Separating fact from fiction when it comes to nutrition and dieting
On a drastic diet? EAT, says a nutrition expert.
“It may sound illogical. But you should actually eat to lose weight instead of starving yourself by extreme dieting,” says Liz Freitick, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics nutritionist.
According to Freitick, severe caloric restriction can signal your body into “starvation mode,” when the body works extra hard to protect itself by hanging on to every last pound.
“Starvation mode slows metabolism and can significantly slow or even stop weight loss,” she says.
Freitick says there are three “lean by extreme” categories that can sabotage weight loss:
• Liquid Diets. “Getting all or most of your food through meal-replacement drinks and other fluids never really satisfies appetite,” says Freitick. She refers to a study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, testing the theory that liquids don’t satisfy hunger.
One group ate an additional 450 calories of jelly beans a day for four weeks. Another group consumed an extra 450 calories of soda a day during the same time period. The results revealed that the people who ate the jelly beans compensated for the extra calories by limiting other foods. The soda drinkers did not and consumed 450 additional calories each day.
“Occasionally replacing a meal with a liquid meal replacement is not going to hurt,” says Freitick. “But a consistent liquid diet can be nutritionally poor and will sabotage you in the long run. You don’t really learn how to manage eating healthier with typical foods.”
• Very Low-Carb Diets. “It’s one thing to watch your carbs, especially simple carbohydrates,” says Freitick. “But regardless of their recent popularity, very low-carb diets are not a good idea.” Freitick explains that while proteins and fats may satisfy, they don’t provide a full feeling in your stomach. Higher-fiber complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grain do that. In addition, carbs provide a quick-release source of fuel and energy for the body.
“A lack of carbohydrates often makes you tired and feel weak,” Freitick points out. And cutting out the carbohydrate-containing foods (like fruit, milk and yogurt) that contain important vitamins and minerals may be hurting your long-term health.
• Food Groups Restriction. “Most of us can’t eliminate foods we really enjoy, but we do have to limit them,” says Freitick. Your body really likes to have a variety of foods at every meal, including healthy fats, to help stoke your internal burner and boost metabolism. The trick is to choose foods for your meals from each food group (grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins) as often as possible.
Along with this, it helps to figure out whether you’re eating because of hunger or out of habit or other reasons. Then learn to stop eating before you’re over-full — that is, to stop when you’re comfortably satisfied.
Nutritionists recommend a weight loss of onehalf to two pounds per week (an average over time) by figuring how many calories it will take for you to lose and to maintain your weight. Freitick says calorie-counting doesn’t work for everyone, but calories do count when you want to lose weight. The calorie level you need to shed pounds is based on gender, activity level and overall metabolism. A simplified, general rule is that women should not eat fewer than 1,500 calories a day; most men should eat at least 1,800 to promote weight loss.
It can be a challenge to eat fewer calories while eating plenty of healthy foods, but doing so along with getting regular heart-pumping exercise will give you the best results. Most important: choose healthy foods in moderate amounts and enjoy eating.
Just as many fad diets don’t tell your the whole nutrition story, various myths and food lore often get mixed into a goulash of advice on nutrition. Well-meant advice covers when and what to eat, but it can be difficult to sort out the facts.
Since March is National Nutrition Month, here are some food myths to chew on from TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), provided by Joan Pleuss, R.D., C.D.E., M.S., C.D., Senior Research Dietitian in the General Clinical Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
MYTH: Don’t eat between meals.
False - Eating four to five meals and snacks helps healthy eaters control their appetites, according to numerous studies. The total calories must stay within the range for the eating plan, however.
MYTH: Don’t eat before bedtime.
False - Again, it’s the total number of calories that matter, not when those calories are consumed.
MYTH: Breakfast should never be skipped.
True - Studies have shown that eating breakfast decreases the likelihood that you will overeat later in the day. Breakfast also increases overall energy and helps your brain concentrate, solve problems, and remember facts better.
MYTH: Protein should be a part of meals and snacks.
True - Lean meat, yogurt, cheese, nuts, and beans are all great proteins that will help keep healthy eaters feeling full longer.
MYTH: It’s better to graze than eat three square meals a day.
True - Six mini-meals eaten throughout the day can effectively keep you satisfied. The foods selected should be healthy and the total amount of calories should not exceed the amount needed to maintain or lose weight.
MYTH: There are some foods that should be eaten every day.
True - You should include food from all the TOPS Exchange groups every day. In the Milk Exchange group, yogurt plays a role in bone health and strengthens the immune system. In the Vegetables Exchange group, spinach, kale, bok choy, and romaine are great sources of nutrients helpful for bones, heart, and eyes. Tomatoes decrease the risk of certain cancers and heart disease. Carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and yellow bell peppers are wonderful sources of carotenoids, which fight cancer. Fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, purple grapes, and raisins contain many antioxidants to help prevent memory changes as we age and also to help prevent cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Meat Exchanges such as dried peas and beans contain antioxidants that may improve brain and heart function. Grains, including oats, quinoa, and wild rice, lower the risk of heart disease. Hearthealthy fats can come from walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, and flaxseed.
MYTH: Skipping meals will help you lose weight.
False - Skipping meals actually may have the opposite effect. Studies have found that people who skip meals during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat the right foods four or five times a day. When you skip a meal, you may be slowing down your body’s metabolism – thus, making your body require fewer calories and converting extra calories to fat.
TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the original, nonprofit weight-loss education and support organization, was founded more than 60 years ago to champion weight-loss support and success. Founded and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., TOPS promotes successful weight management with a philosophy that combines healthy eating, regular exercise, wellness education, and support from others at weekly chapter meetings. TOPS has about 170,000 members in nearly 10,000 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, and several chapters in Europe.
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