Maybe you’ve often thought about starting a weight loss diet. But maybe you hesitated because you thought it was too complicated or too hard. Judging by all the information about dieting that’s out there, there are a lot of myths making the rounds. Hopefully, we can dispel some of them here.

1. The number one myth out there is that you can lose weight fast by eliminating as many calories as possible from your diet. This way of dieting can be highly damaging to your health. Because your system believes there’s a shortage of food, it won’t let go of its fat very easily.

2. Another myth we face in our quest for a slimmer waistline is one that tells us to eat only one specific type of food. More eating binges have been caused by the latest single-food fad diet than anything out there. An unbalanced fad diet will result in not enough nutrients that are essential for good health and a strong immune system.

3. You may have also heard that you can never cheat on your diet. If you do slip up, you have to make up for it by exercising for long hours. This is totally wrong. Really, you can have that piece of chocolate cake occasionally. It’s only necessary that you cut back on your calories for a day or two. If you indulged yourself a little too much, a punishing workout certainly isn’t necessary.

4. A particularly persistent myth is that you shouldn’t eat just before going to bed because your body can’t burn off the calories while you’re sleeping. This one isn’t true because a diet only means that you’re eating healthy and watching your caloric intake for the day. A bite to eat just before going to bed won’t matter one way or the other. That is, unless it’s a three course gourmet dinner or a family size tub of ice cream.

5. Maybe you’ve heard of the one that tells you not to eat at all between established mealtimes? It’s actually healthier if you do snack occasionally. By enjoying small, frequent meals throughout the day, your hunger will never be out of control. You only cause yourself to be overly hungry at mealtime when you don’t let yourself snack. You might end up eating considerably more food than your body requires just to keep hunger at bay.

6. There’s another myth that says you shouldn’t consume any dairy products at all because they’re too fattening. However, don’t ban dairy products from your refrigerator, because they are loaded with healthy substances that your body needs. Indeed, there is research indicating that regular consumption of dairy products can lead to dropped pounds. However, watch how much you consume and opt for low fat selections.

Try not to fall victim to the myriad of diet myths circulating the internet. A balance of proper eating (most of the time) and exercise can work wonders for your healthy weight loss success.

Be sure to check out this post on weight loss and loving yourself. Or check out the video here directly.