Since you asked

Eating to Lose Weight

Wondering about diet food? Gain knowledge to lose pounds in the fight to stay fit and healthy  /  Story by Lisa Ostrowski

Every few months, a new fad emerges in the dieting world, and everyone’s ready to latch onto this latest miracle solution to shed those pesky extra pounds. Keeping up with the latest diet trends is not only tiring, it’s confusing – especially when the methods prescribed for losing weight are so often at odds with each other. Heather Mathur, registered dietitian for Community Nutrition and Population Health in the Chinook Health Region, helps clarify some of the most common misconceptions about dieting.

Myth: Carbs and starches cause weight gain.

Fact: The right amount of carbohydrates and starches in your diet won’t cause you to gain weight. “The problem is that it’s easy to eat too much,” explains Mathur. “The actual serving size recommended by Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating is only half a cup [of pasta or rice], which is about half the size of an average adult’s fist.” The type of carbs you eat is also important. Instead of eating white flour and refined sugar, which are low in nutrition and high in calories, Mathur suggests foods that have a higher nutritional value, such as whole grains or fruits and vegetables.

Myth: Convenient processed snacks and meals are not as nutritious as fresh foods.

Fact: It’s true that many ready-to-eat foods are highly processed with lots of calories and little nutrition, but there are exceptions. “It really depends on what type of food you look at,” Mathur says. Generally, the fresher the food, the better. “But you may find that some frozen fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than the ones that have been sitting out in the produce section for a long time. And you want to look for nutrient-dense foods, regardless of where you find them in the grocery store.”

Myth: Calorie intake after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.

Fact: Your body is a very efficient machine. It doesn’t matter when you eat, but rather the number of calories you take in versus the number you use in a given day. If you’re active and using lots of calories, then you’ll need to eat more. If you consume more calories than you need, your body will store the excess as fat.

Myth: Large amounts of protein can help you lose weight and build muscle.

Fact: Protein takes longer to digest than other types of food, so it can help you feel satisfied longer. It can also help to maintain muscle, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into weight loss. “I don’t recommend an extremely high protein intake,” Mathur says. Instead, it’s important to balance the right amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates in your efforts to reach and maintain your ideal body weight. “I recommend only a quarter to a third of your plate be made up of protein. Approximately half of your plate should be fruits or vegetables, and around a third should be grain products or carbohydrates.” Calories derived from fat should make up no more than 30 per cent of the meal’s total.

Myth: Certain foods, such as grapefruit or cabbage, make you lose weight faster.

Fact: Some foods may temporarily increase your metabolism, but they do not cause you to lose weight. Mather points out that while no food burns fat, there are some foods that are easily stored as fat in your body. “Foods that have a higher fat content to begin with enter your body and get turned into fat, while other foods such as proteins and carbs will be broken down and used for energy,” she says.

Myth: Eating one or two large meals a day or skipping a meal will help you lose weight.

Fact: When you skip meals, the rate at which your body burns calories slows. “I recommend eating three meals a day, four or five hours apart, with snacks between,” Mather says. “Skipping meals can cause overeating.” For people who normally skip breakfast, a full meal in the morning may seem intimidating. Mathur suggests starting with a small meal and gradually working up to eating full breakfasts over a period of days. “The important thing is to start your body burning energy and keep it going all day,” she says.