Debunking Four Diet and Exercise Myths

There are more supposed “facts” about weight loss than there are sites on the web, so which ones should you believe? Every day, new ideas about dieting and exercise are introduced, debated and discredited, making it a chore to separate good from bad and fact from fiction. When taking part in a weight loss program, here are some myths you can bust yourself and tips on how to take advantage of their wrongness.

• Skip breakfast, lose weight. While cutting out the most important meal of the day may seem like an easy way to ditch calories, research shows that those who eat breakfast actually tend to eat fewer calories over the course of the day, while those who skip breakfast gain weight more quickly. Skipping meals in general may result in poorer health, as fasting earlier in the day can cause you to eat more later.
• Combining food in different ways can help you lose weight. Because the vast majority of foods are combinations of carbohydrates, protein and fat, the assumption that eating them in different combinations can have a positive effect is patently untrue. Additionally, the digestive system is perfectly capable of taking on different kinds of foods simultaneously. Though you may have heard of people losing weight with this practice, this is just accomplished by eating fewer calories overall.
• All carbohydrates are bad. While eliminating processed carbs like white bread may help your diet, it’s important to note that carbohydrates are an important energy source. During exercise, carbs are used as fuel to burn body fat, so eliminating them wholesale may not be the best plan. Try introducing some healthier carbs to your diet, like whole-wheat bread, brown rice and beans.
• Weight is determined by genetics. Diet and exercise behaviors are the most important aspects of body weight. Genetics are responsible for a relatively small portion of your weight—just 25 percent—so remember that diligent exercise and proper diet are more important to losing weight than who your mother and father are (unless they’re personal trainers, jazzercise instructors or dieticians).

Popular diet and exercise practices shift more regularly than the Earth’s crust, so be sure to stay skeptical when you hear about a new miracle weight loss technique. If something sounds unbelievable, it probably is. Your best bet is to consult your weight loss doctor on what the healthiest, most effective ways to lose weight are in your individual case, and remember that there’s no cure-all for weight loss. What may be right for some may not be right for you.