Top 10 Calorie Counting Myths You Must Know
Most people who are working towards the goal of fat loss know that in order to see good results, calorie counting will be key.
Basically, to reach your goal of losing weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis. When this is achieved, either by reducing food intake or increased activity output, you will lose weight. When it’s not, you won’t.
It really is a fairly simple equation that needs to be tilted in the right direction to have success. Obviously there are many factors that will influence how easy it is to obtain this negative calorie balance, but it is that balance that’s the end determinant of your goals.
That said, there are some popular calorie counting myths that circulate around that can trip some people up. If you’re falling for one of these, you may want to consider changing your ways.
Myth 1: Fewer calories is better
The first major myth that circulates around is that the lower you can bring your calorie intake, the better results you’ll see. If low is good, really low is better – right? Not quite. The thing to keep in mind here is that too few calories will really slow down your metabolic rate which can cause a very high amount of problems down the road.
Instead, focus on a moderate calorie intake that will get you losing weight but not so low that your body goes into starvation mode.
Myth 2: There is such a thing as a negative calorie.
Ahh the negative calorie – sounds too good to be true, right? Well, guess what? It is. Unfortunately, there are no foods that will actually ‘net’ you a negative calorie balance – that is, you’ll burn more calories eating them than what they contain.
If only life were that good. And while we’re wishing, why can’t the negative calorie foods be pizza, ice cream, and wings?
Myth 3: You is a certain calorie deficit required for optimal fat loss.
Moving on, myth three is that there is an exact calorie deficit that is optimal for fat loss. Basically, to lose one pound of bodyfat you need to net a deficit of 3500 calories. You can do this over the course of the week by cutting 500 calories, over two weeks by cutting 250, or over however long you want by dividing the number of days by 3500 calories.
There are no hard and fast rules as for how fast you should lose weight, except to say that anything more than 2 pounds a week is likely going to be muscle mass loss as well. You’re better off keeping it at the lower end – closer to 1/2 to 1 pound of weight loss a week.
Myth 4: Healthy calories won’t turn to body fat as fast as unhealthy ones will.
This is a very popular myth and one that a large number of people fall for. They believe that if the calories are coming from healthy foods, they won’t gain weight.
This couldn’t be more wrong.
Whether you overeat on chips and candy or overate on apples, brown rice, and fish, you’re still overeating and you’ll still gain weight. The thing to keep in mind though is that it’s much easier to overeat on the junk food than it is on the healthier food. Plus, the healthier food is, well, obviously healthier (which is important in its own right).
Myth 5: You should avoid eating certain types of foods together because there is a higher chance they will turn to body fat.
The carbs and fat together myth is another big one. People believe that for best results, they should avoid eating both of these together and instead just focus on eating protein and carbs or protein and fat.
While doing so can help you eat a lower calorie intake, it’s not really going to guarantee fat loss.
Myth 6: Eating calories before bed increases your risk of gaining body fat.
The before bed myth is one that most people do fall for. Again, it comes down to calorie balance.
Is eating before bed causing you to eat over and above your calorie needs? If so, then yes, it’s going to cause you to gain weight.
If you incorporate these calories in with your overall fat loss diet however, then they won’t be a problem.
The problem comes in what most people eat before bed – foods that contribute a lot of calories and are relatively hard to stop eating.
This combination together can make them deadly to your fat loss diet.
Myth 7: You shouldn’t eat calories after exercise because you’ll just gain back what you burned off.
This is a very bad myth because the truth of the matter is you should be doing the exact opposite. Calories taken in right around training are going to be the ones that are going to actually help boost your recovery and have the least chance of being stored to body fat.
You’re far better off shifting some of the calories from earlier on in the day to around the workout if you’re concerned about going over.
Myth 8: You calorie intake needs to be exactly the same each day to have success.
Many individuals also adopt a black and white thinking pattern where they believe they need to eat the same amount of calories each day. This isn’t true at all.
In fact, varying your calorie intake (usually by altering your carb intake) can prove to be very beneficial since it will help to prevent metabolic slow-down and help provide extra energy on days you have harder workouts.
It’s the weekly to monthly calorie balance that matters more so just make sure you’re creating a net deficit over time.
Myth 9: If you eat too many calories, you should go burn them off with exercise.
While doing more activity on days you have eaten more can help prevent the calories from going to body fat stores, be extra careful with this. It can place you in a bad frame of mind – one that could lead to an eating disorder.
If you feel like you have to burn off whatever you eat, you’re headed down a very bad road. Instead, realize you eat more than needed and make an effort to not do so next time. One occurrence of overeating isn’t going to be all that detrimental.
Myth 10: Calories eaten while standing up don’t count.
You wish! Unfortunately, sitting, standing, or sleeping for that fact of the matter, any calorie taken in must be counted. (that includes the crusts of your kids sandwiches from lunch).
So be sure you’re keeping these calorie counting myths in mind. How many are you falling for?
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