Lively Women

Gaining Weight and Don’t Know Why? Make Sure You’re Not Falling for These “Food Fibs”

by Kristen King on March 28th, 2007

EatStrong founder Sophie Pachella lists 10 misleading food myths that you may inadvertently be using to trick yourself into gaining weight.  Here’s my take on them:

1. “I deserve it!”  You deserve to be healthy, too, missy!  Watch what you’re putting into your body.
2. “I saved calories from skipping breakfast.”  You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it jumpstarts your metabolism, so you shouldn’t be skipping it in the first place–and you most definitely shouldn’t be “making up for it” with something sinful when you’re already metabolizing slower and when your blood sugar is low.  That’s a recipe for disaster!
3. “It’s free!”  So is water.  Go for that instead of the giveaway cake/donut/whatever that’s on the “help yourself” table.  And if you feel like you’re depriving yourself by going that route, just think about how many people have sneezed on that tray of goodies.  That should make you feel better fast!
4. “It would be rude to say no.”  They’ll get over it, and they’ll be impressed with your resolve.
5. “It’s not the same without [insert unhealthy food item here].”  That movie isn’t going to be any less thrilling/heartwarming/inspiring without popcorn.  And it’ll be a heck of a lot cheaper.  Eat a healthy meal before you go, and you’ll be able to enjoy whatever event you’re attending without afterhours guilt.
6. “But the Extra-Value Meal is just $1 more!”  And like 500 more calories, too.  So what if it’s just so cheap to get twice as much?  You don’t need twice as much, or you would have ordered that in the first place.  Try ordering smaller portions and save that extra buck.
7. “I don’t want to waste it.”  My mom made me a charter member of the Clean Plate Club, and I bet yours did, too (or you’re doing it to your kids right now!).  Stop eating when you’re full.  Better yet, stop eating a little before you’re full, because your stomach will catch up.  And stop force feeding your kids if they’re just not hungry anymore.  They’ll thank you later.  (And here’s a trick to ditch the guilt: When I eat out, I like to get a take-out box with my food so I can set aside half of my entirely-too-big-for-one-person for a nice lunch or dinner later in the week.)
8. “But it’s a parrrrr-tyyyyyy.”  It’s okay to eat, but don’t camp out by the food.  Grab yourself some club soda and lime and practice your social skills.  It’s much easier to schmooze when your mouth isn’t full and your hands aren’t greasy and crumb covered.
9. “Okay, just this once…”  It’s it’s truly once, no problem.  But we get into bad habits of saying “Just this once…” all the time, and suddenly it’s more than once — it’s constantly!  And one “Just this once” a day adds up to thousands of calories, and more pounds tha you want to think about, at the end of the year.  Change “Just this once” to “Just say no.”
10. “Eating right is too hard/expensive/boring.”  No, no, no.  Not only are you going to save immeasurable amounts of money and stress by being healthier overall over your lifetime, but there are so many options out there for eating right that it’s hard to go wrong!  Check the ‘net for some great recipies and even shopping lists to get you on track.  First stops: Veggie Chic and Eating Fabulous

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POSTED IN: Diet, Encouragement, Health, Mythbusting, Nutrition, Wellness