Debunking myths about weight loss

The much awaited by all of us season has arrived- summer. The time for holidays, the time for the sea and most of all the time to put on our swimsuits, shorts and favourite summer dresses. We started another new year with the promise that from this year on we are serious about training and eating right. Seven months later, whether the quarantine and staying home or just our endless love for delicious food shows a different result in the mirror. The sea is in just three weeks, and maybe less! What to do?

We open Google and type “weight loss“, “weight loss teas“, “lose5 pounds in 2 days“, ” lose 10 pounds in a week” and many more similar quick success formulas and we find another myth about the shortcut to the dream body.

Therefore, in today’s article we will dispel some of the myths related to weight loss and sports to try to narrow down the search.

Exercise regularly and you can eat whatever you want!

My guess is that if your most beloved grandmother didn’t tell you this, you’ve heard this statement at least once from someone who is naturally thin or has simply never had weight issues.

To some extent we can agree, but only with the clarification that sport is only an element of the whole. Nutrition is 80% of the desired result and sport is only 20%. To put it another way, if today we eat a “Borovets” waffle that averages about 200 calories we will have to run for about 30 minutes to burn it off.

I eat only once a day and I don’t lose weight

I guess you’ve heard of interval eating, fasting, or 16/8 more. Eat at a set interval and lose weight.

Here we should mention advantages and pitfalls that exist in this type of nutrition.

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First of all, it is important to note that the time span between meals is important for processing food and maintaining stable insulin levels in the body. A longer time span between breakfast, lunch and dinner is not only good for digestion, but also allows us to control hunger and not overdo the small snacks between meals that often cause us to overeat and exceed our calorie intake.

What’s the downside if we extend the hours more?

A common mistake of people who choose the so-called “fasting” is that they think it is important only to observe the meal time and they can eat anything no matter the quantity and quality of the food they eat. The consequence is again that we eat more than we need and we burden the body with an excessive amount of food.

I don’t eat carbs in the evening/after 6pm

Another trick that is often used by women and by a not small percentage of men. Many ladies and gentlemen eat until 6 pm. or another common option used by bodybuilders is avoiding complex carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, bread, pasta and others in the evening.

In relation to dispelling this myth, it is important to raise the topic of “insulin sensitivity”. The better it is, the more likely it is that when you take a complex carbohydrate in the evening, it will be absorbed as glycogen in the muscle and not as fat. Another thing, which is not less important, is that if you have consumed fewer calories during the day and your dinner does not go beyond your caloric norm, in accordance with your goals, the possibility of eating carbohydrates in the evening to affect your desired result is small, if not impossible.

A study done in Israel divided 78 overweight police officers into two groups. Both groups maintain a calorie deficit of 1300- 1500 calories over half a year, of which 20% protein, 30- 35% fat and 40- 45% carbohydrates. The difference in the two groups was the timing of carbohydrate consumption. One group spread their carbohydrate intake throughout the day, while the other group consumed 80% in the evening. The result was surprising: the experimental group not only lost more weight-11.6 kg vs. 9 kg-but also more fat-7% vs. 5.1%-and shaved more inches off their waists. In addition, the officers in the experimental group reported feeling less hunger during the diet. They also had higher levels of adiponectin, a hormone associated with good insulin sensitivity and increased fat burning, and leptin, which is responsible for feeling full.

I eat 500 calories a day and I don’t lose weight

According to many trainers and specialists, as a consequence of consuming few calories or a large calorie deficit, the body enters a protective mode where people not only do not lose weight, but also start gaining.

In fact, the main reason is often ignorance and underestimation of the food taken during the day. As we pointed out above, a number of studies have shown that the average person tends to underestimate their daily calorie intake by up to 2000 calories.

One of the first and most famous studies on this topic was conducted in 1944. from the University of Minnesota within 6 months soldiers were subjected to a caloric deficit of 50% of their required norm, who not only lost weight because the body needed more energy to carry out its vital processes, but this led to fatigue, lack of desire for any activity, many of them could not even get out of bed.

If you have or have had a similar case, then the advice we can give is to track your nutrition during the day and calculate your calories. You will be quite surprised by the result.

Teas for weight loss

Myth number 5. Recently, and especially at the beginning of summer, a number of websites, shops, even pharmacies, we can meet at least two or three types of teas that assure you that you will get in shape just by consuming this miracle drink.

It appears that there is no scientific evidence to confirm the beneficial effect of such teas on weight management.

