Diet and exercise are the two key components to maintaining and losing weight, but oftentimes, information from advertisements and unreliable sources can be misleading. For example, you might have heard that exercise is the most effective way to lose weight, so you can have that sculpted bikini bod you deserve by spring break. The truth is, diet contributes more to weight loss while physical activity contributes more to maintaining your weight! While it’s true that we all can’t look like Beyonce in her string bikini, here are ten debunked myths, tips, and truths to help you reach your ultimate goal of the body you want this season to leave you feeling confident when hitting the beach.
1. Myth: Eliminate fats from the diet.
Truth: Fats are an essential source of energy for our bodies at rest, so when you do not consume enough fat in your diet, the results are more harmful than they are good, especially if you are limiting your caloric intake. When you don’t consume enough fat, you don’t feel as energetic or as full, you often don’t receive the amount of vitamins and minerals you need, and you are not as successful at maintaining or losing weight.
Tips: Choose the right kinds of fat for your diet!
- Limit saturated fats to less than 7-10% total caloric intake; minimize trans fats and cholesterol.
- Fish is a great source of essential fatty acids.
- Other healthy sources of fats: reduced-fat peanut butter, avocados, nuts, soymilk, and flaxseed.
2. Myth: Carbs are fattening. I should limit them when trying to lose weight.
Truth: Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy, especially during physical activity, so it is essential that we get enough in our diet. Reducing the number of carbs in your diet will not benefit your health, but choosing carbs that are high in fiber and other nutrients will reduce your overall risk for obesity. Complex carbs (found in fruits, veggies, and whole grains) are better for you than simple carbs (found in cakes and most desserts), so instead of cutting the amount of carbs you eat, choose complex carbs instead of simple carbs.
Tips:
- The recommended dietary allowance for women 19 years or older is 130 grams of carbs per day.
- Limit your consumption of added sugars (often found in processed foods, sweetened soft drinks, and some canned soup) and added sweeteners.
- Choose whole-grain or whole-wheat products over refined ones, including wheat flour. Good choices include brown rice, cereal, and wheat bread.
- Make veggies and fruits half of what you eat.
3. Myth: Getting the lighter version of a coffee drink makes it healthy.
Truth: Those coffee drinks between classes can add-up your caloric intake and the amount of added sugars in your diet. Adding a flavor to a latte for instance adds about 50 calories and that whipped cream adds around 100+ calories― even if you choose skim milk, you’re not doing your body that much of a favor. So a mocha with skim milk and no whipped cream is still 220 calories, compared to a mocha with 2% milk and whipped cream that has about 400 calories.
Tip:
- Choose regular coffee instead of a special drink, and add just a little nonfat or whole milk and alternative sugar (for an interesting flavor, mix in a little cinnamon!).
- Order the smallest size of a specialized drink. If you think you need a bigger size to stay awake, you really just need more sleep.
- Ask for half the amount of flavoring: “I’d like a tall, nonfat, two-pump vanilla latte please,” = Heaven!
- Only order a special drink 1-2 times a week.
4. Myth: Cardio is the way to go.
Truth: Cardio is a great calorie-burning exercise, but if you want to burn more fat and burn it longer, you should go with weight training. After a healthy weight-training exercise, your body works harder to help your muscles recover― burning an additional 25% of the calories you’ve burned. The key factor to a fat-burning workout is a combination of weight-training and cardio, so make a schedule and mix up your usual exercise routine! Lastly, don’t be afraid of bulking-up muscles like a guy― girl’s bodies are not built the same way, and we don’t have the testosterone levels needed to bulk up that much. Choose heavy weights with less repetition instead of light weights and more reps. Also, if you want to feel better looking at yourself in the mirror or want to stay off the injury-bench, strength training is the way to go.
