1. Men lose weight faster than women
Results from a 16-month study looking at exercising for weight loss, with men
and women completing an identical amount of exercise, show that men, on
average, lost 11.5lb (5.2kg) while women lost nothing. According to a
Princeton University report, the theory is that it may be due to an
evolutionary effect. “Nature seems protective of women’s role as childbearer
and wants women to maintain adequate body fat for nourishing healthy babies.
Hence, women are much more energy-efficient,” the researchers say
Verdict: true
2. Exercise makes you eat more
There is a belief that exercise is futile as a form of weight control because
it increases hunger and you simply eat more. “This is a myth,” says an
Aberdeen University report. “Studies have shown that, for most people doing
moderate or intense exercise, there is no immediate or automatic increase in
hunger and eating. This means that taking up exercise will cause an energy
imbalance that leads to weight loss,’’ the researchers say.
Verdict: false
3. Drinking water helps you to lose weight
Drinking at least eight 0.25l glasses of cold water a day will help you to
lose weight, according to a University of Minnesota report. Not only does
water suppress appetite, by making the stomach feel fuller, it can lower
your weight. “If you don’t drink enough, your body thinks it’s in danger and
tries to hold on to all the water it can get. The water is stored between
the cells and shows up as extra weight. Without water, your kidneys can’t do
their job properly and your liver must pitch in to help. While drinking
water is helping the kidneys, your liver can’t burn as much fat, so some of
the fat that would normally be used as fuel gets stored in your body
instead,’’ the researchers say.
Verdict: true
4. Running is bad for the knees
Not so, according to a 14-year study of 800 runners and nonrunners approaching
old age. The Stanford University study showed that people who had been
runners had 25 per cent less knee and other musculoskeletal pain than people
who had led sedentary lives. “Our findings add to the evidence that
morbidity associated with ageing can be reduced by participating in regular
aerobic exercise,’’ the scientists say.
Verdict: false
5. Diets can’t do any harm
Losing weight at a rapid rate – more than 3lb a week after the first couple of
weeks – may increase the risk of gallstones, and diets that provide fewer
than 800 calories a day can lead to heart rhythm abnormalities, says the US
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Verdict: false
6. Lemon juice dissolves fat
Although a good source of vitamin C, it won’t dissolve the fat in fatty foods,
says the Food Standards Agency. “The best way to get rid of the fat on meat
is to cut it off or choose leaner cuts,’’ the agency says.
Verdict: false
7. Skipping breakfast causes weight gain
People who miss breakfast are more likely to put on weight, according to a
number of researchers. A study at Wageningen University, in Holland, looking
at lifestyle differences and weight trends in more than 35,000 Dutch
adolescents, showed that those who skipped breakfast were 2.2 times more
likely to be overweight. “The most important risk factor for overweight and
obesity was skipping breakfast,’’ say the researchers. A study at Harvard
Medical School of 6,000 men found that those who ate breakfast reduced the
risk of putting on weight by a quarter.
Verdict: true
8. Low fat means low calories
A common misconception is that low-fat and fat-free foods are also low in
calories. According to the US National Institutes of Health, many processed
low-fat or fat-free foods have as many as, or in some cases, more calories
than full-fat food because they have more sugar and other high-calorie
compounds added to improve flavour and texture, which can deteriorate when
fat is removed. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, remember to check the
calorie content of even low-fat foods.
Verdict: false
9. Starchy food is fattening
Many foods high in starch – such as bread, rice, and pasta – are themselves
low in fat and calories. “They become high in fat and calories when eaten in
large portion sizes or when covered with high-fat toppings,” says the US
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Verdict: false
10. Fat-burning foods
Claims that celery and some other foods can “burn” calories are unfounded,
according to the US National Institutes of Health. “No foods can burn fat.
Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism for a short time, but
they do not cause weight loss,’’ it says.
Verdict: false
11. Exercise causes acne
Claims that exercise and sweat can cause a form of acne are unfounded. The
claims date back 30 years to research which suggested that sportsmen had
particular patterns of body acne that might be linked to a combination of
the effects of sweat and the mechanical forces on the skin. But researchers
at Stanford University School of Medicine have debunked the claims with
results showing no link. “Exercise-induced sweat occlusion does not have a
significant influence on acne,” they say.
