Winning the Weight War (Part II)

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You’re meeting your exercise goals each week and feeling wonderful with that rush of happy endorphins. But the pudge won’t budge. Could it be your secret rebound relationship with the up-sized vanilla latte (Extra cream? Yes please!) after yet another unsustainable diet plan?

Remy Danaf, dietician at Health Watchers Bahrain, busts some popular myths for us. “As standard diet recommendations don’t work for everyone, the first step in a weight loss journey should be to check in with the experts [dietitians or doctors] who can evaluate your current habits and the reasons for weight gain, in order to help you effectively achieve real and lasting weight loss,” says Remy. “They can measure parameters against which to compare future progress, and help you set realistic goals.”

Myth: Starve to Be Slim
Hunger can lead to increased appetite and spike cravings for fatty and sugary foods, causing binge eating and a likely end to the diet. Also, being in a state of constant hunger will negatively affect your metabolism, as your body will be sending signals to hold onto the fat. Remy says: “Skipping meals [especially breakfast] will make you overeat at the next meal and binge on unhealthy snacks. Eating small meals at regular intervals with healthy nibbles in between is more likely to help you control hunger and lose weight.”

Myth: Cancel Carbs and Gluten
Remy warns about diet trends and misconceptions. She says: “Cutting out an entire food group from your diet without medical reasons is unnecessary and may actually be harmful because you are missing out on nutrients. And eventually you’re going to get bored and crave the food you’re avoiding.

“A gluten-free diet doesn’t help weight loss. It is intended only for people who have problems digesting gluten or celiac disease. Gluten-free does not mean calorie-free – food manufacturers often add extra salt, sugar and fat to compensate in the flavour of such foods.”

Good carbs are important for maintaining optimum health, maintaining muscle mass and fuelling exercise and their omission can have serious health consequences. “Cutting carbs entirely from ,the diet is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make. They are essential for our brains and central nervous system and must be 50 per cent of our total calorie intake. Replace refined carbs such as white bread and rice with whole grain bread, oatmeal and brown rice that are high in fibre and B vitamins,” says Remy.

Myth: Bye-Bye Favourite Treats
“When I tell my clients that they can lose weight and still have a small dessert each day, they don’t believe it,” says Remy. “A diet shouldn’t be a punishment. It should be a lifestyle in order to have long-term results. Cutting out your favourite foods only sets you up for failure. Instead, learn to eat the things you love in moderation. Even ‘unhealthy’ food can be a tiny part of your diet. Make smart substitutions to make your favourite foods healthier.”

Myth: I Can Trust Packaged ‘Low-Fat’ Foods
Health claims on packaging can be extremely misleading. Remy advises we read and understand the full nutrition label and ingredients before making a healthy choice. The claims ‘fat-free’, ‘low-fat’ or ‘light’ do not mean that the product is healthy. It can be loaded with added sugar, sodium, unpronounceable chemicals and can be high in calories. The same goes for ‘sugar-free’ products, which can be high in calories and/or fat.

Myth: Counting Calories Is Everything
The weight loss process is more complicated than just simple mathematical equations. Remy explains: “There are many variables that influence weight, besides comparing calories eaten to calories burned. Also, not all calories are equal; 100 calories coming from a cookie isn’t equal to 100 calories coming from vegetables. It matters where the calories come from and what effects they have on your body, in the short and long term. We can’t ignore the metabolic effects of each calorie on the body [how it raises your blood sugar and insulin levels, how it affects metabolism, blood pressure levels and other parameters].”

What really matters in order to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way is to combine the importance of both quantity and quality of food ingested, and how it is distributed through the day.

Bypass the Bloopers
Remy briefs us on the misconceptions and mistakes made while ‘being on a diet’.
• Very low calorie, crash diets, like the cabbage soup diet, GM diet, grapefruit diet or Hollywood diet are imbalanced and ineffective. They may provide short-term results, but they will slow down your metabolism. Most people regain the weight once they go off the plan.
• It’s easy to overdo healthy snacks such as nuts and fruits, and protein supplements. These are high in calories and contribute to body fat if over-consumed. Portion control is key.
• Don’t drink your calories. Even natural fruit juice is loaded with sugars and calories.
• Going overboard on cheat day can ruin the efforts of the whole week. Treating yourself to one cheat meal per week can be good to break the routine and satisfy your cravings.
• Not getting enough sleep releases ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, and cortisol, which signals the body to store fat.
• Not getting enough hydration slows down the metabolism. Don’t go more than two hours without water.
• Not exercising or over- exercising can both mess about with your metabolism and hormones, leading to fat storage. Be active through the day and choose a type of workout that you enjoy so you can stick to it for sustainable results.
• Watch what you eat; it plays a very big role in your weight-loss journey.
• The scale can be disappointing even when you’re losing fat but gaining muscle or holding on to water. Focus on inches and percentage of body fat lost.