Vegetarian Weight LossVegetarian Weight Loss Myths - Did You Make These Mistakes When Losing Weight?
Desperation drives people mad. Overweight people, be it vegetarians or meat-eaters will believe anything that claims to help them.
This need, somehow, nurtures loads of so-called effective weight loss tips to blossom every day.
Of course, some do really help you lose weight while others may blow up your size, or worse, put your health at risk, particularly these common weight loss myths.
Let's go through them one by one and uncover the truth behind them. And along the way, I'll show you some nifty tips to turn those myths in your favor so that you can easily lose some stubborn fat off your body safely, naturally and healthily.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #1 - Drink 2 Liters of Water to Boost Metabolism
There are people who drank 2 liters of water and got admitted to hospital due to water poisoning (hyponatremia). What happened?
They had over-hydrated their body with excessive water which triggers an imbalance of electrolyte in the body. When this imbalance occurs, you run high risk of getting seizures, brain damage, coma or even death.
True, you need water, but not plenty of it. Don't forget that your consumption of fluid may also come from the food you eat like fruits, vegetables, soup, smoothies and other foods holding certain water content. Imagine you were to drink another 2 liters of plain water besides those foods, how much water are you feeding your body with? The answer is obvious.
What's more, you should take note of the weather too. When climate turns cold, do you need so much water in your body?
As a guide, a well-hydrated person should visit the toilet 5 - 6 times (on average) a day to pass out urine. If you realize you're doing that only 3 - 4 times a day and you got yellow urine, then you should up your water intake. Of course, under cold climate situation, that could be normal. But definitely abnormal in a hot weather.
Exercise your common sense and own judgment of how much water you need. Don't blindly follow what others have been parroting on the web. No one knows better than you on how much water you need daily.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #2 - Eat Low-Carb Diet because Carbohydrate is Bad
It is carbohydrate that causes weight gain and makes you fat! WRONG! It is the type of carbohydrate that you eat that causes you to grow fat.
When you ingest processed food infused with simple refined sugar, before you know it, all these simple carb would have been absorbed quickly into your bloodstream and caused a surge in your caloric intake. Excess calories when not in use for the moment will get stocked up into fat cells.
But when you take foods rich in complex-carbohydrate coupled with high fiber content in natural form, your absorption of calories will become slower. Thus, you won't grow fat so easily.
Furthermore, you need carbohydrate to sustain your brain function and provide emergency energy supply to you in times of need, so practically speaking, you can't live without carb.
That said, do not purposely restrict your carb intake for weight loss. You'll suffer from headache, bad breath, weak concentration etc at the end of the day for having too low a carb level. In other words, a low-carb diet is definitely a no-no for long-term effective weight loss and health.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #3 - Eat Low-Fat Diet because Fat is Bad
Same as carbohydrate, it depends on the type of fat you eat. When you ingest fat from healthy foods like flaxseed, olive oil or coconut oil, you'll power up your weight loss effect even more.
As a matter of fact, you need fat to survive because fat contains fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, K and beta-carotene that protect you against cancer and other degenerative diseases.
So, instead of avoiding fat altogether, ingest the right type of fat for excellent health and effective weight loss. However, good fat is still fat, so moderation is the key.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #4 - Skip Meals to Help Lose Weight
This is the greatest weight loss myth ever! Till today, I'm still hearing lots of people skipping meals, especially breakfast to lose weight. How ignorance these people are!
Check out Why Skipping Breakfast Cannot Lose Weight now!
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #5 - Lose 15 Pounds in 7 Days
Not only that, you'd have also probably seen this "lose 30 pounds in 30 days"! What hype!
Any diet that promises you such hyped-up claim is at best, teaching you methods to lose water weight, not your fat mass.
Remember your goal? You want to cut the unwanted ugly fat off your body so you'll look good in whatever outfit you put on, not simply to lose water weight off your body. You'll gain those pounds back once you start replenishing your body with water again.
Also, a true permanent weight (fat) loss should take on a gradual pace from losing 1 - 4 pounds a week. The slower you go, the better will be the end weight loss result. And the happier you'll be with your brand new body shape.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #6 - Shorten Your Sleep to Lose Weight
Getting adequate sleep actually helps you lose weight instead.
Studies show that if you cut back on your normal sleeping hours, the fat cells in your body tend to produce about 18% less fat-burning hormones - leptin.
Leptin is an important element to help control your appetite and hunger. When it sends a signal to your brain telling it the body has gotten enough calories and doesn't need food at the moment, you won't think of eating. Hence, it stops you from overeating.
When leptin level drops due to insufficient sleep, your brain wrongly interprets that your energy reserve goes low and you need to eat, though that's not true. False alarm. As a result, you end up eating more calories than your body needs, and the excess calories not expended as fuel or excreted eventually convert into fats.
That's how you gain weight unknowingly.
If you only sleep 3 - 4 hours, you'll probably feel tired and more likely you'll reach for food to perk up instead of exercising.
Tip: Don't force yourself to shorten your sleeping hours unnaturally. Get ample sleep if you want to naturally lose weight and maintain your body contour without breaking a sweat. If you suffer from insomnia or bad sleep, read this Natural Cure for Insomnia.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #7 - Add More Pressure on Yourself to Achieve Weight Loss
Most people tend to binge (especially junk food) under stressful conditions. Furthermore, irregular meal times not only lead to weight gain but also indigestion problems. Beware!
Tip: Eat smaller meals throughout the day help to maintain steady energy supply and curb craving. Choose healthier food like apple over doughnut, soy milk over coke or oatmeal over meat burger.
Engage in gentle exercises like yoga, high-intensity interval exercises like strength training, or clearing your mind with meditation, to cope with stress.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #8 - Stop Eating After 8 pm
Actually, someone created this rule for those who lack discipline and cannot stay away from late night supper. They enjoy supper out of habit rather than feeling hungry.
Also, your digestive system does require time to digest the food properly. Sleeping with a full stomach can damage your digestive system.
When you sleep, everything slows down including your digestive organs. Undigested food when found in your stomach at this time, your digestive system needs to continue working instead of resting and it cannot perform at its best while lying down. You'll find that you toss and turn a lot the whole night, thus affecting your sleep quality too.
Just remember that your body stores whatever excess calories in your body as fat. The energy released from your supper won't get used up by bedtime, so you know where it will ultimately end up.
Having said that, I don't encourage going to bed feeling hungry as low glucose level can disrupt your sleep too.
Tip: It's best to stop eating 3 hours before you turn in so as not to affect your sleep quality. But if your stomach growls before bedtime due to hunger, eat something light — a small bowl of oatmeal, a glass of warm soy milk or some fruits.
Vegetarian Weight Loss Myth #9 - Eat Anything You Like While Losing Weight
If you eat large portions of whatever food you like, most likely you'll take in more calories than you burn them.
If you eat smaller portions of high calorie (high-fat, high-carb) food, you gain weight too.
Simple math => more calories in - less calories out = weight gain
Strictly speaking, you can't really eat anything you like if your favorite food contains high calories. But you can smartly do a switch in your preference. For example, you love chocolate — choose those that carry low-fat. You take ice-cream every day — stop your daily intake, make it weekly.
Tip: For best weight loss results, pile up on vegetables, fruits and wholegrain. Containing low calories and fats, they pump your body full of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Choose complex, nutrient dense carbs like grains, wholemeal bread or brown rice that leave you feeling full for longer time. Split your 3 meals into 4 - 5 smaller ones each day. Exercise and exercise.
