Myth Busters

With summer a few short months away, I think we can all use some extra encouragement and education when if  comes to our health journey. While being "skinny" or "losing weight" is often the focus of many, I want to take a little time to write about common misconceptions that often hinder our progress in this journey.

1.) Fat Free=Better for you.

What do I mean by this exactly? I used to always think eating jelly beans, or mike and ikes and other things to kill my sweet tooth that were "fat free" were much better to eat than a snickers bar or a few M&Ms. After some research and self evaluation I realized that was indeed wrong. More often times than not if something is labeled "FAT FREE" It means they cut out fat yes, but added a ton of sugar in place of it. The only exception I have found to this rule is when it comes to milk and dairy, I still go far free on those items. While we all know that sugar is not only terrible for your metabolism, and blood sugar, the way your body aids in fat and digestion you NEED a good amount of fat in your diet. you do not NEED a decent amount of sugar in your diet. Here is an exert from an article I read and wanted to share with you guys just so you can understand exactly what you are putting into your body. 

• Sugar takes a devastating toll on your health. In fact, excessive sugar consumption may be the largest factor underlying obesity and chronic disease in America
• Your body metabolizes fructose much differently than glucose; the entire burden of metabolizingfructose falls on your liver, where excess fructose is quickly converted into fat, which explains the weight gain and abdominal obesity experienced by so many Westerners
• Fructose is the primary cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver and elevates uric acid, which raises your blood pressure, stresses your kidneys, and leads to the chronic, low-level inflammation that is at the core of most chronic diseases; metabolically speaking, fructose is alcohol “without the buzz”

2.) You can target Fat loss in certain areas- I have touched on this a little before. Fat loss is not specific. You can not burn fat in a place simply by exercising that region. Your body burns overall fat. Now you can work specific muscles in an area that strengthens that muscle causing it to produce a higher level of work which can ultimately result in more fat burn from that muscle. That does NOT mean you will lose fat in that specific area though. 

3.) You can turn fat into muscle- Physiologically speaking that is impossible. Muscle and fat are two totally different components. You can build muscle and muscle will burn fat but it does not turn that fat into muscle. You get rid of that fat and build your muscle mass resulting in a more toned less flabby look. 

4.) Diet Soda is better than regular soda. The fact of the matter is whether it is sugar or it is a chemical derived to substitute as sugar it is terrible for your body. In a recent study it was proven that people who drank diet soda twice daily were proven to have two more inches of weight around there waist than those who did not. That right there is enough evidence to me that something is off with the chemical balance and blood sugar reaction of the "sugar substitute" 

5.) Weight training will make a woman bulky- most women do not have the testosterone levels to get bulky in the first place. The women who do gain bulk take numerous supplements and spend countless hours to get that way. Normally initially after a workout especially with weight bearing exercise, your muscles swell causing your muscles to look larger and more defined, that is the initial body adaption of the pump, which quickly regresses. Weights build stronger muscles-stronger muscles burn fat. 

6.) Fasting or starving myself will make me lose weight quickly- From someone who used to forget to eat, or would be too busy and not eat until dinner time I can promise you this is not the best way to utilize your metabolism to your benefit. When you don't eat your body does feed off of storage, HOWEVER once you take away its "go juice" it is going to go into starvation mode. Meaning that when you do put food into your body it is going to cling to it and hoard it so to say, because it is now unsure of when it will be fed again. Unlike when you eat every few hours your metabolism is consistently working to process food to get ready for the next intake. 

7.) Working out for 2 hours at minimal effort is better than working out for an hour at maximal effort- This is why. While you may be doing a longer period of work you are not exerting your full energy. The most amount of calories burned is when you are in a certain "zone" or when your body has reached a certain heart rate. If you are still able to carry on a conversation decently, chances are you are far from your maximal effort. You will ultimately burn more calories in a shorter period of time if you put max effort in as opposed to the other option. I can not stress enough the importance and results of burst training or interval training. It will maximize every aspect of your fitness level. 

