Nutrition no-nos: true or false?
You may have lived your whole life under the impression that fewer calories = slimmer waistline or thinking that fat-free foods are better for your health. A lot of nutrition information that we pick up from the internet (or from our peers) can be misleading, outdated, or difficult to understand!
Research about what is beneficial or detrimental to the human body is always changing, though I've chosen five diet myths that hold up despite the comings and goings of popular health trends.
MYTH: Restricting Calories Will Help You Lose Weight
You may experience weight loss by severely limiting calorie intake, but this strategy won't work for long. It's hard to stick to a deprivation-based diet plan because your body is hungry and WANTS you to feed it, and this is why most people who restrict calories end up gaining weight back - sometimes even more than they started with!
I used to think that eating seeds was going to get me fit! Needless to say, that didn't work.. Our bodies are designed to adapt to situations in which resources are scarce, so survival mode kicks in when you starve yourself and fewer calories are needed to survive. In turn, the calories you do consume would be stored efficiently and harder to get rid of because your system doesn't know when it'll get properly fed. Basically your body begins to not trust you so its storing everything to use as energy later on.
That being said, it's not hard to go overboard on calories considering how easy it is to access packaged, processed foods, so it's important to learn about how many calories your individual body requires to maintain a healthy weight. When shopping in the grocery store, stick to the perimeter of the store. It is filled with more nutritious and less processed foods.
MYTH: Eating Fat Is Bad For You
A modest amount of fat can help you feel full and satisfied longer than other dietary components (such as simple carbohydrates); because of this, you may eat less food overall if you're incorporating healthy sources of fat into your regular meal plan. Fat also helps with the absorption of certain vitamins and phytonutrients, which are compounds in plants that are thought to promote health.
Opt for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, found in olive oil, most nuts, and fish - these fats don't raise blood cholesterol levels and may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. The fats to limit or avoid are saturated fats, found mainly in beef and dairy products, and trans fats, which are in a lot of packaged foods, fried fast foods, and margarine - these options don't have more calories than good fats, but they are less healthful and could increase your risk of heart disease.
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MYTH: Diets Have A Beginning & An End
It's helpful to think about food as fuel which drives every important function that our body system serves. When it comes to nutrition, each choice we make impacts our health in some way! Ultimately, we should be choosing quality (nutrient-dense items) over quantity (calories, or even too much of one food at a time); thinking about the impact of nutrition on your body in a bigger way will help you recognize which meals and snacks can make you feel amazing and what kinds of items are making you less focused, more tired, and/or cranky.
Diet's don't work - lifestyle changes do. No two people are the same. What works for someone else may not work for you. Losing weight is a process and getting in shape takes time & commitment. Be ready to modify your plan as you discover what works and does not work for you.
MYTH: Eating Protein Will Make You Bulky
Protein is an essential part of a balanced diet that keeps you feeling full. It takes eating massive amounts of protein and food to bulk up along with lifting 100lbs in weight overs a long period of time. I have been between 100-120g of lean protein in my diet everyday. Everyone will be slightly different depending on their goals and current body type.
It takes years of consistency, lifting very heavy weights to get super buff as well as eating a great deal of calories. Using 25lbs in each hand for deadlifts or even hip thrusting 100lbs for a few weeks is not going to all of a sudden get you massive legs and arms. You will see your body changing over time and you can adapt as you like.
MYTH: You'll Gain Weight If You Eat At Night
I used to think if you ate after 6pm you would gain weight! Truth is we want to eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day. You should have your last protein snack 2 hours before you go to bed and then also eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up! Like I mentioned earlier, when you don't eat, your body doesn't trust you and will store everything for energy later.
Bottom Line: If you are hungry, you should eat!
When deciding to snack at night you want to make sure you eat something that is easy on the stomach and easier for your body to digest. When you go to sleep and your body is still digesting, your body is still working! This means that you are not getting the best sleep you can get. Check out this blog about Healthy Snacks To Eat At Night, to get some ideas about what is good to snack on later in the evening!
Alright, glad we got that cleared up! This is just what I have followed, what works for me and allows me to live a balanced life forever. If you are looking for your own workout schedule to follow and want to talk to one of my coaches, try the FREE 5 Day Better You Program now!
Need help with reaching your body goals? Our current monthly challenge will be great for you! Daily workouts, recipes, motivation and mindset. Everything you need in one place. Click here to join today and start feeling the BURN!
I hope this helps debunk some of the top nutrition myths! See you on the next LIVE workout.
xoxo Rebecca
Jeanne
July 15, 2022I love your program Rebecca this is the one I have stuck with your motivation is just so wonderful ❤️ Thank you !!