Common Myths About Weight Loss

There are so many myths about dieting and weight loss that it's become difficult to tell facts from fiction. That's why asking an expert can help.

Registered dietitian Susan Kasik-Miller, who has a master's degree in nutrition, works at Sacred Heart Hospital
in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She dished out the truth about some of the more common diet myths:

Myth 1.Eating certain foods will burn more calories. "The idea that eating grapefruit, celery, beans, or cabbage soup will use more calories than are in the foods themselves" has been around a long time, says Susan. The reality: "These foods do not increase your metabolism or use more calories to digest them than you absorb. Rather, these foods are low in calories and high in fiber. They fill you up when you eat them and increase your feeling of fullness."

Myth 2. All carbohydrates are fattening. It's not the potatoes or the bread on their own, Susan explains, but what you add to it that brings on excess weight. "A single tablespoon of sour cream contains 25 calories and a tablespoon of butter has 100 calories. How much of these are you putting on your bread and potatoes?" she asks. In addition to those extras, "think about how much of potatoes or bread you are eating. If you stick to a normal portion size and limit your number of servings, your diet will balance out with calories."

Myth 3.Olive oil burns belly fat. Bottom line: "It comes down to the total number of calories you take in everyday. A tablespoon of olive oil contains 120 calories. If you add a tablespoon of olive oil to your diet everyday you will have enough additional calories to gain a pound of weight each month," warns Susan.

Myth 4.Skipping breakfast will save calories and help with weight loss. "Study after study has found that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight than breakfast skippers. Your mother probably told you breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and she was right," Susan says. "People who skip breakfast make up the calories as the day goes on either by snacking more or by eating more during meals they eat."

Myth 5. Weight loss occurs when you skip the "bad foods" and eat only the "good foods." The reality, according to Susan: "There is no such thing as a bad or good food. Foods can be high calorie, low nutrient and low calorie, nutrient dense. But it boils down to calories and the total amount eaten in a day. If you want to lose weight, then avoid foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients and focus on low calorie, nutrient-dense foods for your daily diet."