Get Fit, Get Healthy

Get Fit, Get Healthy – Exploding the Myths

On a recent trip to the city I was struck by something I had never noticed before.  Loads of people had become enormous!  It looked more like a scene from stereotypical America than super-chic London, and I was transfixed by the sheer size of some of the people filling the streets.  What was going on?

I was there visiting a friend who is a doctor and also a triathlete, and knows the answer to anything medical or health related.  So, expecting a scientific answer full of complex, biological explanations I asked him, ‘Why do some people get so fat?’

He just shrugged.

‘Because some people eat too much and don’t exercise.’

Not what I was expecting.

‘But what about genetics?  What about metabolism?  Isn’t it true that some people are pre-disposed to being fat?’

But again, the answer was simple.

‘Honestly?  No.  They just need to lay off the pies and move more.’

I admit I was surprised.  I had always assumed that biology had a huge affect on our bodies, and that people got fat partly because they inherited some kind of ‘fat’ genes from their parents, just as we inherit height and eye colour.  It seemed to make perfect sense, but it doesn’t explain the apparent bodily expansion I was seeing in the UK population.  My friend assures me that weight gain has more to do with an increase in unhealthy lifestyles than anything else, and that fat parents produce fat kids because they feed them too much of the wrong food and don’t encourage an active lifestyle.
What does this mean for all those ‘wonder diets’ and ‘slimming aids’ out there?  There seem to be more of them than ever, and yet we’re still getting fatter.  What food is the wrong food?  And, most importantly, does this mean that with a bit more will-power we can all look like Elle McPherson?

The Flat-Stomach Myth:
Many of us are on a desperate mission to achieve a flat stomach, which causes no end of stress and can even lead to eating disorders.  But, unfortunately, it’s not always physiologically possible for some people to achieve our goal, as our abdominals are not designed to be flat.  You can be in the shape of your life with not an ounce of spare flesh in sight, but your stomach may still not be completely flat.  Instead, they often tend to form the dreaded rounded shape, and age and individual body type affect their size and shape. This is especially true of many fit, healthy women who cruelly, as they reach middle age, tend to get a lower abdominal pouch due to hormonal changes.  So while we can’t blame our flabby bits on our genes, it seems we can blame them for our rounded bellies.

If this is you, instead of stressing about something you can’t change, try concentrating on something you can – your posture.  This is the simplest, most effective change you can make, and better posture will make you look and feel taller and slimmer instantly.  Keep your shoulders back and your head up so you look people in the eye.  Contract your abs, imagine pointing the base of your spine to the floor and a rope pulling the top of your head to the sky.  Not only will this make you look instantly more streamlined and counteract the pot-bellied look, it makes you look confident, gives you more room to breathe and aids good digestion.  Everyone’s a winner!

The Spot-Reduction Myth

Don’t believe any abdominal toning equipment that costs a fortune but promises that this one wonder exercise will decrease the fat around your waist.  You cannot spot reduce fat – except by liposuction, and, eeuuw.  Abdominal exercises will train your muscles and give you the hard abs you are looking for, but you will only lose the layer of fat sitting on top when you create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you take in. The most effective blend is aerobic exercise, strength training and healthy eating.  It might not be the answer you’re looking for, but it is the only one that will work.  Don’t look for a quick fix – as we all know, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Weight Loss

The subject of weight loss is a minefield, especially if you’re a guy whose girlfriend has asked him if she should lose a few pounds.  (The answer, guys, is always, forever and without exception, no.)  There are countless myths bouncing about in the media that confuse and bewilder people trying to lose weight, or people just trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.  Some are dreamed up by people looking to make money, and others, probably, dreamed up by people desperate for a quick answer to their problems.

What it all comes down to is calories, and they’re not as evil as you think.

A calorie isn’t a wicked blob of fat just desperate to stick itself to your hips.  A calorie is a measure of energy expenditure.  The calories referred to in diet and exercise are actually kilocalories (kcal) – 1000 of the calories referred to in science labs for measuring chemical reactions.  Don’t panic, its just jargon.

If you want to lose weight you simply need use up more calories then you consume.  That’s it.  You can do that by eating fewer calories than you need, or by exercising more, or ideally, both. It is true that some people burn more calories per day than others, but all this means is that you simply have to find the number of calories your body burns in a day and consume fewer calories than that. It’s not always easy, and your lifestyle, budget and enjoyment of food and drink will have a large effect on how easy you find it.  But it’s what you have to do, and no magical potions or quick-fix solutions will do it for you.

