If you want to lose weight, don’t
sabotage your diet with these six common myths.
After weeks of holiday indulgences, many
runners are ready to start the New Year on a healthier food, and often that
means shedding kilos. But even the most health-savvy runners can get caught up
in diet myths that sabotage their goals. “Weight loss is so complex and
confusing because there is so much conflicting information out there,” says
dietician Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at a university medical
center. With our experts’ help and the latest research, we’ve dispelled six
myths so you can start slimming down for good.
Myth: No sweets before noon
No
sweets before noon
Most runners who want to lose weight assume
they have to ditch the dessert. But not only can you have it, you can have it
for breakfast, according to a study published in March 2012 in the journal Steriods:
Researchers found that participants who ate a 2500kJ, carb- and protein-rich
breakfast that included dessert such as chocolate or ice cream – lost more
weight over four months (and kept more off the following four months) than a
group that ate a low-carb morning meal. “Dessert for breakfast sounds so
sinful,” says Bonci, “but if you allow yourself a tad more indulgent breakfast,
you might eat less during the day instead of trying to be really ‘good’ and
overcompensating later.”
Make it work
Eat a 2500kJ or so breakfast rich in vegetables, fruit, protein, and carbs, and
add a sweet if you crave it. Avoid kilojoule bombs, like mega-chocolate chip
muffins, says Bonci; instead have a shake made with vanilla yoghurt, banana,
peanut butter, and a little chocolate, or a banana muffin with almond butter.
Myth: Added fiber keeps you full
Raw
fiber – not be ‘added’ kind – aids weight loss
High-fiber foods, like fruits and
vegetables, take longer to digest and hold more water, which is why they fill
you up and aid weight loss. Companies have capitalized on this by adding fiber
to everything from yoghurt to snack bars. But does this fiber work? University
researchers allowed study participants to replace two meals a day with a
low-fiber snack bar, or one that contained 10 grams of added fiber. The results
(published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
show the added fiber had no effect on fullness, and caused more bloating than
the low-fiber bars. “Everyone in the food industry is jumping on the fiber
bandwagon,” says Bonci, “but as this study shows, not all fibers are created
equal.”
Make it work
To quell hunger, Bonci recommends sticking with foods naturally high in fiber –
whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. They tend to be lower-kilojoule,
and take up more room in the stomach than processed foods with fiber.
Myth: Carbs lead to weight gain
To
cook a large batch of grains to eat all week
Runners know carbs are essential for
training, but many still cut back if they’re trying to lose weight. After all,
eating lots of carbs as you would, prerace causes the scale to go up. “Carbs
act like a sponge,” says Bonci, “helping you absorb water.” That weight is
temporary, and means you’re well-fuelled. But there’s more reason to keep carbs
whole grain carbs in your diet. According to a study published in April 2012,
participants who ate a low-kilojoule diet high in whole-wheat for 12 weeks lose
more fat than a group that ate a low-kilojoule diet high in refined wheat –
most probably because the extra fiber in whole grains was more filling.
Make it work
Whenever you eat grains, make them whole, says dietician Katherine Beals, PhD,
a university associate professor. To make this a reality, cook a large batch of
grains to eat all week. Add different nuts, dried fruits, vegetables, and meats
to vary the flavors.
Myth: Cut all fat
Eating
a low-fat diet decreased resting energy expenditure the most
Fat is the most kilojoule-dense nutrient,
so it would make sense that eating less of it would help you lose weight. But
slashing your fat intake may have the opposite effect. In a study published in
the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers compared
participants on three diets – low-fat, low-glycemic, and low-carb. Eating a
low-fat diet decreased resting energy expenditure (or the number of kilojoules
you burn at rest) the most. Cutting back on fat also affected hormones
essential to keeping cholesterol and insulin in check. “We need fat for many
reasons,” says Bonci. “It’s an important fuel source for exercise. If you don’t
consume enough, your body will burn muscles.”
Make it work
“When people eat a low-fat diet, they add flavor in other ways, such as by
eating sugar,” says Bonci. She recommends 30 per cent of your kilojoules come
from fat – and two-thirds of that should be the healthy unsaturated kinds from
nuts, oils, fish, eggs, and avocados.
Myth: You should only use zero-kilojoule
sweeteners
For
runners, using zero-kilojoule sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, and
stevia, may be an appealing choice
For runners looking to shed kilos, using
zero-kilojoule sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, and stevia, may be an
appealing choice, since swopping out a sugar-packed cooldrink for a diet
version is an easy way to cut kilojoules. But according to a joint study
statement by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes
Association, the scientific evidence connecting zero-kilojoule sweeteners with
long-term weight loss is inconclusive. Why? One of the main problems is
overcompensation. If you save 600 kilojoules by drinking a diet cool drink, but
then reward yourself with an extra helping at dinner, you’ve negated any kilojoule
saving benefit.
Make it work
“If you drink lots of cool drink or add tons of sugar to your coffee,” says
Bonci, “you may want to try diet versions.” However, “if using a zero-kilojoule
sweetener gives you license in your mind to eat whatever you want then it’s not
the right choice for you. You have to make sure cutting back in one arena
doesn’t prompt you to overdo it in another.”
Myth: Add more long runs
Make
sure you pay attention to your diet on days you do run long
Many runners assume that going longer is
always better especially when it comes to weight loss. But a recent Danish
study published in September 2012 found that this isn’t always the case. During
the study, researchers asked overweight participants to do 30 or 60 minutes of
moderate exercise a day. Surprisingly, those who exercised less lost more
weight during the 13-week study. What’s the catch? The group that exercised
longer ended up eating more throughout the day than the moderate-exercise
group. In other words, the longer they exercised, the more they overcompensated
for it.
Make it work
Running long is good, but not if you overeat because of it, says Beals. Make
sure you pay attention to your diet on days you do run long. On the flip side,
beginners should be encouraged to know you don’t need to run for hours to see
real weight-loss results.
