A Healthy Happy Medium: If I Didn't Know Better

If I didn't know better, it would be easy to believe a lot of the myths and media hype about weight loss and fitness. I used to trust a lot of these pervasive misconceptions, because most of them either sound plausible or carry a kernel of truth. While the internet and media proliferation have brought us great things, they have also allowed mountains of innacurate or blatantly false ideas to seep into every nook and cranny. So I thought I'd compile a list of what I consider the most perilous offenders.

This list (sadly) turned out much longer than I anticipated, so I've turned it into a 2-parter. Stay tuned for the top 5 next week!

10. Eating after 6 causes bad things to happen - True, if you also happen to be a hairy little animal that instigates a great deal of mischief and mayhem. The idea here is that when you eat late at night, the food "instantly turns to fat" because you're inactive and can't burn it off.

Reality: What time you eat won't make you fat. How much and what you eat is what matters. The main reason eating late can be a problem for people (including me) is that it is often due to skipping meals earlier in the day, making them ravenous later. So they eat more and make poorer choices in the evening, snacking on empty calories. However, if you're maintaining a caloric deficit and what you're eating is nutrient dense - feel free to eat as late as you want. You won't turn into a gremlin.

9. If you aren't a sweaty, gasping mess, don't bother - This one drives me crazy. Supposedly, if you don't torture yourself for hours with exercise and come out of it wanting to die, you won't get any benefit.

Reality: Vigorous exercise is good but you can get plenty of results from frequent, more moderate activities as well. You may not burn as many calories per minute or feel as much of an endorphin rush as you will from a brutal kick boxing class, but a brisk walk and playing with your kids at the park are an excellent way to add more activity to your day. You do not have to flog yourself at the gym for an hour every day to maintain good health and a reasonable fitness level. Your overall activity level is much more important than your workout program.

8. You must eliminate a food group to lose weight - Everything that tastes good is bad, and salad is what dieters eat, right? Or, conversely, carbs are evil and turn you into a hippo.

Reality: Unless you have a metabolic condition that prevents you from eating certain things (ie lactose intolerance, gluten allergy, or diabetes) cutting out any one food group doesn't work well for most people and usually isn't sustainable. The easiest way to obtain all the nutrients your body needs is to eat a wide variety of whole foods; including fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy, and complex carbohydrates and starches. If you have a special reason for not eating something, that's not a problem - but recognize that for most people it's not necessary and it makes your eating plan more complicated... and none of us need things to be more complicated.

7. If people can lose 20 lbs a week on Biggest Loser, so can I! - It depends, but not likely. We routinely see incredible results from the reality tv shows and contests. But there are a lot of factors that enable these people to get these results, and the results aren't always "real", realistic or healthy for the average person.

Reality: If you are morbidly obese, you may lose 20 lbs in a week. The first week. It will be mostly water, not fat. And don't expect those results to be repeated. If you aren't morbidly obese, don't expect those results... ever. There are reasons they can see dramatic losses. They are obese to morbidly obese. They dedicate 24/7 to weight loss, with little to no outside distraction from family or work. They have an entire team of "professionals" that supervise their program. They are on a very specialized, restricted diet, developed by a dietitian and prepared for them. They are under intense pressure. Finally, they use strategies that are unhealthy, such as dehydration before weigh-ins. Your progress will be slower, which is actually healthier. Your strategies should reflect YOUR lifestyle and help you develop long-term habits, not short-term fixes. You probably don't actually want the exact results they get. Why? Most of them regain their weight. Use these types of shows as motivation and inspiration, but don’t create unrealistic expectations for yourself based on a TV show that caters to ratings.

6. You need to cleanse your body from the inside - False. Toxins don't "build up" in your body and any of the commercial cleanses are just a way to take your money. They are also often unhealthy, promoting starvation, malnutrition, dehydration or loss of electrolytes, and many will cause side effects such as headaches, nausea, and fatigue.

Reality: The body is very efficient at removing things that shouldn't be in there. If you are eating healthy and you don't have any organ dysfunction (like liver or gallbladder), any toxins in your body are there naturally. If you aren't eating healthy... well, you know the solution. If you have organ dysfunction, you need to see a doctor, not use a dubious product that could make things worse. There are natural foods you can use to assist your body's normal functions, such as fresh lemon juice (stimulates the liver) and plain old whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. But commercial cleanses are anything but natural, you don't know what's in them and they just entice you to spend money on something you don't need.