I love all of them because, sadly, most people believe them. And, in my presentations and books, I enjoy debunking each one.
Here we go ...
1. Eat Less, Exercise More
Truth ... this lie has led to a tremendous amount of deprivation. Oh yeah, and try exercising off that fast-food lunch. Call me after your two-hour jog. Sadly, many nutritionists perpetuate this lie. A favorite saying of mine: If I'm hungry, I eat and don't think twice about calories. I got this saying from someone who practices healthy eating.
2. Everything in moderation
Truth ... When it comes to food intake, this word has no definition. Moderation to you might be excess to someone else. Most people who struggle with their weight tell me: "Everything in moderation." Replace moderation with rarely or occasionally.
This weekend, I had the most amazing corn-beef sandwich - flown in from Carnegie Deli. The great news: When you indulge rarely, no harm/no foul.
3. It takes willpower to lose weight
Truth: No it doesn't. How long can your willpower last? Not too long. Dr. David Katz says it takes skillpower. No doubt, just a few skills will go a long way.
Here's one of my favorite quotes: Good habits are as addictive as bad habits and a lot more rewarding. Changing a few bad habits will go a long way.
4. Eating food with health benefits is expensive
That's not a lie ... it's Bull$&!%. A day of healthy eating can cost about 11-bucks. Come on, most people pay about half that for their latte-capa-frappochino.
5. Americans have the best health care and we live longer
Truth: Watch about one minute of this video.
Bonus Myth: I wrote Feed Your Head at my local Dunkin Donuts. Its slogan: America Runs on Dunkin.
Truth: While its donuts might taste great, America gets fat on Dunkin.
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