Myths about weight loss

• Can abdominal crunches give you a flat stomach?

• Do you get slim from whole grains and protein powder?

Guess, and learn what is helping weight loss and what is not.

MYTH: Many small meals give weight loss

FALSE!

Many meals and snacks keep the blood sugar stable and are therefore one of the best weapons against extra kilos.

Or so it has at least been called for many years. But that’s some nonsense. You should rather teach your body to feel if you are actually hungry or not hungry. Otherwise, you will easily end up eating a lot more than you actually need. When you eat all the time, you keep your digestion going so that it does not have the peace to digest the food that your body needs. At the same time, you spoil your natural feeling of hunger and satiety.

 

MYTH: You can train for a flat stomach

FALSE!  

• Do you bet that 100 abdominal crunches before bedtime is the direct shortcut to a perfectly slim waist and flat stomach?

Forget it – you CAN NOT lose weight. It does not exist and you do not get a flat stomach by just doing abdominal crunches. Though your stomach really gets stronger from targeted exercise, which is good of course.

But if it looks thick and bloated, you better look at how your digestion works and at your insulin level. Usually, it is due to bread and sugar, so try to stay away from it for a few weeks and see the difference.

 

MYTH: “You can sleep to get slim”

FACT!

Sleep is underestimated – even when it comes to weight loss. It is super important for your body’s ability to repair itself, for your vital organs and your state of mind.

If you do not get enough sleep, your organs will not function properly and you will get fatter. Lack of sleep stresses the body, so it produces more cortisol (stress hormone) and stores fat. In addition, lack of sleep boosts your appetite. A tired body wants sweet, salty and fat.

 

MYTH: Eat lots of whole grains

FALSE!

Whole grains and wholemeal bread still form the bottom of the official diet pyramid as what we should eat most of. But we do not benefit from all that bread at all. It creates trouble in our intestines and gives – contrary to the myth – poor digestion, so we either have to go to the toilet too little or too much.

Instead, we can get good, healthy fibre from coarse vegetables and seeds, e.g. flaxseed. It provides much better digestion and intestinal flora.

 

MYTH: You can settle for short, intense training

FALSE!

New training concepts are constantly emerging. Recently, it has become popular to train short and intense – some even say that 20 minutes a week is enough. And many find it quite convenient because it is easier to fit into a busy day.

But there are no quick fixes when you want to lose weight. In addition, you are built for lots of movement every day, and you should preferably walk, run, bike, do yoga or somehow exercise every day.

Most of us sit quietly behind a computer, drive home, and sit in front of the television. It’s life-threatening! And then it’s not enough just to throw in a quarter of an hour of intense training. We need to move a lot – and almost everyone should move a lot more than they do.

 

MYTH: Milk is necessary – and slimming

FALSE!

If you ask the dairy association, you should drink half a litre of milk a day. Because the milk is needed to get enough calcium for the bones, lean dairy products make you more slim. But it is not correct. In fact, milk is not a particularly easily absorbed source of calcium.

Nuts and kernels are a far better source and easier to absorb. But the main disadvantage of an excessive milk intake is that many have no idea how they react to milk. It can cause all sorts of symptoms that you may not immediately associate with milk: digestive problems, skin problems, hormonal imbalances, etc. And many people think they do not drink milk, but they may drink 3-4 CaffeLatte every day. It counts too.

 

MYTH: Protein powder makes you slim & healthy

FALSE!

Protein powder is big in the fitness world and many people think it is just as good as e.g. eggs, chicken and fish. But the vast majority of protein powders on the market are of poor quality. These are residual products that do no good to your health. Of course, there are also products of better quality. A well-cooked egg after exercise is much better for you. It has the perfect composition of fat, minerals, protein and helps to speed up fat burning.

 

MYTH: The more meat, the better

FALSE!

The more you exercise, the more meat you need to eat – many believe. And of course, you need protein, but do not overdo it. Meat is hard for the body and especially for the kidneys to digest – and also bad for the environment. That’s not to say you should stay away from meat, but you shouldn’t eat it for all three main meals. You can easily extract proteins from plant foods, so eat beans, lentils, quinoa and eggs instead.

 

MYTH: Fat does not make you fat

FALSE!

For many years we were terribly fat scared and therefore ate far too little. Then came Atkins and LCHF, and the weight bowl tipped the other way, so many of us suddenly got too much of the fat.

If you want to achieve lasting and healthy weight loss, the middle ground is the right way to go. Because on the one hand, you need good fats, and at the same time, fat is also energy that you can not just eat in unlimited quantities without putting on weight. Also, remember that there is a difference in fat. Good fats from organic virgin oils, kernels and nuts are the best and healthiest.