Tips: Go on Pinterest and actually DO the workout! Make a schedule, grab your bestie, and make it happen. Here’s a tough little workout that combines cardio and strength training:
- 2 burpees
- Sprint a lap/ set distance (about 50-100 meters)
- 4 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 6 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 8 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 10 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 8 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 6 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 4 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- 2 burpees
- Sprint a lap
- Walk it out
(Pictured: How to properly do a burpee in order from left to right)
5. Myth: You Need A Long Workout
Truth: Your body starts burning fat as soon as you start exercising. If you can’t exercise for the 30 minutes a day recommended for adults, a shorter, intense workout is better than no workout. Too much intense working out will wear you out, so start small and work your way up.
Tips: On those busy days, fit in a little exercise when you can.
- Do jumping jacks for 2 minute intervals while studying.
- Stretch while you read or study.
- Challenge yourself to do 200 crunches and squats before you go to bed or right when you wake up.
- Don’t make excuses not to do a little exercise! You can do it.
- Aim for 2 strength-training workouts and 2-3 cardio workouts every week.
6. Myth: Snacking is always bad
Truth: Snacking really isn’t the problem. Actually, most nutritionists will recommend you eat 4-5 smaller meals each day instead of three big meals. The real culprit is what you choose as a snack, and how big your snack is. Another myth buster: snacking will not boost metabolism. Remember, when you’re snacking, you don’t eat to feel full, you’re eating to feel satisfied and to hold you over until you have a meal.
Tips:
- Don’t eat from the bag of chips/pretzels/cereal/ etc.
- Choose something fresh, like fruits and veggies.
- Personal favorite: baby carrots and reduced-fat peanut butter. Weird, but awesome.
- Use the hand rule: if you can’t hold it all in your hand, it is probably too big of a snack.
- Drink water with your snack.
7. Myth: Drinking water helps you lose weight.
Truth: Substituting water for high-caloric and high-sugar drinks is better for you and will reduce the amount of added sugars in your diet, but the idea that drinking water helps you lose weight has no scientific basis. You might want to carry water with you and drink throughout the day, but water cannot replace food in your diet because you need those essential nutrients to function. Replacing food with water can make you feel worn-down, faint, and unenergetic because of those nutrients you’re lacking.
8. Myth: If you only eat healthy foods, you’ll definitely lose weight.
Truth: You can eat all the healthy food you want, but it’s simple math here. If you consume more calories than you burn then you will gain weight; if you consume less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Portion control is just as important to weight loss as food choice, but frequently Americans go overboard in attempts to portion control. Below are some tips for healthy portion controlling!
Tips:
- Don’t eat until you’re full; eat until you’ve had enough.
- Pay attention to the portion sizes on the nutrition labels, and give yourself the recommended serving size, so you know roughly how many calories and nutrients you’re consuming.
- Don’t think that you can’t have any sweets when you’re trying to lose weight. Limit yourself, and choose options that don’t have trans fats or are high in saturated fats.
9. Myth: DIY acne tricks work
Truth: Some of the DIY acne tricks you’ve heard of (like the toothpaste trick) can actually increase the problem and cause more damage. The important concept to accept is that there’s no overnight cure― that pimple began to form almost a week ago. What you should do, is follow a clean routine to prevent breakouts and practice healthy habits.
Tips:
- Cleanse twice a day, everday; more is not better in this case.
- Stay away from oil-based make-ups, especially if your skin is naturally oily.
- Don’t let the sun dry-out your skin= more irritation and redness.
- HANDS OFF. Don’t touch, don’t scratch, and don’t pick. You’re hands are oily, and you touch a ton of dirty, germy stuff throughout the day.
10. Myth: You can get that bikini body in no time (this is the most important myth to debunk!).
Truth: The truth is, there is no speedy-fix to getting that body you want― that requires time, effort, and tenacity. It usually takes about 2 weeks for you to notice a change in your body, 4 weeks for people who are close to you, and about 6 weeks for others to notice. If there’s anything you can take away from these myths, it is this: don’t give up, and don’t believe it cannot be done.