Then why do our relatives recommend us to drink such teas and boast us with the quick and easy result?

The answer is on the back of the package. The majority of such herbal mixtures contain caffeine, which suppresses hunger by stimulating the nerve endings, and senna, which causes irritation of the intestines resulting in a laxative effect.

So quickly and without much effort, we manage to reduce the appetite and throw away some of the fluids in the body. However, concerns such as dehydration, loss of electrolytes and even muscle cramps remain, leading us to believe that we should be careful when choosing such drinks.

Honey and fruits are a super substitute for sweets and sugar!

Everyone knows a little or a lot about the beneficial properties of honey and fruit, but are they suitable for a weight management diet?

Honey has a low acidic pH level and its consumption prevents the development of bacteria, and the antioxidants in its composition help fight free radicals.

Perhaps not so popular, however, is the chemical composition of honey. It is made up of 38% fructose, or the better known fruit sugar, glucose, which gives energy to the cells, and sucrose.

One tablespoon is only 64 calories, in which the predominant macronutrient is 17 grams of carbohydrate, which is not a complex carbohydrate, the absorption of which would not bring us greater satiety, but pure fruit sugar. This does not exclude the useful qualities of honey, but it does not make it a very good substitute for sugar, because honey itself is another type of sugar.

Another important fact that you may find useful is that honey loses its useful properties when heat treated (heated). That is why experts advise to consume it directly from the jar and not in combination with hot tea or when making confectionery.

The useful properties of fruits are not small and we would need a whole new article to list only a small part, but does this mean that we can consume them in large quantities without consequences.

Fruits are full of fiber and antioxidants, they are low in calories and are a great way to add a touch of sweetness and freshness to our daily menu. It is good to take into account that their percentage of carbohydrates is not small, as they contain the fructose mentioned above. We can recommend eating seasonal fruits in small portions.

The Keto diet or the diet of Atanas Uzunov

One of the most popular and recently increasingly practiced is the keto diet or also known as the Uzunov diet.

The Internet is full of pictures of people who have achieved great results in regulating their body mass. This way of eating is suitable for people who have insulin problems or are gluten intolerant. But we should also mention the harm that this type of eating can cause to your body.

First of all, the diet itself begins with a three-day fast, which can lead to stomach discomfort and stress for the body, resulting in a slower metabolism.

Next, fatigue is possible because the body will try to replace the lack of carbohydrates with glucose, this also causes headaches because before the body enters a state of ketosis, it burns the last glucose reserves left in it. A low-carb diet means that you exclude a lot of enzyme-rich foods, which means that you fail to get the calcium, magnesium and iron you need and the possibility of muscle cramps increases.

Therefore, before choosing this diet, it is good to consult a doctor.

Food additives are chemistry

The percentage of people who view dietary supplements as chemistry and a product that will harm our bodies is not small. Before you join this group we would like to introduce you to the main differences between chemistry and food products.

The term “chemo” often refers to the steroids that professional athletes take under medical supervision to treat illnesses.

Then why call them nutritional supplements and not chemical? The answer lies in the root of the word. Dietary supplements contain food and plants that we take in our daily lives, but the percentage of beneficial elements in them that we need is contained in very small doses in ordinary products that we can buy from the store.

The second part of supplement is precisely because they complement our main meals during the day, but do not replace them.

It is an undeniable fact that artificial flavourings, sweeteners and thickeners are used in some types of food supplements. This statement often applies to products such as protein powder, amino acids, nitrogen boosters, etc.

What can we recommend you when choosing supplements to help you get the enzymes and vitamins you need and facilitate the processes in your body?

• Rely on products of proven quality, from manufacturers who have a proven track record in the market;
• Seek advice from people who have used the products and have been convinced of their benefits through their personal history;
• Remember that the quality of the product often determines the price.

For a good start in a healthy lifestyle and to improve the body’s performance we recommend Aquasource’s Easy Start program . It is designed to maintain healthy levels of enzymes and beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.

It also includes AquaSource algae AFA, which aids the body’s cleansing mechanisms to optimize nutrient absorption for better physical mental state and vitality.

More information can be found here:

Sources:

“Greater weight loss and hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner”. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Oct. 19 (10): 2006- 14

2. Hall, K. D. (2008). What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss? International Journal of Obesity, 32(3), 573-576. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n3/full/0803720a.html?foxtrotcallback=true

2. Adverse events with ephedra and other botanical dietary supplements. (2014, June 4). Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm111208.htm