Verdict: false
12. Protein promotes muscle growth
It’s a myth that a high-protein diet will promote muscle growth, according to
researchers at Baylor University. “Many people feel athletes need a
high-protein diet to support muscle growth, but researchers have repeatedly
proved this to be false. Only strength training and exercise will lead to
muscle changes,” they say.
Verdict: false
13. Lifting weights makes you bulky
Many women are put off weight-lifting as an exercise to lose weight because of
concerns about bulking up. According to the US National Institutes of
Health, lifting weights, push-ups and crunches regularly can help to lose
weight. The institute says that exercising two to three days a week will not
lead to bulking: “Only intense strength training, combined with a certain
genetic background, can build very large muscles.’’
Verdict: false
14. No sweat, no weight loss
This is a myth, according to researchers in Baylor University, Texas. They say
it is possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking
into a sweat. Dancing, for example, burns up 330 calories an hour, the same
as weeding the garden, while walking gets rid of about 280 calories an hour.
Verdict: false
15. You’re risking a heart attack
It’s a popular belief that exercise can increase the risk of a heart attack.
But research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that doing
nothing is more risky. It shows that men who exercise strenuously for two
hours and 20 minutes a week have a 40 per cent lower risk of heart problems.
“Sudden cardiac death during or after exercise is extremely rare, and
physicians should not stop patients from taking part in a regular exercise
programme,’’ say the authors of the report in the journal.
Verdict: false
16. Don’t eat late at night
It’s a myth that late-night eating leads to weight gain, according to a study
at Oregon University. No matter when you eat, the body will store those
extra calories as fat. “We’ve all been told at one point in our lives that
we should avoid eating meals late at night as it will lead to weight gain.
However, our research in rhesus monkeys, which are considered an excellent
model for studying primate obesity issues, shows that eating at night is no
more likely to promote weight gain than eating during the day,” says Dr Judy
Cameron.
Verdict: false
17. Slash-and-burn diets don’t work
Cutting out too many calories too quickly can be disastrous, according to a
University of California report. “Your metabolism slows down. Your body
slows down to adapt to the lower calorie intake, so it can function with
less fuel, and it actually begins holding on to every calorie you eat and
storing it as fat. This is why people who diet, usually gain back their
weight once they start eating normally again,’’ it says. When calories are
cut too low, it is mostly water, rather than fat, that is lost, and the body
starts breaking down its own muscle protein for fuel, slowing the metabolism
even further.
Verdict: true
18. Fad diets work
The cabbage soup diet, the low-carbohydrate diet and the like all promise to
fight fat and shrink stomachs. But, according to a US Food and Drug
Administration report, they are not recommended for losing weight. “Fad
diets usually overemphasise one particular food or type of food,
contradicting the guidelines for good nutrition. They may work at first
because they cut calories, but they rarely have a permanent effect,’’ it
says.
Verdict: false
19. Nuts make you fat
Some weight-loss plans restrict nut consumption, but research at the Loma
Linda University, in California, shows that eating 20g to 56g of walnuts
every day for six months did not result in weight gain, although the nuts
added 133 calories to daily intake. “It is a myth that you should not eat
nuts if you want to lose weight. In small amounts, nuts can be part of a
healthy weight-loss program. Nuts are good sources of protein, fibre, and
minerals.”
Verdict: false
20. It's all in my genes
Recent studies have shown that our genes can influence obesity. People who
inherit one version of a gene called FTO are 70 per cent more likely to be
obese than those who inherit another. And there are seven more genetic
regions that influence body weight. However, of the seven variants
identified, five are active in the brain. The implication is that they
affect obesity not by changing people's metabolisms, but their behaviour.
For example you may have a gene that increases appetite. In that case, we
cannot lazily blame DNA for an expanding waistline. There is nothing in our
biology to stop us from losing weight if we consume less calories and join a
gym. The task might be harder for people with one genetic profile than
another, but no gene compels us to have second helpings.
Verdict: false
The Truth About Food program wasn't talking about drinking water to lose weight - they were saying it's a myth that you need to drink 2 litres of water in addition to your normal daily food intake. Your body takes water from food also so you don't need to drink 2ls of pure water. However, it does make sense that if you do drink 2 litres it will fill you up and make you less hungry. Doesn't make you crave chocolate any less though....
