When it comes to dieting and losing weight there are many horrible myths still floating around. I hear them everyday with the questions that I get on my Instagram and in the Facebook private group.
Today I want to expose these dirty little myths so you can stay on track with your weight loss goals and not get suckered into a dangerous and unsuccessful dieting strategy.
Here are my top 5 Diet myths that need to die!
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You CAN’T get fat on a low Carb Diet
When you are trying to lose weight the amount of calories that you are consuming daily is far more important than where the calories are coming from.
I have seen some pretty outrageous low carbohydrate diets in my past.
The bottom line is that if your caloric maintenance is 2,300 calories and you are consuming 3,200 calories you will gain fat even if you are on a low carb diet!
Chowing down on bacon, guacamole, and cheese all day just cause its “low carb” is NOT going to help you lose weight fast!
For 99% of my clients on the 12-week shred program, they have incredible success by eating around 0.5 – 1.0 gram of carbs per lb. of bodyweight.
There is simply no need to go on an extreme KETO diet to lose weight. I’m not saying that certain Keto diets don’t have their benefits, but they won’t necessarily speed up fat loss if your total calories are the exact same.
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If You Eat Sugar on a diet you will store Fat
Sugar and simple carbohydrates are actually beneficial when you just finished a resistance training workout.
I’ve even had clients enjoy gummy bears, fat free frozen yoghurt and skittles candy post workout and lose weight just as fast as clients who ate 100% clean!
Nutrient timing is a real thing, and when you finish an intense workout your body uses the insulin spike from simple carbohydrates to fuel recovery, replenish muscle glycogen, and initiate protein synthesis.
The best scientific post workout meal to build muscle and burn fat is in fact a combo of simple carbs and high quality protein paired together!
There is no need to starve yourself from all forms of carbohydrates and simple sugars on a weight loss diet.
Keep them in moderation and try to enjoy the majority of them post workout or as a cheat meal and you can still make fast progress!
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You can eat an unlimited amount of Fat Free Foods
On the contrary, not all “fat free” foods are going to be weight loss friendly.
Now, I’ve already stated that carbohydrates are important on a weight loss diet and I encourage that you eat between 0.5 – 1.0 grams of carbs.
This does not mean however that you can chow down on “low fat” pop tarts, fat free cereal, and fat free crackers all day and be a fat burning machine.
Low Fat and Fat free technically means “high sugar” – in a very deceptive way.
People see the terminology “low fat” and they assume it’s a great option to “lose fat” – but its usually the opposite.
Fig Newton’s, Frozen Yoghurt, Fruity Pebbles Cereal and Gummy bears are all low fat options, but if you chow down on these all day you will be priming your body to store fat, spike your insulin, and crave sugar throughout the day!
You need to have fiber, protein, and healthy fats to lose weight healthy and fast.
Choose the fat free foods that are high in sugar in moderation, or enjoy them post workout when they actually have some benefits.
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You can’t get fat on Organic Food
This is one of the craziest diet myth’s that I have ever heard. When it comes to losing fat really quick a food being organic or not means absolutely nothing.
I once had a client come to me explaining how they were eating “organic everything” and they STILL couldn’t lose weight fast.
They explained they were living off of organic granola bars, organic fruits and veggies (these are fine of course), and even organic toaster pastries)
When I sat and crunched their total daily calories they were eating about 3,500 total calories and OVER 200 grams of sugar per day.
This was a 150 lb. girl who was eating well over 1,000 calories over her maintenance level.
Just because its “organic peanut butter” and “organic nutrition bars” doesn’t mean you can binge on them all day and still lose weight.
The “eat whatever you want as long as its organic diet” is one of the worst dieting myths in the history of mankind!
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You can’t get fat on too much Fruit and Smoothies
Did you know that smoothies from commercial chains like Jamba Juice and even the pre packaged ones like NAKED juice are one of the highest sugar foods in the world?
Most of the smoothies at Jamba Juice are over 100 grams of carbs, and are going to send your insulin levels rising!
If in 1 day you consumed 3 bananas, 1 bag of berries, 1 naked green juice, and 1 large banana berry smoothie from Jamba juice you would be at nearly 2,000 total calories from fruit alone!
Fruit is healthy in moderation of course and I personally love topping my yoghurt and oats with fruit and snacking on bananas and pineapple throughout the day – but when it comes to the fruit smoothies and fruit juice blends use extreme caution.
It doesn’t matter where the calories come from. If you are eating more than your body is burning you are going to store body fat – simple as that!