Myths And Misconceptions About Your Weight Part 2

Eating “carbs” such as pasta or bread will make you gain weight. Carbohydrates aka “carbs” are an essential part of the diet because they are what give the body the energy and fiber it needs. Besides, declaring an entire food group “off limits” just makes you crave it more, increasing the possibility of binging in a moment of weakness. Carbs help you to feel more “full”, which tells you to stop eating and taking in calories. In that sense, carbs can actually help you lose weight, not gain.

Diet sodas are healthier and less fattening than “regular” sodas. Not necessarily. Diet sodas cut down on calories in that they don't have sugar, but some artificial sweeteners can cause other problems. I have a friend who gets massive migraines any time she eats or drinks something with aspartame, the sweetener most commonly found in diet sodas. This isn't unusual and is hardly more healthy than taking in sugar! Diet sodas also do not satisfy cravings for sugar and thus increase the possibility of eating sweets to make up the difference.

Low fat=low calorie. Similar to the above, this isn't always true. While there are definitely low-fat foods that have fewer calories than the full-fat versions, sometimes the foods are processed in such a way that can negate any benefits gained from removing the fat. For instance, sometimes starches or sugars are added to improve the flavor and make a low-fat food more appealing. This can add extra calories, sometimes making the “healthier” version more caloric than the original.

Also, a big misconception many people have about low-fat or low-calorie foods is that they can eat more of them and not worry about gaining weight. That's not necessarily true. Snackwell's cookies might have fewer calories than the same-sized box of Keebler, but that doesn't mean you can eat the whole box and not take in too many calories.

People who exercise can eat whatever they want because they'll burn off the calories. That really would be nice, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, this isn't true for a few reasons. First of all, not everyone burns calories at the same rate. Just because you're in a Zumba class with someone doesn't mean you'll burn off the same amount of calories she will. It's not that simple; she may have a completely different metabolism, weight and body composition than you. Also, we don't always burn off as many calories as we think. If a 130-lb woman wanted to burn off 400 calories, she'd have to walk at a moderate pace for roughly 2 hours or spend an hour on the exercise bike. That's more than a lot of us are willing or able to do. However athletic we are, we still need to pay attention to calories.

The good news is that we burn a lot more calories than we think. Here's a page that gives the calories used for daily activities. http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm

These are just a few of the more common myths I've heard. What about you?

Myths And Misconceptions About Your Weight, Part 1

The obesity epidemic in the United States and other parts of the world have a lot of us scrambling to find information about how we can make sure to keep a healthy weight. Every week there seems to be a story about a new “superfood” or warning about how awful X type of food is for us.. We hear all sorts of things about our weight, but how much of what we hear is true? How much is false, or a lot more complicated than we think? In this post, I will attempt to separate the facts from the truth when it comes to the effects our behavior has on our weight.

People who are overweight are unhealthy. While there are a lot of medical conditions that are caused or exacerbated by weight gain, having extra pounds doesn't necessarily mean a person is unhealthy. A person's body composition is often overlooked in discussions about obesity, but it actually makes a huge difference in the effect of extra weight. Muscle weighs the same or more than fat, but it takes up less space on the body. This is why you might hear about professional athletes or body builders falling into the “obese” category on the Body Mass Index (a scale often used to determine a person's healthy weight) while “couch potatoes” don't. Basketball player LeBron James, for instance, has a BMI of 27, which would technically put him in the 'obese' category. However, the man is 6'8” tall and solid as a rock! In contrast, the sedentary person mentioned above would be at an increased risk for diabetes and cholesterol problems, particularly if the fat is around the midsection. The BMI scale can be helpful for doctors, but a person's activity and eating habits are a lot more important than the number on the scale.

If you eat less, you'll lose weight. While calorie and portion control are very important, eating less will not necessarily make you lose weight. It's not quite that simple. If the body doesn't get enough calories over a long period of time, it goes into “famine mode”; meaning, it holds onto what little food it does get and won't let go. This is why burning off more than you eat and exactly what you eat is a lot more important than calories in the long run.

Eating at night causes you to gain weight more than eating during the day. While it's true that calories consumed during the day are more likely to be burned off right away than calories consumed at night, eating at night isn't necessarily going to make you gain weight. Calories are calories.