Here are some of the most common dietary myths floating about at the moment.
Myth: There are good calories and bad calories.
Fact:  Where weight loss is concerned, a calorie is a calorie. If you consume 4,000 calories by eating 8 Big Macs or 4,000 calories by eating 50 apples, it is still 4,000 calories.  However, there are empty calories – those obtained through foods high in sugar, generally junk food, which are of no nutritional value.  If you spend your life burning off empty calories you’ll miss out on all the important food groups, deteriorate in health and never be a surfer – you just won’t be strong enough.  You should aim to obtain your calories from nutrition-rich foods to make sure you are getting everything you need to stay strong and healthy

Myth: ‘Low-fat’ and ‘fat-free’ foods are okay so you can eat as much as you want.
Fact:  Some foods, like fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories.  Other ‘low-fat’ or ‘fat-free’ foods, such as supermarket ready-meals, have had their fat content lowered artificially so they can make these ‘fat-free’ claims, and may still have a lot of calories.  Often these foods will have extra sugar, flour, or starch thickeners to make them taste better, which will add calories, which can lead to weight gain.  Don’t fall for the marketing!
Fat is not bad for you, and it is important to get around 35% of your daily calories from fat as it has many important purposes alongside from being a good source of energy.  It circulates fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K through the blood so they can be absorbed by the body, and it contains essential fatty acids such omega-3 and omega-6 which are vital for construction of the nerve walls.  Poly- and mono-unsaturated fats (such as olive oil) are better for you than saturated fats (such as animal fats) as these increase the risk of heart disease.  Because fat is a concentrated source of energy, you don’t need to eat a lot of it.

A product can have 0 grams of fat but still have lots of calories. Many fat-free foods replace the fat with sugar and contain just as many or more calories as a fat-containing product.  Watch out!

Myth: You can’t have sugar, fat or alcohol if you’re on a diet
Fact:  No realistic diet will totally forbid certain foods or ingredients (especially your favourite ones) across the board, as this will only make you feel deprived and increase the chances of a binge. For most people, an eating plan that doesn’t allow the occasional treat is a short-lived one.  If you cut out loads of food stuffs on a diet, then once you stop the diet and eat these foods again (which is inevitable), you’ll almost certainly gain the weight back.  This is because your metabolism slows during the diet and you won’t be able to efficiently burn the amount of calories you’re now consuming.
If you love puddings or drink alcohol regularly, the most effective way to reduce your intake is to phase out these items gradually. This might mean cutting down on ‘visible sugar,’ such as the pure kind you put in tea or coffee. For alcohol, it might mean alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones.

Myth: Fast foods are always unhealthy and you should avoid them like the plague.
Fact: You can squeeze the odd bit of fast food into a healthy diet with a bit of expertise.  Choose grilled foods instead of fried, and avoid high-fat, high-calorie toppings, like mayonnaise and salad dressings, or use them only in small amounts.
Eating fried fast food or other high-fat foods like chocolate once in a while as a special treat is fine – but only as a treat and not as a regular part of your diet.  In small amounts, these foods can still be part of a healthy eating plan.  You have to stay realistic.  If you know you won’t survive without the odd plate of chips, accept it and fit your eating plan around it.

Myth:  Meal replacement diets are an ideal way to lose weight because they shrink your stomach.
Fact:  Meal replacements usually come in the form of a high-protein, low-fat drink.  Meal replacement plans are designed to be followed for a short period of time – weeks or sometimes even days – and they encourage rapid weight loss.  These plans, which usually provide around 600 calories per day, replace normal foods and are intended to kickstart your diet by providing concentrated nutrients in one low-calorie ‘meal’.
The plans may be used in different ways. Some use the meal replacements for up to a week without any food, whilst others use them for several weeks replacing one or two meals a day and eating a normal meal in the evening. Whilst they may be useful to those who are clinically obese or who can’t lose weight on conventional diets, it is important that these plans are never used for longer than four weeks. They are designed to help kickstart your diet only and don’t provide enough calories for long-term nutrition.
The Department of Health has expressed concern over the safety of these diets for people with heart and kidney disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes and gout. They also advise against use for pregnant or breastfeeding women, infants, children, adolescents or elderly people.

Myth: Diet pills help you lose weight
Fact:  If you’re willing to stay on them for the rest of your life they might, but you might as well start a direct debit straight from your pay packet into the manufacturer’s account.
There are hundreds of diet pills on the market that claim to help you lose weight, but current scientific evidence does not support claims of long-term weight loss.  Ultimately, whatever weight loss diet pills may achieve, these benefits are lost when you stop using them, and most often results in weight gain.  As far as the effect of diet pills on your metabolism, the result is still unknown.

Myth:  Natural or herbal weight-loss products are safe and effective.
Fact:  A product that claims to be “natural” or “herbal” is not necessarily safe. These products are not always tested scientifically to prove that they are safe or that they work.
Some herbal remedies cause constipation or diarrhea.  Not a good life choice.  Others may be unsafe to use with other drugs or may hurt people with certain medical conditions.  Check with your doctor before using any herbal or natural weight-loss product.

Myth:  Passive devices such as acupressure rings and bracelets, bands, soaps, can help you lose weight
Fact:  Someone is trying to steal your money.  There is no other way to burn calories but to burn them.

