Avoid these 5 Common Metabolism Myths if you Want to Lose Weight
Trying to lose weight by speeding up your metabolism and failing, make sure you aren't duped by these five metabolism myths. Learn the truth and get on the right track to losing weight.
Myth #1 -- Eating ice-cold foods and drinking ice-cold drinks makes your body burn more calories
Well...it's true that your body burns more calories when digesting ice-cold foods, but only to the tune of about 1.5 calories per food or drink. Such a minimal amount really shouldn't be taken seriously.
Myth #2 -- Eating grapefruit speeds up your metabolism
Not only does eating grapefruit not speed up your metabolism, as far as fruits go, it's a little higher in calories than other fruits. Grapefruit certainly shouldn't be put on your "do not eat" list, but don't think of it as a miracle fruit. Have a variety and choose other fruits lower in calories.
Myth #3 -- Try fasting to boost your weight loss
If you fast for several days, you certainly lose some weight. The problem is that once you begin eating again, you put it right back on. You lose weight due to the fact that you eat no food and your body is cleansing itself, but you also tell your body to go into "protection" mode. Then, it slows your metabolism down. Fasting has a place -- just not in dieting.
Myth #4 -- Supplements speed up your metabolism
Sorry. There just isn't any pill that speeds up your metabolism. Of course, plenty of diet supplements exist on the market that tells you they do. Instead of a faster metabolism, what probably occurs is a case of the jitters and possibly liver damage. Avoid diet pills at all times.
Myth #5 -- Dieting without exercise will work
No, unfortunately it won't. When you lower your caloric intake, it signals your body that it is going into starvation or "self-preservation" mode again. Your body is so efficient that it automatically slows down your metabolism to preserve your fat stores. This isn't what you want. To lose weight, you must eat less and exercise more. By combining these two, you speed up your metabolism and burn fat.
There is no limit to the metabolism myths that bombard dieters all the time. If you have a hard time losing weight, maybe you've fallen for one of these. That's okay. Learn and move on. Only with a healthy low-calorie diet and good old-fashioned exercise is it possible to lose weight -- not with metabolism myths.