Going vegetarian or vegan will make you lose weight. Not necessarily. Vegans and vegetarians do often consume fewer calories than their meat-eating counterparts because of the fats often found in meat. However, a lot depends on whether or not you eat processed foods such as “vegan” cookies or potato chips because these may still have some of the fats present in the “regular” versions. Also, it's important that a person balance their diet because it's very easy for someone to go without protein and other essential nutrients if they aren't careful about exactly what they're taking in. Protein is very important to the metabolism, which is what controls the rate at which calories are burned. A low metabolism can cause weight gain.

Keeping Your Weight In Check While Pregnant

Becoming a mother is a wonderful process. It does however, come with its ups and downs and one of those is weight gain during those nine months. Keeping your weight in check while pregnant is important for several reasons.

Staying within a normal weight range while carrying the baby is a good practice for you for when that big day arrives. If you have gained so much excess weight that you find it difficult doing normal activities, it may very well be a challenge to actually deliver the baby. Most doctors say it is normal for pregnant women to gain between twenty and thirty pounds. Some gain less of course, and those that may have been overweight prior to becoming pregnant can gain a bit more than the average. Many women enjoy having the freedom to eat as they please and enjoy those cravings they are experiencing during those nine months. Others have an eating addiction while pregnant and can gain even seventy pounds or more.

Eating and giving into your cravings is fine while pregnant, after all you are eating for two now. However, there can be risks to gaining too much weight and many other ailments that can come along with it. You do not want to get so big that you cannot function as you once did. Having a stretched out tummy will be enough work for you, you do not want the added pressure of total overall body weight on your joints. Gestational diabetes can occur as well, which you will be tested for somewhere around the twenty second week of your pregnancy. Your doctor can help by putting you on a special diet if you feel you need it, and they can also help you gain weight if you should be lacking during your pregnancy.

Staying fit while carrying the baby is easier than some think. First, drink plenty of water. This is a must to stay trim and also you can go into preterm labor and start having contractions just as a result of being dehydrated. Next, walk or cycle or swim while pregnant. Many women feel okay walking the first and second trimesters, it is when it gets to the end right around the third trimester that you become cautious of it as it can start your labor too early. Swimming is excellent during the third trimester is a great way to stay in shape and relax all the pressure off of your spine from carrying around the heavy baby for so long. It can really help you sleep better and feel more at ease once you have taken up swimming for around twenty minutes. Some things to avoid would be any exercises that involve jumping, climbing, running (if you were not a runner before getting pregnant) or full contact sports of any kind. You do not need to put the baby's health at risk by just aiming to get fit. Consult with your doctor for additional information, and always eat smaller meals throughout the day while pregnant.

Eating For Improved Organ Health

When you receive the news of your high cholesterol or that your stomach is slowly losing proper function or even that you now have clogged arteries, you may be a bit in shock. It seems as if most people that are diagnosed with some form the previously mentioned issues are not aware they were harming themselves by the way they were eating for the past few years. Everyone by now is fully aware of the dangers of fatty foods and what it can do your heart, but are they aware that what you eat can destroy your internal organs as well?

It is very true, a painful truth to be exact, but millions of people are facing it each day when they complain of stomach pain or when they experience a sudden weight gain. Your doctor will check over all the obvious concerns first, but it you are scheduled for an upper GI test, you can guess it is something stomach related. Many people eat fatty foods and foods that are over-processed and high in salt and it results in hurting your stomach and those organs around it fairly quickly. For example, when you eat a piece of pie or a large greasy plate of fries what happens is your organs inside the stomach area are instantly confused. It is as if you just swallowed a pencil to them, they have to take additional time to begin to breakdown what you have just eaten and it causes a strain on the pancreas, kidneys and gull bladder each time you eat something bad for you. It will eventually take a toll on your insides with some having to endure conditions such as gull bladder surgery, pancreatitis, liver or kidney issues and diabetes as well. These are all totally preventable conditions in most cases, making it even more necessary to pay attention to these foods and what permit yourself to eat each day.

Often, your body will alert you as to which foods it desires to steer clear of. This can come in the form of getting a simple stomach ache, having a episode of vomiting or even a mild form of feeling tired and perhaps a headache. The body will generally provide these symptoms to notify you that it simply does not feel well and to please stop placing these types of foods into it! Once way to get over the symptoms when they appear is to drink a few glasses of water, this will not only begin to flush out the food left inside the stomach, but it will also help any left over food particles that the pancreas is having difficulty breaking down begin to dissolve them faster. Carefully observe the way you feel by changing what you eat into less foods that are full of fat and high in sodium as well the greasy ones. After a few days, you will feel more energized, you may begin to lose weight and you will also sleep better all by making a few smart food modifications to your daily routine.