Wendy, London,
Someone called Jill Fullerton Smith who did a prog called 'The Truth about Food' is today quoted as saying that the Drinkink water thing is a Myth. You pays yer expert and yer still don't know !
brian spooner, gent, belgium
How long does weighing yourself take? 30 seconds max! And that's slow. Hysterical obsession? Really! We know who the hysterics are! People like George Johnson. Yeah go ahead eat as much butter and cheese etc as you like and grow fat as a tank, watch your body turn to jelly and oh, yes you are bound to be happy. In your relationships. Such tedious tosh! I love that advice to eat until you feel satiated as well. That's more advice to get fat, fat, fat!
Emily W, Cambs, UK
George,
How can dieting, by which I mean eating fewer calories than you burn up, POSSIBLY be a means of gaining weight? It just doesn't work like that.
What causes the weight gain is the amount of calories you eat after you STOP dieting.
If you eat too much, you'll gain weight. That's all there is to it. One can lose weight by doing the opposite of everything you suggest, just as one can gain weight by doing what you say.
'...as much butter, milk and cheese, fish and meat as you like'? That's fine, as long as 'as much as you like' doesn't mean you're taking in more energy than you're using up. If it does, then you'll gain weight.
Lastly, if we don't know whether your third point is true, why are you saying it's a lie?
Eamonn, do you not think it's a possibility that you'd have also lost weight if you'd cut out the same number of calories in, say, salad?
It's not difficult, people, just eat less.
RNC, Haywards Heath,
Bread does put on weight. I removed only bread from my diet and have gradually lost weight. I was not a sanwich eater. I ate bread with soups and salads only. When I lived in Spain some Spanish friends avoided weight gain by periodically not eating bread. They never ate sandwiches or butter on bread.
Eamon, Sydney, Australia
George Johnson, what on earth is your formula if not obsessive dieting?
And I really don't think there's anything obsessive about weighing yourself daily - keeping an eye on your weight on a daily basis means you know when your weight is creeping up, which in turn means you can do something about it before you get to the stage where doing something about it would take much effort ...
Sally, london,
Roger, your point about protein not supporting muscle growth is just wrong. I'm sorry, you must have mis-interpreted the point. Strength training and Exercise WILL promote muscle growth, but the extra muscle does not come from thin air - it needs calories to do so, more specifically it needs protein.
David, Daublin,
The best way of losing weight and being healthy is to eat normally, not starving yourself but also not overeating, and meantime, find a form of exercise which you actually enjoy doing and do it everyday for half an hour. In a long run, you will see the difference!
Cindy, London,
Perhaps the biggest and fattest lies are
(1) that dieting is a way of losing weight - its a way of gaining it.
(2) that permanent weight loss has ever been achieved on any scale - it hasn't.
(3) that losing weight improves longevity.
We do not know whether it would, if done, because no-one has ever been able to do a study in which weight reduction was maintained.
The good doctor's advice to weigh oneself daily is a recipe for hysterical obsession. Throw away the scale and eat a healthy diet cooked from raw ingredients. Just cut out all prepared meals, all sugar and manufactured biscuits and pastries, all soy products, all oils except olive, all fast food, all manufactured meats such as sausages. Eat as much butter, milk and cheese, fish and meat as you like. Avoid whole grain wheat bread. Walk 40 minutes three or four times a week, at a fast pace.
Buy clothes that fit you. Be happy. Save your relationship. Obsessive dieting is one of the main threats to it.
George Johnson, London, England
Why do we all want short simple answers and solutions ?
Maintaining a healthy weight is a complex formula and no two people are alike.
With all due respect to Dr. Klein , BMI is useless for people who are actually fit because it does not take into account their higher muscle mass. Nor does every person need the same number of calories per pound to sustain their weight. This is an old-school myth, much like those dispelled above.
The same holds true for weighing yourself and your food daily. Try weighing yourself weekly and eating only until you begin to feel satiated. Learn about proper diet and eat consistently without a healthy model. Stay in touch with your body instead of just measuring it and you may likely have less anxiety as well.
Kirk Candlish, Santa Barbara, California
Nuts don't make you fat -- but fat makes you nuts!!
Rob, San Francisco, CA
As a physician and psychiatrist with a BMI of 25, I recommend the following: 1-Weight yourself daily 2-Buy a food scale and use it 3-Rather than diet eat only the number of calories you need to maintain a normal weight. Takes 13 calories/pound to maintain weight. A person who should weight 150lbs could eat 1950 calories daily. By doing that your brain might reset its appetite control switch.
MARK KLEIN, M.D., OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA