I'm thinking about trying to lose weight again. I decide to do it every few years. And I'm pretty good at it. Once I lost 130 pounds in six months. Another time I lost 88 pounds. And I lost 50 pounds the first time I went on a diet, which was when I was 20 and in college.
The problem is that while I'm good at losing weight, I'm really good at gaining weight. I always gain back whatever I've lost. So when I lost 88 pounds, the total included the same 50 pounds I had lost before. And the 130 pounds included the 88.
Anyway, I'm not sure when I'll start a concerted effort to reduce, but the day is coming.
Meantime, here are some common myths that people believe about losing weight.
SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE – A few recent studies have turned this theory on its head. One 18-month study found that people who lost fat quickly actually kept it off better and weren't as likely to rebound.
GRAZING ALL THE TIME HELPS YOU LOSE WEIGHT – Taking a food break between meals encourages your body to reach into those fat stores to burn what you've already got.
LOW-FAT DAIRY KEEPS YOU LEAN – Experts have agreed that dietary fat isn't the villain they once mad it out to be. You'd never know it by visiting your grocery store shelves, though. That's where you'll find low-fat yogurt, fat-free ice cream and skim milk. And most low-fat and fat-free dairy products contain lots of sugar to make up for the terrible taste that results from eliminating the fat.
AGAVE IS A HEALTHY SWEETENER – Most agave is simply fructose syrup with anywhere from 55 to 90 percent fructose. That actually makes agave higher in fructose than high-fructose corn syrup. Quite a bit higher.
A CALORIE IS A CALORIE – Different nutrients have different physiological effects and distinct roles within your body. If you have a choice between eating 500 calories of salmon and spinach or 500 calories of fettucine Alfredo, you need to realize that one of those meals will help your body burn fat, and one won't.
As I've said, I've been on diets many times, and I've found that they all have two things in common. They all tell you to drink water when you're thirsty, and they all tell you to KEEP MOVING. So regardless of whatever else you do, do that.
