TORONTO – It’s that time of year again – the mercury rises, as do the hemlines. And Canadians take stock of the damage months of forgiving sweaters and comfort foods have done to their body.
Along with cleaning out the attic, shedding a few pounds in preparation for beach weather is a common practice in spring.
Before you start any diets, Global News debunks five weight loss myths that may derail your goals.
On Monday, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Dr. Rahima Hirji ND, visited The Morning Show to share her tips for healthy, long-term weight loss efforts – in other words, fad diets and extreme measures need not apply.
Myth #1: If you eat fewer calories, you’ll lose weight
To lose weight, eat less. It seems to make sense, but it isn’t always the case. Dr. Hirji says often when people want to lose weight they’ll cut their calorie intake, without taking into consideration the types of calories they are consuming.
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And eating 100 calories of cookies is not the same as eating 100 calories of chicken breast or lentils. If you’re not eating the right type of calories you can easily fall off the wagon and derail your diet, says Hirji.
Myth #2: If you cut out carbs, you’ll lose weight
In the short term you may lose weight by cutting out carbohydrates, but as soon as you start eating carbs again, you’ll put the weight back on, says Hirji.
Rather than cutting out carbs all together, Hirji says to change your focus.
Focus on eating ‘good carbs’ – low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates, which convert to sugar slowly, such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal and vegetables. Low-GI carbs won’t cause a spike in blood sugar and take longer to absorb, which means you will feel full longer.
Myth #3: If you exercise, you can eat more
Many people trying to lose weight believe that if they are exercising, they can eat more. So after doing a 5 km run in the morning they ‘reward’ themselves by eating chocolate cake in the afternoon. But these ‘rewards’ can add up and ruin your chances of hitting your weight loss goals.
People tend to overestimate the number of calories they’re burning, and underestimate the number of calories they’re consuming, says Hirji.
And while a common complaint from people trying to lose weight by exercising more is that they’re hungry all the time, Hirji says if you’re eating the right types of foods (like low-GI foods), you shouldn’t feel hungry.
Myth #4: Cardio is the best form of exercise for weight loss
It’s great to run on a treadmill for an hour every day, but your fitness routine shouldn’t consist only of cardiovascular activity, says Hirji. Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories than fat. So incorporating weight training into your routine will increase your chances of hitting your weight loss goals.
The older you are the more important weight training becomes, since as you age you lose muscle mass and your metabolic rate goes down. This makes it harder to lose weight and harder to maintain the weight you’re at. “So you really need to focus on building muscle mass,” says Hirji.
Myth #5: All body fat is equally bad for you
All body fat is not equal. Sure body fat is equally annoying, says Hirji, but people who carry excess fat in their midsection are at a much greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke.
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