SOME FOODS SPEED UP METABOLISM
AS lockdown left your clothes feeling a little more snug? According to a survey by King’s College London and IPSOS Mori, 48% of people in the UK say they’ve seen the number on the scales creeping up during the pandemic.
Understandably, many of us have turned to food for comfort, plus our lifestyles suddenly became much more sedentary – and giving ourselves a hard time for gaining a bit of weight is the last thing anyone needs.
But if you are thinking about embarking on a post-lockdown health kick, it’s a good idea to approach it sensibly.
So much is said about losing weight that it’s hard to know what advice you can trust. There’s a lot of conflicting information.
Weight loss myths are rife, with many people looking for ways to shed the extra pounds gained. To help you on your way, we asked some experts to talk us through some of the most common misconceptions.
YOU CAN TARGET ‘PROBLEM AREAS’
MANY people have a part of their body they’re unhappy with, and targeting these so-called ‘problem areas’ can often be a main motivator in their weight loss journey - but regimes that promise to tackle specific areas are misleading.
“Unfortunately, if your goal is to solely lose weight off somewhere specific, like your tummy, you’re probably going to experience disappointment,” says David Wiener, training specialist at Freeletics (freeletics.com).
“Weight is lost by eating a healthy, balanced diet along with regular exercise, but everyone is different and you can’t predict where the fat will be shed from first.”
Adding exercises that target the abs and core can help to tone muscle in this area, however, but fat loss is part of a bigger picture.
CARBS SHOULD BE AVOIDED
“MOST fad or celebrity diets always revolve around cutting out specific food groups, such as carbs, claiming that it’s a fast-track solution to weight loss,” says David.
Carbohydrates are a really important part of a balanced diet though. David explains they’re the body’s main source of energy for the brain, and they also contain essential dietary fibre, which aids in digestion.
“While they may [sometimes] be the higher calorie option on paper, the reality is carbs make you feel fuller for longer, which means you’re less likely to binge on snacks throughout the day,” David adds.
THE popular theory goes that the ‘faster’ your metabolism, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to keep weight off.
“Foods and drinks such as green tea and protein-rich foods are renowned for being good at speeding up your metabolism,” says David, who warns that ‘spiking’ your metabolism only lasts for a few hours at a time. “These processes need energy; the amount of energy they need is dependent on an individual’s body size, age, gender and genes.
“So, while it may be possible for certain foods to spike your metabolism shortly after they are ingested, there is no scientific proof that they are beneficial for your overall metabolism.”
BIOLOGY HAS NO EFFECT
DAVID stresses that everybody is different when it comes to weight loss, and there’s no simple ‘one size fits all’ rule. “People’s bodies are affected differently because of varying metabolisms, hormones and muscle mass.
Some ‘diets’ or training regimes will have great success with some people and not with others,” he says. “You could take more time to lose weight than others, and that’s fine. Just be patient and trust the process.”
DETOXING IS GOOD FOR YOU
DETOXING often largely revolves around ‘cutting out’ most of your usual food and just having juices or shakes instead. Although trendy, health experts often advise caution.
Jo Travers, registered dietitian and author of The Low-Fad Diet, says: “A healthy, balanced diet is called such because it is healthy and balanced. When you cut certain foods, it ceases to be balanced and by definition, this means the gut isn’t getting what it needs.
“A juice detox is a key example.
There is very little protein content in juice, so your body will be forced to break down muscle in order to complete important processes like making hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters. This is usually why people rapidly lose weight on a juice fast; it’s mainly muscle.”
FATS ARE ‘BAD’ WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT