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I get a "wellness wire" newsletter through my business. Found this one particularly interesting. Hope it's helpful!
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Popular Dieting Traps That Could Be Making You Fat!
Julianne Downes, R.D.
Certified Weight Management Trainer

Making a lifestyle change is hard, rewarding work. There are many diet gimmicks that won’t provide the long-term benefits you seek. I would encourage that whatever you do, don’t fall into the following traps:

Skipping meals
Skipping meals may seem like the quickest way to lose weight, but it could do more harm than good. Think of your metabolism as a fat-burning machine; if you don’t give it the fuel it needs, it will stop working. And that’s just what happens when you skip meals, especially breakfast. Eating breakfast in the morning helps to jump-start your metabolism. Then, eating several small meals during the day keeps it running. Skipping meals causes your body to go into fasting mode and slows down your metabolism, while causing your body to hold onto the fat it has stored. Plus, research shows that skipping one meal can cause you to overeat at the next. So, not only are you slowing your metabolism, you’re actually eating more calories. No wonder you’re not losing weight! Whenever a meal is missed or skipped, blood sugar levels drop, which may lead to overeating at the next meal or eating more later in the evening. Also, the body’s ability to burn and utilize calories efficiently slows down, causing the body to naturally reserve and hold onto calories.

TRUTH: Eat several healthy small meals throughout the day to help keep your metabolism going strong all day long. Include lean meats, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and low-fat dairy products.

Cutting out “bad” foods
Every time you’ve started a new diet, you’ve probably diligently emptied your kitchen of all the “forbidden” foods you love and replaced them with all things low-fat, light, and even low-carb. But this dieting strategy could be causing you to fail! Good eating habits are all about balance. Including the foods you love in your weight-loss plan is one of the keys for long-term success.And some foods that you think are “bad” foods are actually pretty healthy. For instance, dark chocolate, nuts, and even ice cream or pizza have some redeeming healthful qualities and can be part of a successful weight-loss plan when eaten occasionally and in moderation.

TRUTH: Depriving yourself of foods you love can lead to bingeing or abandoning a weight-loss program. Planning for your indulgence in your daily caloric intake occasionally and in moderation can actually help you succeed.


Dieting, but skipping the gym
Cutting calories from what you eat is just part of the equation. If you lose weight, it means your calories in are less than your calories out. Trimming a pound per week means you need to get rid of an extra 3,500 calories that week. Hard to do with diet alone, but that’s not even the best reason to add exercise into your routine.The benefit of cardiovascular activity and strength training is an increase in metabolism. Exercise will also improve toning and add muscle mass while reducing body fat percentage.So build up your calorie-burning muscle by adding cardio and strength training to your diet plan. Not only will it help you lose weight more quickly now, but it will also help you keep it off.

TRUTH: If you’re dieting without exercising, you’re setting yourself up to gain more weight in the future.

Be good to yourself,
Julianne Downes, R.D.
Certified Weight Management Trainer