Popular Diet Tips That Could Be Making You Fat

There is a plethora of advice and information available for dieters. Most dieting tips are offered in short sound bites making them easier to remember and easy to follow.

Unfortunately, learning to maintain a healthy diet is more complicated than memorizing catchy slogans. Some diet tips, if not understood or fully explained, can actually make you gain weight instead of losing it.

Keep in mind that these popular diet tips don’t take into account that you may have had LAP-BAND or REALIZE Band surgery. While the nutrition advice is sound, your adjustable gastric band changes the rules behind your eating behaviors, so stick with the instructions we provide you for eating after bariatric surgery and share the following dieting information with friends and family who may need it.

1. “Fill up on whole grains.”

As a general rule, whole grains are a healthier source of carbohydrates than white breads, pastas and rice. Whole grains also tend to be high in fiber, which can make you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

A diet comprised only of whole grains will not lead to weight loss. You still need to eat lean proteins and vegetables if you’re hoping to lose weight. Also, just because a product says that it contains whole grains does not mean that it’s healthy. Read labels to see if your “whole grain” foods are also made with excessive amounts of sugar.

2. “Stick with home-cooked meals.”

If you’re eating at home instead of at a restaurant, the argument is that you know exactly what ingredients have gone into your meals. You won’t be exposing yourself to “hidden” fats and sugars. Of course, you can still eat poorly at home. Fat and sugar you knowingly add to your recipes is just as dangerous as the fat and sugar you don’t see at a restaurant. Be aware of the nutritional value of the recipes in your cookbooks. Look for healthier alternatives to high fat ingredients, like substituting low-fat sour cream for regular sour cream. You can also use products like Splenda in place of sugar in almost all baking recipes.

3. “Fill your plate (and pantry) with many different foods.”

The thinking behind this diet tip is that variety will keep you from getting bored with your diet and splurging on novelty junk food. But variety, like everything else, is best in moderation. In fact, too much variety can actually cause you to eat more. There is a phenomenon called sensory-specific satiety that basically says that you tend to eat less when flavors are limited.

4. “Eliminate alcohol.”

Alcohol is loaded with empty calories and doesn’t offer much nutritional value; however, some research suggests that moderate or social drinkers who have one to two glasses of alcohol a day tend to be leaner than heavy drinkers or nondrinkers. It’s possible that people who can drink in moderation may be more capable of doing other things, including eating, in moderation. Other studies indicate that regularly having a little alcohol increases the body’s production of leptin, a hormone that curbs appetite. In general, you should be able to maintain your weight loss if you can limit yourself to one or two glasses of low-calorie drinks like wine; however, you should still avoid having more than one or two drinks and stay away from high-calorie cocktails like martinis.

5. “Say no to seconds.”

In order to lose weight, you need to manage your portion sizes and reduce the number of calories you consume on a daily basis. But if you’re overfilling your plate on the first round, you may still be getting too many calories. If you find yourself overeating in an attempt to stave off the needs for seconds, consider getting a smaller plate the first time and simply telling yourself that you’ll wait a full 20 minutes before going back for more. That 20 minutes will give your stomach a chance to tell your brain you’re full, and will either eliminate the need for seconds altogether or make you more likely to get another reasonably sized serving.

6. “Take time to enjoy your meal.”

Because it takes 20 minutes for your brain to receive the message that you’re full, it’s generally a good idea to eat slowly so that you hear the message before you overeat. Research shows, however, that you’ll probably eat more calories over a long, lingering dinner with friends. If you’re trying to stick around to talk longer, you may end up ordering more food just to have a reason to prolong your time together. You should always take your time when you’re eating, but if you find that continuing to sit at the table makes you more inclined to keep eating, suggest that everyone pay their bill and head out for a walk to continue the conversation.

The secret of long-term weight loss success

Long term weight loss success relies on adherence to a method of eating, such as our carbohydrate-focused approach, that provides well balanced nutrition and can be easily maintained for a lifetime. Understanding the basic principles behind a diet and applying those principles to your own eating behavior makes sense. Blindly following every popular diet tip you read does not.