Cardio workout, no carbs at dinner and frequent meals? It is the ideal recipe for. not lose weight. Personal trainer Nick Mitchell debunks false myths about nutrition and exercise. Research reported by the Daily Mail has shown that although the average diet includes 600 fewer calories than 30 years ago, obesity, diabetes to other weight-related diseases are on the rise. Personal trainer reveals once and for all the 10 nutrition clichés that have been proven false.
1. All calories are equal. As long as the predetermined amount is not exceeded. False. Eating 300 calories of fried food or 300 calories of cereal is not the same thing at all. Protein, carbohydrates and fat are assimilated in different ways. A diet high in sugar, for example, can gain body fat.
2. Calories are not important. It sounds contradictory but it is not. Many people think that as long as you eat healthy, it doesn’t matter how many calories you take in. For example, dried fruits are good for you, but should be eaten in moderation. The law of thermodynamics cannot be ignored, so the number of calories ingested matters a lot.
3. Fat is fattening. This urban legend stems from the fact that fat contains 9 calories per gram while protein and carbohydrates have only 4. Of course, one should not overdo it, but this applies to everything. Fats are essential in nutrition and should make up about 20 percent of daily caloric intake.
4. Carbohydrates are the ‘evil’. It is not only fats that are demonized, but also carbohydrates. Pasta lovers can breathe a sigh of relief. What makes people fat is not the carbohydrates themselves, but the fact that it is easier to eat too many of them. The amount to be ingested each day varies from person to person depending on the rate of assimilation.
5. No carbohydrates after 6 pm. How many times have we heard that pasta for dinner is suicidal for the figure? Recent research has shown that people who eat carbohydrates in the evening burn more fat than those who eat them in the morning. For those who have trouble sleeping, moreover, a pizza dinner can prove soporific.
6. It doesn’t matter what time you eat. As long as you eat the right things in the right quantities, it makes no difference how they are placed throughout the day. This statement also turned out to be false. According to science, having a cereal-based breakfast programs the body to use sugars as ‘fuel’ for the rest of the day. If fats are eaten, it is these that will be burned.
7. More frequent meals speed up metabolism. Another false myth. Eating often improves protein synthesis, regulates blood sugar, and increases satiety. It is definitely preferable to 3 meals a day, but not because it changes the metabolism.
8. The liquid diet. Perhaps the most colossal hoax. You lose pounds quickly, this is true. But it is only an illusion. You are not burning fat, but lean mass. In other words, this kind of diet makes people lose muscle tone and further inflaccidates. The weight then recovers just as quickly. And by losing muscle, metabolism slows down (that’s where it’s affected). Which will make it more difficult to lose weight in the future.
9. Endless cardio training sessions. Is hours and hours on the treadmill the only way to burn fat? Absolutely not, reveals the expert. A cardio workout loses muscle tone, leaving us with a weak physique. Better to aim for a specific fat loss program. Cardio can be inserted between exercises to burn additional calories.
10. Less weight and more repetitions for a toned physique. Nothing could be more false. Many women are convinced that training at a higher weight can make them look like wrestlers. While increasing the repetitions tones the muscles but without ‘putting on too much mass’. A toned appearance, Mitchell explains, depends on the ratio of muscle mass to fat mass. This can be achieved by lifting heavier weights with little rest between repetitions.
