Popular Diet Myths Debunked

Heyyyy Ladies!  I’m baaack…..it’s amazing how much this shoulder surgery kicked my butt.  Typing and I aren’t exactly simpatico yet, so we are going to keep today’s blog short.  We’re gonna talk diet myths!

If you prefer to listen to this email, I did a FB live on the same topic that you can check out here.

There is so much BS in the diet and fitness industry, so today I am going to debunk a couple myths.

1. You have to eat breakfast -  Here’s an easy test to see if you need breakfast.  If you skip breakfast and the next meal finds you ravenous and willing to eat whatever is in front of you, you need to eat breakfast.  If you skip breakfast and can happily choose a healthy option (like a salad with chicken breast), you are someone who can skip breakfast.

2. You can’t eat past 6pm (or late at night) if you want to lose weight - If you’re purely speaking about weight loss, the body does not care what time you give it calories.  You can eat all your calories (provided you aren’t eating a calorie surplus) and go right to bed and not gain a pound.  You might not sleep the best...but hey, we’re not talking sleep right now!

3. You have to eat an hour before/after you lift weights - If you are not an elite athlete or physique competitor, none of this matters!  You don’t need to worry about optimization until the basics are covered. Meaning, if you have weight to lose, don’t worry about pre/post workout nutrition (unless it affects your ability to actually workout).

4. You have to go low-carb to lose weight - People lose weight on high-carb and low-carb. (I was the leanest of my life eating high carb, low fat, moderate protein.) As long as you have a calorie deficit, it doesn’t matter what you choose, you will lose weight

5. You need to stop eating fruit because it has too much sugar - This is complete and utter BS...nobody is getting fat off of apples and bananas!  If it’s plant food, eat it. End of story.

So how do you lose weight?  Have a calorie deficit.  That’s it. If you want to lose fat (and keep your lean muscle), have a small to moderate calorie deficit and eat protein at each meal.

Is nutrition more nuanced than this?  Of course! We’re not talking about optimizing energy, sleeping well, being happy with your diet or even the very fancy TEF (thermic effect of food)….we are just talking about losing weight.  And no matter how much fitness and diet magazines will try to massage the truth, the bottom line is that you need a calorie deficit.

Easiest ways to have a calorie deficit without actually counting calories?

1. Drink lots of water

2. Eat when truly hungry, stop when moderately full

3. Include high fiber foods (think fruits and veggies) at every meal

Have any further questions about this?  Hit me up!