5 Common Dieting Myths

Common mistakes can prevent weight loss

(NEWSER) - If you've mustered the energy to lose weight, nothing is more frustrating than not seeing results. Men's Health lists some common mistakes:

1. Too much carb consumption
2. You're eating low-fat foods, but more of them
3. Skipping breakfast can lead to sugar bingeing

Studies don't support connection between working out and slimming down

(NEWSER) - The idea that exercise is the key to shedding pounds is relatively modern—and a whole lot of hogwash, Gary Taubes argues in New York magazine. Though the theory that working out makes us lose weight has been around since the 1960s, scientific research has consistently shown that the relationship between weight and exercise is spurious. More»

Six tips to help keep you from sabotaging your fitness regimen

(NEWSER) - All that work, and still no six-pack? Newsweek tips you off to six ways you may be hurting your results—and your body.

1. Reading while exercising: You need focus for results.
2. Excessive sweating: Losing water weight is not the same as losing fat.
3. Skipping resistance training: Lift for long-term results.

...says a new report that wants calories, fat listed on the front of packages

(NEWSER) - It's time for food manufacturers to come clean about what's in their products, a new report on food labeling suggests. In addition to trumpeting the good (high fiber!) food labels should fess up to the bad ('high sodium!') on the front of the package, argue experts from the Institute of Medicine. The report, which hopes to inform new FDA regulations on labeling, focuses on the nutrients most responsible for obesity, namely: calories, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium, notes the New York Times . More»

In fighting obesity, little things don't count for much

(NEWSER) - Obesity experts would beg to disagree with the first lady, who said last month that it's the "small changes that add up" in fighting childhood obesity. Contrary to what Michelle Obama and many dieters believe, the body is actually wired to adapt to minor lifestyle changes—one less cookie a day, a few extra minutes of walking—to prevent these changes from making you lose weight. Small steps may prevent weight gain, but it takes big moves to take off pounds. More»