WELLNESS

EXPERTS ON BUSTING MYTHS OF WEIGHT LOSS

-By Umera Riyaz

In this new era of work from home and online school. We have developed a new culture of sitting around. Due to the risk of Covid, many of us have limited ourselves to home and have depended on online services to survive. Although these new inventions have been a great help to us, they also greatly affected diet and physical health. With the limited movement of the body, many people have reported weight gain in 2020 and 2021. Now that the lockdown restrictions have been lifted, a lot of us will be hitting the gym. We decided to bust the myths of weight loss for you.

Dr Fariha Tanveer, Dietitian and Nutritionist (B.Sc, M.Sc and BEMS) helped us list out a few myths. Instagram: @nutritionwithfariha

ALL CALORIES ARE EQUAL

You may know that carbohydrates, fat, and protein have different caloric values per gram, but they are also absorbed differently by the body. Protein is by far the most efficient, because it requires more energy to metabolize, which means that the body burns more calories when you eat protein compared to fat and carbs.

SUPPLEMENTS CAN HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT

Supplements alone cannot help you lose weight, rather a well-balanced diet can fulfil most of your nutrient needs. But if you’re on a limited diet or if any vitamin or mineral is deficient, adding a few safe supplements could provide the extra boost you need to stay on track with your healthy weight loss regimen. Without proper diet and nutrition, no shortcut supplement will make you lose weight.

CARBS MAKE YOU FAT

Let's stop the CARBS phobia. There are numerous historical examples of populations that remained slim and healthy eating carbohydrates in the diet. This indicates carbs themselves are not fattening. Indigenous groups only became obese when they consumed too many calories coming from high fat or high carbohydrate diet. Balance of Carbohydrates, fats and protein in the diet is the key to weight management.

FAST FOOD IS ALWAYS FATTENING

Fast food- doesn’t cause weight gain but a calorie surplus. If your goal is weight loss you can achieve this while eating your favourite, calorie-dense foods like pizza, burgers or even biryani. But don't forget the moderation & calories deficit that's the key.

STARVING ONESELF IS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT

I would say starving is the worst way of trying to lose weight. It's just equal to fooling yourself when trying to eat an extreme calorie deficit diet. When you stop eating or eat very little, your body goes into starvation mode. Your metabolism slows down and your body starts to preserve body fat, and when you consume a meal after you’ve been starving yourself, your body processes it differently. Since your metabolism has slowed down, your body will store it instead of using it. So, in other words, you'll end up gaining more body fat.

Fathima Mehajabeen Ghouse, a clinical nutritionist (B.Sc, M.Sc, PGD and | WELLNESS MBA) pointed out a few myths. Instagram: @nutrimentor_

IF YOU EXERCISE YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING

Physical activity should be a part of the daily routine for all age groups, for a healthy lifestyle. The second part of the statement says you can eat anything. Based on your BMI, the quantity of consumption is known. Anything in limit is not harmful. One should make sure that the calories intake should be equal to the Output.

Fathima Mehajabeen Ghouse

DRINKING PLENTY OF WATER PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS?

Consumption of water is the most important part of your daily meals. But consumption of water does not aid in weight loss. It just aids the process of weight loss. Drinking plenty of water increases our body’s metabolism and flushes out the necessary wastes from the body. Also, there is no specific evidence that drinking water aids in weight loss. So yes, it's a myth.

WEIGHT LOSS IS FASTER WITH A JUICE CLEANSE

In others words, this is known as Detox. Detox is, only consumption of liquids/semi-liquids/only fruits (single fruit/fruit salad/juices)/Vegetables (Boiled/Salad/soup) the entire meals of the day is replaced by solid foods. Going on a detox diet for 2-3 days a month is not harmful. A maximum of five days is suggested. It will aid in weight loss. But this is shouldn’t be a preferred method for weight loss.

FAT CAN BE SWEATED OUT?

In other words, it means the more you sweat the more fat you burn. But it is not this way, it differs from individual to individual. Sweat happens for many other factors like body temperature, room temperature, genetics and a lot more. Your fat loss depends on types of exercises you do, how many sets you prefer and how consistent you are about it.

ZERO CALORIES DRINKS (SODA) ARE BETTER FOR YOU

The best zero calories drink is Water, no doubt the best drink for the body. But if we talk about soda. The term itself says that it's unhealthy for our bodies. People believe having zero-calorie sodas aid weight loss which is just a clear myth. No zero-calorie soda is zero calories and having these drinks may eventually lead to obesity, cardiovascular problems, gut issues, liver problems and old age can lead to dementia. On the whole Zerocalorie sodas have no direct health benefits.