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Weight
Management
Myths
Debunked
By Michelle May, MD
Woman’s Day Magazine
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Diets are filled with dogma about when,
what and how much to eat.
Certainly “the rules” are usually
based on observations that
make sense,
but unless you understand why
you do certain things, you’ll break
the rules as soon as the temptation
is greater than your motivation.
Let’s examine some of these myths,
where they come from and how
to make long-term changes that
will work for you.
Myth #1:
Don’t Eat After 7 p.m.
Your metabolism doesn’t
shut off at 7:01 p.m.,
so why is this rule so common?
It is based on the observation
that a lot of people who struggle
with their weight overeat
in the evening.
Most people have
already eaten dinner,
so they aren’t snacking because
they’re hungry.
They snack because of
boredom, television, loneliness
and other triggers.
Rather than creating a rule to
address those habits,
ask yourself,
“Am I hungry?”
whenever you feel like
eating in the evening.
If you truly are,
eat,
keeping in mind that your day
is winding down so you won’t
need a huge meal.
If you aren’t,
consider why you feel like eating
and come up with a better way
to address that need.
Ken,
a man in one of my workshops,
realized he was just bored,
so he started doing stained-glass
projects in the evenings to
entertain himself.
Whatever works!
Myth #2:
Eat Small Meals Every 3 Hours
This rule is based on the fact that
many thin people tend to eat
frequent small meals.
However, most of the thin people
I know don’t check their watch
to tell them it’s time to eat–
they eat when their body
tells them to.
They eat when they’re hungry
and stop when they’re satisfied.
Since that tends to be a small meal,
they get hungry again in a few hours.
Instead of watching the clock,
begin to
tune into the physical signs of hunger
to tell you when to eat.
And remember, your stomach
is only about the size of your fist,
so it only holds a handful of
food comfortably.
By learning to listen to
your body’s signals,
you are likely to follow a frequent
small-meal pattern naturally.
Myth #3:
Don’t Let Yourself Get Hungry
This one is based on the belief
that overweight people are incapable
of controlling themselves when
they are hungry.
In my experience with hundreds
of workshop participants,
once they learn to tell the difference
between physical hunger and
“head hunger,”
the opposite is true.
Think about it.
When you’re hungry,
food tastes better
and is more satisfying.
My grandmother used to say,
“Hunger is the best seasoning.”
Besides,
if you aren’t hungry when
you start eating,
what’s going to tell you to stop?
Of course,
you also need to learn to
recognize hunger and make
time to eat before you
are too hungry,
since it’s harder to make great
choices when you are starving!
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Myth #4:
Exercise More When You Cheat
I hate this one because it has
caused millions of people to equate
physical activity with
punishment for eating.
As a result,
many people either hate to
exercise or use exercise to
earn the right to eat.
While it’s true that your weight
is determined by your overall
calories in versus your calories out,
exercise is only part of the equation
and it has so many other
important benefits.
Instead of using exercise
to pay penance,
focus on how great you feel,
how much more energy you have,
how much better you sleep
and how much healthier you
are becoming.
In the long run,
you are more likely to do
something because it feels
good than because you
are forced to.
Myth #5:
Follow Your Diet Six Days a Week,
Then You Can Have a Cheat Day
This is absurd!
What if you were a harsh,
overly strict parent six days a week,
then completely ignored your
kids every Saturday?
How would this approach work
for your marriage or managing
your employees?
It just doesn’t make sense
to try to be perfect (whatever that is)
Sunday through Friday while
obsessing about everything
you’re going to eat on your day off.
Then on Saturday you overeat
just because you’re allowed to,
so you end up feeling miserable
all day.
Huh?
Personally,
I would rather enjoy eating the foods
I love every day mindfully and in
moderation.
I call this being “in charge”
instead of going back and forth
between being in control and
out of control.
Myth #6:
Eat X Number of Calories
(or X Number of Points) Every Day
Does it make sense that you
would need exactly the same
amount of fuel every day?
Aren’t there just days when
you’re hungrier than others,
maybe because of your activity
levels or hormonal cycles?
Rather than setting yourself up
to “cheat” on those hungry days
and forcing yourself to eat more
food than you want on your
less hungry days,
allow yourself the flexibility to
adjust your intake based on your
actual needs rather than an
arbitrary number.
Important:
For this to work long-term,
you also need to learn to tell
the difference between physical
hunger and “head hunger.”
Myth #7:
Carbs Are Bad
(or Fat Is Bad)
This “good food-bad food”
thinking makes certain foods
special.
As a result,
you may feel deprived and
think about them even more
than you did before.
Worse yet,
healthy foods become
a four-letter word.
The truth is,
all foods fit into a healthy diet.
Since different foods have
different nutritional qualities
and calorie content,
you can use the principles of balance,
variety and moderation to guide
you without trying to restrict
yourself from eating an
entire food group.
Truth:
You Are In Charge
I assume the rule makers are well
intentioned and don’t realize that
they’ve created a tightrope that
most people will fall off of
sooner or later.
If your head hadn’t already told
you that all these rules are crazy,
wasn’t your heart saying there
had to be a better way?
It’s time to give yourself a wider
path that you can stay on forever.
Allow yourself the flexibility to
make any decision as long as
you consider the advantages
and disadvantages of your
choices and always keep
self-care in mind.
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About the Author
Michelle May, MD,
is a recovered yo-yo dieter
and the founder of the
Am I Hungry?
Mindful Eating Program,
which received the
Excellence in Patient
Education Innovation Award.
She is also the
award-winning author of
Am I Hungry?
What to Do When
Diets Don’t Work.
Her newest book,
Eat What You Love,
Love What You Eat:
How to Break the
Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle
was just released
in early October 2009.
To learn more
about mindful eating,
or to order her books,
visit AmIHungry.com.
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