8.) Cheat day is a free for all- I can not tell you how many times I have seen people work so hard and then because it is cheat day, all bets are off. While I do ABSOLUTELY think everyone needs a day to be a little more lenient, I do not think you should go all out. Here is why- an average cheat meal for most is a fast food meal with dessert or a soda, or a large alcoholic drink and a meal out at a mexican restaurant- all of which can total out to over 1800 calories in one sitting. If you keep that mindset all day long you have completely nixed all the hard work you have put in for the week not only eliminating weight loss, but possibly adding weight gain as opposed to if you just allowed yourself one special treat that day, or just an extra serving at dinner that night. 

9.)Skipping Breakfast will help me cut calories- I can NOT stress enough how important it is to eat within the first hour of waking. To get your metabolism started on a good note, to feed your body the nutrition and carbs it needs to fuel your day and possibly your work out you NEED breakfast. 

10.) Drinking Juice is healthy for me- If you want the benefits of orange juice eat an orange. Juices are filled with additives and extra sugars regardless of what they advertise on the label, you are far better off drinking water and eating a piece of fruit rather than wasting your calories in your fluids. 

11.) All Fat is bad for weight loss- Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats are essential to fat loss. By eating foods rich in these fats suck as egg yolk, avocado, almonds, natural peanut butter, salmon to name a few- you produce "brown fat" which is primarily used to burn "bad fat" or "yellow fat" 

I don't want this post to discourage anyone or make them feel they are doing things wrong, I want to inform people, knowledge is power. The more you know the wiser you will be to make better decisions to get to where you want to be. I know that it is hard and I have my falls and my cheat meals just like everyone else. The thing I want most is for people to understand the mechanics of how your body responds to the food you put into it and the work you get out of it. You truly are what you eat. Once you start eating to benefit your body and actions instead of satisfying your cravings i promise you will see a difference. Below I am going to list some of my new favorite recipes/ ideas for healthy good food :) 


Buffalo Chicken wraps- in a skillet cook grilled chicken with plain greek yogurt, reduced fat feta cheese, and buffalo sauce. Place it on a veggie or whole wheat wrap with your choice of toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.) 

Grilled Chicken Garlic PoBoy- Take a whole wheat french bread loaf and make an olive oil and garlic spread to put on top and bake- grill up some chicken breasts with some plain greek yogurt, and savory garlic and onion soup packet-place it on the wheat loaf top with your choice of fat free cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc. 

Baked Doritos Pie- Take the baked Doritos and crumble them in a greased pan cook a pound of 98% lean ground turkey and add taco seasoning. layer the Doritos and meat and fat free cheddar and bake for 12 mins at 350. Top with fresh salsa, avocado, and greek yogurt in place of sour cream

Spinach/Strawberry Salad- Reduced fat blue cheese crumbles, sliced strawberries, and fresh spinach leaves topped with a raspberry vinaigrette- add chicken or shrimp for more protein

Breakfast Burger- One egg white, one slice of fat free cheddar, one slice of turkey bacon. all topped on a grilled turkey burger- wrapped in lettuce if you need a bun or eaten with a fork and no bun. 

BBQ Chicken- In a crockpot on low for four hours cook chicken breasts with the BBQ seasoning and rub by McCormick Grill Mates, and vinegar. after it is seasoned well pour the contents into a skillet over the oven and slice adding a slight bit more of seasoning and letting the juices be the sauce versus a high sugary BBQ sauce. 

Shrimp Boil- Take a frozen pound of shrimp, place aside and bring a pot of water to boil with Cajun seasoning ( or oldbay ) and a sliced up lemon. Throw the shrimp in for 4 minutes- and you have a delicious quick and healthy main course. 

Feel free to message me for more snack ideas or anything else you have questions about. I hope this helps you guys for the upcoming week, God bless and happy healthy thoughts until next time :)