Myth: If you stick to your diet, you don’t need to exercise to lose weight
Fact:  Doctors have stated that it is better to be fit and slightly overweight than thin and unfit, as physical activity is as important as weight in preventing heart disease and other illnesses such as diabetes. To maintain your body weight, the calories you take in should equal the calories you burn up, so obviously the most effective way to lose weight is to both reduce calories and increase exercise. Also, exercise improves tone and firms your body – losing weight with no exercise can leave you looking floppy, saggy and ill.  Not attractive.

Myth: The latest fad diet will be the answer to all my problems
Fact:  Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off, no matter what the celebrities say. As soon as you see a diet promising to help you lose a lot of weight quickly with little or no effort, alarm bells should start ringing.  You may lose weight at first on these diets, but they can be unhealthy because they often keep you from getting all the nutrients your body needs, and actually help you gain weight in the long run as your body compensates for this.  Fad diets also often limit or forbid certain types of food, so most people quickly get bored and frustrated with them, succumb to the binge and soon regain the lost weight.
The main goal of a diet is to eat fewer calories than you need to maintain your current body weight.  To lose weight permanently, we should follow a diet or eating plan that is nutritionally sound, tasty and not based on a single or limited range of foods.   Research suggests that losing 1/2 to 2 pounds a week by eating better and exercising more is the best way to lose weight and keep it off.  By improving your eating and exercise habits, you will develop a healthier lifestyle and control your weight. You will also reduce your chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Myth:  Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets are the way forward
Fact:  People who follow ‘low-carb’ diets tend to drop weight initially, but much of this weight is water. Since calories from carbs are the first thing our body uses for fuel, following a low-carb diet forces the body to quickly use this energy, then revert to stored carbs (known as glycogen) from the liver and muscles for energy. Since water is stored in the body with glycogen, you lose water as this glycogen is used for energy. Therefore most of the weight loss that occurs at this point is water and not fat.
Once these stored carbohydrates are used up, the body then relies on protein for energy and as a result, compounds called ketones are produced. These can be dangerous, particularly for people with medical problems such as heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and diabetes because the brain relies on glucose for energy, but ketones don’t provide energy for the brain. The body therefore tries to eliminate ketones through the liver and kidneys, which puts a severe strain on these organs because of the toxicity of ketones to the body. For people with metabolic problems, ketones are particularly hard to metabolise and eliminate. Due to the high level of ketones produced in a low-carb/high-protein diet, you may also experience dehydration, weakness, nausea and, in severe cases, gout and kidney problems.
Additionally, many low-carb/high-protein diets can be problematic if the protein you eat is high in saturated fat (such as fatty bacon or cheese), because it increases the risk of heart disease. Despite the belief that carbs are fattening, fat is much higher in calories than carbohydrates. Current nutritional advice advocates a low-fat diet made up of 35% fat, 15% protein and 50% carbs, with most of your calories coming from starchy carbs.

Myth:  Missing meals is a good way to lose weight.
Fact:  If you miss meals, your body starts to believe it needs to store fat incase of starvation – the feast or famine situation.  This is exactly what you don’t want – your body trying to store fat while you try to lose it!  You need to make your body trust you that you will feed it regularly, and missing meals is certainly not the way to do this.  Studies show that people who skip breakfast tend to be heavier than those who eat a nutritious breakfast.
Also, if you skip meals during the day, you will be more likely to make up for those missing calories by snacking or eating more at the next meal.  You may feel impressed with yourself and your flatter stomach after skipping breakfast, but after scoffing the 3 chocolate bars you’ve bought to ward off what you are certain is pending starvation at 10.30, you will feel much less self-righteous!
A healthier way to lose weight is to eat small meals throughout the day that include a variety of nutritious, low-fat, and low-calorie foods.

Myth:  Certain foods, like grapefruit and celery, can burn fat and make you lose weight.
Fact:  No foods burn fat. Can’t happen.  Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism for a short time, but they don’t cause weight loss.

Myth: Nuts are fattening and should be avoided.
Fact:  Although high in calories and fat, most types of nuts have low amounts of saturated fat (the bad fat), are a good source of protein and fibre, and they do not have any cholesterol. In small amounts, nuts can be part of a healthy diet.
Myth:  Meat is bad for your health and makes it harder to lose weight.
Fact:  Red meat, pork, chicken, and fish contain some saturated fat and cholesterol, but they also contain nutrients important for good health, like protein, iron, and zinc.
Eating lean meat (meat without a lot of visible fat) in small amounts can be part of a healthy weight-loss plan.  Choose cuts of meat that are lower in fat and avoid fried meat – bacon and sausage are massively better when grilled than fried.  High quality, free-range and organic meats are much better than ‘cheap meats’ which can be stuffed full of all sorts of rubbish you don’t want inside you.  A little high quality meat in your diet is infinitely better than alot of low grade meat.