red?  Both total the same calories – 420 – for a 150ml glass.

 

THE BIGGEST LIE

Know someone who claims they eat like a bird but can’t lose weight?  Truth is, we all eat more than we think we do.  One important experiment had dieters keep journals of how much they ate and exercised, then compared those records with sophisticated lab test that can tell the real story.  The results?  The dieters under-reported their food intake by an average of 47 percent and over-reported their physical activity by about 51 percent.