5 weight loss MYTHS.

…According to Jess

So many confusing and contradicting health messages out there that are making us fatter and sicker!

Here are a few of my favourite...

My weight shifted when I realised they were myths!

1. Artificial sweeteners will help you cut calories and lose weight

*Products such as diet soda, sugar-free gum, Equal, Splenda, NutraSweet, Sweet-n-Low, energy drinks.


WRONG.

As science reveals more and more about the complex ways our bodies work, we realize what a stupid thing it is to try to fool them with artificial products.

When presented with an artificial ‘food substitute’ your body is confused and reacts in detrimental ways.

Fake sugars are among the worst things we can be consuming for our health. They are both toxic and addictive. A proven neurotoxin too!

They can fool your body in both directions:

      1. As your body gets used to artificial sweeteners, you crave sweet things, but your satiety hormones are suppressed. You don't recognise when you are full or satisfied. 

     2. Sweeteners can cause insulin spikes like sugar that render your system subject to metabolic disorders, weight gain and long term deregulation of appetite.

Sweeteners will ultimately cause toxic build up (they are chemicals!!), hormonal imbalance; stimulate appetite and enhance mood disorders. The research is there! Read more http://aspartame.com

See my article SWAP IT- to find out how to sweeten foods/drinks naturally.

2. Exercise is the key to weight loss….Exercise for hours a day and you will get the body of your dreams....

FALSE.

I used to exercise 2x/day- I think it made me fatter!

You can change your body's hormones and torch off fat in an extremely short amount of time by doing high intensity interval training, and deep muscle resistance exercises using extremely slow, heavy, eccentric movements. Jonathan Bailor,  Smarter Science of Slim is an expert on this topic! His book will explain this further...

Over exercising will make you hungrier! It can also cause you adrenal exhaustion = hormonal imbalance. I have spoken about this over and over. A tired and exhausted body will encounter all kinds of hormonal havoc- fat storage being very much apart of this havoc. 

Exercise less but smarter.

Also, It is 80% what you eat….

FOOD QUALITY is what decides your body composition. (In my humble opinion). 

3. Low fat/Fat free is the way to go because FAT will make you FAT

FALSE

Think Fat free = Sugar load! They have to replace the good tasting fat with something don’t they!

Stop fearing fat!

Your body needs the good fats!

Best found in avocado, flaxseed, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds and oily fish (salmon). 

Quick note: Omega 3 supplement is essential to every one in my opinion.

Good fats are essential to give your body energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect your organs (your heart!!) and help your body absorb nutrients and produce important hormones, too. 
Good fats keep you fuller for longer = blood sugar stabilization. Without it we would miss out on vital nutrients - the vitamins A, D and E - and what are known as essential fatty acids (omega 3) which are needed to prevent or control all kinds of ailments and conditions such as heart disease, cancers, immune system deficiencies, arthritis, skin complaints, PMS and menopausal symptoms.

Your body actually makes use of fat! Your body is not as good as making use of simple sugars...Extra sugar that the body cannot make use of is stored as fat!

Sugar is what we need to be weary of!

I used to be a ‘low fat’ and ‘fat free’ junkie. I was petrified of FAT. I would fret over each almond I consumed. If I ate the avocado in the salad I would feel ridiculous amounts guilt and was sure that my body weight would go up in kilos!! 

Ohhhh my old relationship with food…. what stress we put on ourselves!

So when I started eating the good fats what happened? ...

Skin cleared- skin started to glow!

Lost all the excess weight

Moods lifted

Bowels regulated

Cravings subsided

Yes yes yes to good fats!!!

Avoid the ugly trans fats. 

Mentality check: Can you eat as much good fat as you want now? NO- THINK MODERATION. Everything in life needs moderation. We are so bad at this..

4. Calories in and calories out- all that matters.

“If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.”

 HMMMM. NO. FALSE.

Just like we cannot control our cardiovascular system, we cannot control our metabolism system. It is far more complex than calories in, calories out.  Life sustaining functions are automatically regulated by the body.

Celebrity Nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder explains this well, “The calorie hypothesis assumes that the human body behaves like a simple thermodynamic machine and employs a straightforward method of burning food for energy.

What is a calorie, anyway? By definition, it is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. While this definition actually defines a kilocalorie, it’s been shortened to calorie. This works in a simple machine, like a car engine, but does it work in human beings?

The answer to this question is very likely no. The human body is an extremely complex biological mechanism that does not operate according to the rules of simple thermodynamics. I personally know people who have counted calories religiously yet remained overweight in spite of their best efforts.

if you eat the foods your body was intended to eat, based on whole and natural foods, your weight problems will be alleviated. You will get more nutrition from such foods, and will not need to eat such huge quantities naturally. These foods also possess fiber, which is a filling and natural means to help with calorie restriction. Furthermore, natural foods do not clog up your digestive tract with sludge, which keeps you from feeling full and getting the maximum amount of nutrition from the foods you are eating. If you eat heavier, more difficult to digest foods that don’t digest as cleanly, you will eat more and rely on external sources of energy such as sugar and caffeine.”

Thanks Kimberly. Well said.

Focusing on the quality of foods will enhance the effectiveness of your metabolism system. When we put the wrong quality of food into our body it becomes hormonally clogged and the level of fat in our body rises.

5. Eat three times a day — don't snack

FALSE. 

We must eat regularly to keep our blood sugar levels stable (every 3-4 hours).
In my opinion- stable blood sugar is the key to good weight. Cravings will be controlled, metabolism will be speedy and you wont be so moody!!

Change your mentality…

When we don’t eat for long periods of time, your body thinks its being starved and then goes into ‘survival mode’. 
Your body is so clever…

So what will it do to survive? Hold onto something, anything…. what does it hold onto? FAT!

Does that clear a few things up ?

Wishing you a healthy filled week. 

Affirmation of the week: I naturally make choices that are good for me, I take loving care of my body and my body responds with health, an abundance of energy and a wonderful feeling of well-being