Marion Freijsen A blog about Sports, Fitness & Health

Tips from a Pro – Diets

Following my write-up yesterday, I am getting more and more feedback – thank you! It’s interesting to see that whilst we collectively know quite a lot about fitness, and looking after our health, we still get totally fazed by all the myths that are out there. So Nando, PT and Masseur at 1-2-1 Trainers pulled some myths out of his healthy hat and asked me to share them with you.

Here’s some of Nando’s thoughts on food/diets:

There is so much misinformation out in the world today and you are the one suffering as a result
Myth: “Eat fewer calories and you will lose weight.”
The Truth:
Whilst it is always true that if you eat less calories then you need, you will lose wait – you have to find a healthy balance. Extremely low calorie diets completely damage your metabolism and never result in long term weight loss. Haven’t you ever heard someone say “But I barely eat all day and I still can’t lose weight!”. They are completely shutting down their metabolism and their bodies start storing more and more thinking it’s a “famine” and they need to hold on to whatever comes their way. As a result – you end up getting fatter instead of leaner. As pointed out in the blog on “Energy” earlier – it’s more important where your calories come from (i.e. what type of energy) then looking at the actual number.

Myth: “Eat Low-Fat to Lose Fat”
The Truth:
Low Fat foods have made us  even more overweight and unhealthy than they were before the low fat craze. The truth is the only way to lose fat is by eating fat. Yes, you heard me right. If you are not eating the right kind of fat, your fat loss is literally impossible. The right fat intake will turn your body into a fat-burning furnace (and that is not an exaggeration). More on this in future blogs – but for now, limit butter and animal fats, and feel good about eating olive oil, margarines and other fats that contain vegetable fats.

Myth: “Supplements and Fat Burners are the only way to lose weight”

The Truth:
You don’t need anything but the right foods and the right plan to achieve your perfect weight. This is the biggest money making scam in the world today: companies selling you worthless supplements and fat burners with false promises.

Without the right nutrition principles and without the right foods, no supplement will have any effect on your body. It will just be a complete waste of money!”

I hope this helps you put some of those stubborn stories out of your mind. Healthy living is feeding your engine with healthy, natural choices instead of looking for quick wins via supplements and cutting down essentials.