If you’ve ever suffered from being overweight, and tried  to slim down, you’ll know that everybody has their catch phrases and insights about dieting.
Thankfully, some of those “phrases” have been researched, and the results will most likely surprise you. For instance, is breakfast really “the most important meal of the day,”  or is “snacking the devil?”

All of us are interested in nutrition, and moreover in calories and fat. Who wouldn’t want to know the best way to lose weight and how to maintain that weight once you’ve shed all those pounds?
There’s plenty of information on the subject, but a great deal of it has yet to be supported or proven scientifically. An article published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine examined myths and common beliefs about gaining weight and dispelled a lot of them:

1.       Setting realistic goals for weight loss rate is important in order to avoid frustration during the weight loss process.
Although this hypothesis sounds quite reasonable, there’s no research that supports the negative connection between unreasonable goals and unsuccessful weight loss.
Also, research conducted recently has shown that ambitious weight loss goals are actually linked to better results

2.       People who lose weight fast will be less successful in maintaining their achievement than those who lose weight slower
A comparison between weight maintenance results during the first year of weight loss and during a longer period didn’t show a statiscally-significant difference between people who lost weight faster or those who lost weight slower. 

3.       Small changes in energy expenditure will cause more significant changes in weight loss over time.
We all know that in order to lose weight we need to achieve a minus result in our calorie intake. For example, a rate of losing 1 lb. per week requires a calorie deficit of 3500 calories per week. According to the myth, raising the daily calorie expenditure by only 100 calories (an activity equal to walking another 1  mile per day) will lead to losing  50 lbs. within five years by increasing muscle mass and reducing fat mass. However, this assumption doesn’t take into account the changes in calorie intake we have during the day and the body’s composition. In reality that said person would be able to lose only  10 lbs. during a  five-year period.

4.       In order to succeed in losing weight one must be prepared emotionally for the changing process.
Being ready for the changing process  is not required for those who registered into a diet plan or went through bariatric surgery.  The explanation for this is that people who registered into a diet plan or had surgery wanted to change their lives at least a little, and that is apparently enough.

5.       Gym class is significant in reducing and preventing obesity in children.
Studies have shown that school gym class has yet to be proven  to reduce  or prevent obesity. Two large studies have shown that school programs promoting exercise weren’t effective in reducing  body mass or the rate of obesity  in children. The possible reason for this, say researchers, is that the  amount of exercise the children do is not enough to prevent obesity.

6.     Breastfeeding will prevent children’s obesity.
A large research study that observed 13,000 children for  six years didn’t find a connection between breastfeeding and decreased incidence of obesity among children who were breastfed. Also, in all research related to the subject,biases in experiments  may effect  their results. That being said, breastfeeding has a lot of other health advantages.
 
7.        Having sex can burn between 100 to 300 calories.
According to studies conducted on the subject, a sexual act  lasts an average of about 6 minutes. Yes, that’s all. Using simple aritmetic, an average man that weighs 154 lbs. and burns 3 calories per minute will burn only 21 calories during sex.  A lot less than you’d think.

8.        Eating breakfast will diminish the weight gain rate.
Two large studies  show no connection between eating breakfast regularly and having a lower body weight. What affects one’s ability to lose weight are nutritional habits  maintained throughout the day.

9.       Adding fruits and vegetables to your menu will lead to weight loss, regardless of other dietary      changes.
Studies have shown that adding fruits and vegetables to your diet without downsizing on other foods, can even cause weight gain.

10.     Snacking leads to weight gain.
Well, not necessarily; according to researches there’s no statistical connection between snacking during the day and gaining weight.