Happy, Healthy New Year's Resolutions & Dispelling Myths about Fat

In honor of the new year, I am revisiting one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions I hear from my patients: to reinvigorate a healthy diet and fitness program to yield and maintain an athletic build. Before I get to the point and discuss what I’ve found to be the best method to maintain a healthy weight, I want to dispel two common myths about weight management.

Myth #1: The fat content on the label will indicate how “healthy” a food is.

This notion about fat content of food determining the health properties is deceptive. A much more reliable rule of thumb is ‘calories in, calories out.’ This is not to say that one should not pay attention to the quality of those calories, just that it is all too easy with the dearth of information available to get bogged down in which foods are ‘bad’ and subsequent guilt about food choices. Healthy fat provides essential nutrients.

I’m also not recommending you become a ‘calorie-counter.’ The best way to monitor whether your calories in is an appropriate ratio to calories out is to maintain an awareness of your body. Check how you feel before you go to eat something. Are you really hungry or are you stressed, tired or some combination of both? If you are really hungry, there should be a light, not-quite-empty feeling in your abdomen while not being so hungry that you are uncomfortable. If you find that you are craving food out of stress or exhaustion, is there another way that you can feel better that doesn’t involve eating?

Myth #2: A lack of exercise is responsible for obesity.

This second prominent myth regarding exercise relates to the fact that while calories may be ‘burned’ in exercise routines, if one continues to eat in times of stress, many forms of exercise will actually add to the problem by creating additional stress. It is for this reason that I recommend developing an exercise routine that you enjoy and does not create any additional stress. The ideal workout plan is different for each person, and it is best to figure out a way to exercise almost every day that you find pleasurable.

A sustainable solution:

Check your hunger vs. stress level before each meal and eat if you are hungry or relieve stress in another way if you need to.
Try different types of exercise at different times of the day to see what fits in your daily routine in a way that is enjoyable to you and alter it as needed to make sure your exercise isn’t causing more harm than good.