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Archive for the 'diet myths' Tag

Diet Myth #6: Carbs are bad (or fat is bad)

October 22nd, 2007, 9:03 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

Do you sometimes feel like nutrition is a moving target? Do you remember when fat was the enemy and pasta was good for you? How about when we were supposed to eat margarine instead of butter - and none of us had even heard of transfat?

This “good food-bad food” thinking is not only confusing, it makes certain foods special. When foods are forbidden, you may begin to feel deprived and think about them even more than you did before. Worse yet, healthy foods become a four-letter word: DIET.

The truth is all foods fit into a healthy diet. Instead of restricting an entire food group, simply use the principles of balance, variety and moderation to guide you. No guilt, no compensetory overeating. You’ll always be right on target.

Send me your weight management questions: info@AmIHungry.com or visit visit http://www.amihungry.com/.

Posted in: Nutrition for Non-Dieters • Uncategorized • • | 7 Comments »

Diet Myth #5: Eat X Number of Calories (or X Number of Points) Every Day

October 17th, 2007, 10:04 am by Michelle May, M.D.

Does it make sense that you would need exactly the same amount of fuel every day? Aren’t there just days when you are hungrier than others, maybe because of your activity levels or hormonal cycles? 

Rather than setting yourself up to “cheat” on those hungry days and forcing yourself to eat more food than you want on your less hungry days, allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your intake based on your actual needs rather than an arbitrary number.

Important: for this to work long term, you also need to learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger. See my previous blog posts on this topic and visit http://www.amihungry.com/.

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Diet Myth #4: Don’t Let Yourself Get Hungry

October 10th, 2007, 10:16 am by Michelle May, M.D.

This common diet myth is based on the belief that overweight people are incapable of controlling themselves when they’re hungry. In my experience with hundreds of workshop participants, once people learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger, the opposite is true.

Think about it. When you’re hungry, food tastes better and is more satisfying. My grandmother used to say, “Hunger is the best seasoning.” Besides, if you aren’t hungry when you start eating, what’s going to tell you to stop?

Of course, you also need to learn to recognize hunger and make time to eat before you are too hungry since it’s harder to make great choices when you are starving!

Watch this 5 minute clip about other diet myths on “In the Loop with iVillage”: http://video.intheloop.ivillage.com/player/?id=164053&ice=lv|hp|vid_tout|2#videoid=164053�

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Diet Myth #3: Follow Your Diet Six Days a Week Then You Can Have a Cheat Day

October 5th, 2007, 4:37 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

This is absurd! What if you were a harsh, overly strict parent six days a week then completely ignored your kids every Saturday? And how would this approach work for your marriage or managing your employees?It just doesn’t make sense to try to be perfect (whatever that is) Sunday through Friday all the while obsessing about everything you’re going to eat on your day off. Then on Saturday you overeat just because you’re allowed to so you end up feeling miserable all day. Huh? Personally, I’d rather enjoy eating the foods I love every day–mindfully and in moderation. When all foods fit, there is no cheating and food loses its power. I think of this as being “in charge” - which is far better than swinging back and forth between being in control and out of control. Catch me on live from Chicago at 10/5/07 12-1pm Eastern on “In the Loop with iVillage” http://intheloop.ivillage.com/?ivNPA=1&sky=ggl|ivillage|lv|. You can watch clips after the show too.

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Diet Myth #2: Exercise More When You Cheat

October 3rd, 2007, 4:11 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

Because of this common diet rule, millions of people to equate physical activity with punishment for eating. No wonder so many people either hate to exercise or use exercise to earn the right to eat. While it’s true that your weight is determined by your overall calories in versus your calories out, exercise is beneficial whether you’re trying to lose weight or not. So burn those calorie burning charts and ignore the display on the treadmill! Instead of using exercise to pay penance, focus on how great you feel, how much more energy you have, how much better you sleep and how much healthier you”re becoming. In the long run, you’re more likely to stay physically active because it feels good than because you’re forced to.On Friday, Oct. 5th I’ll be on “In the Loop with iVillage” live from Chicago at 12-1pm Eastern. You can watch online at http://intheloop.ivillage.com/?ivNPA=1&sky=ggl|ivillage|lv|.

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