Diet Myths That Pack On Pounds. A pound is a pound is a pound—whether it's made up of muscle or fat. That said, muscle is denser than fat and takes up less room, so two women who weigh the same can look much different if one has a higher ratio of lean muscle mass to fat, says Valentour. It's also more metabolically active, so just having more muscle will boost metabolism throughout the day to help keep you leaner. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that working out with heavy weights even for as few as 3 to 6 repetitions increased exercisers' sleeping metabolic rate—the number of calories burned overnight—by nearly 8%. That's enough to lose about 5 pounds in a year, even if you did nothing else! More from Prevention: Rev Your Fat Burn With This Downloadable (Free!) Workout 2. But that's not how it works if you're trying to lose weight, unfortunately. Even though you burn calories and fat when you exercise, it's often not as much as you think—or what the readout on the treadmill tells you. Biologically, men are built with more lean muscle mass (the compact, tight muscles that keep metabolism humming) than women are—meaning his metabolism is working at a 5 to 1. Another biological challenge women face is that we generally have more body fat than men do, and our bodies are more inclined to store it. On top of that, women lose about 1/2 pound of calorie- burning muscle mass a year during perimenopause and sometimes a pound a year during menopause. With the deck stacked against you, why bother trying to fit back in your skinny jeans? You can do something about these problems, but it's going to take some work—and sweat. Add strength training to your fitness routine at least twice a week to shed fat and build lean muscle mass that will fire up your resting metabolism. More from Prevention: Diet Mistakes That Slow Metabolism 4. New science shows that when it comes to weight loss, calories are nowhere near alike. Some foods take more work to eat—and therefore burn more calories while you're digesting them. Just the act of chewing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat can increase your calorie burn by up to 3. And then your stomach and intestines do their jobs. In a Japanese study, researchers found that women who ate the foods that required the most work had significantly slimmer waistlines than those who ate the softest, easiest- to- eat foods. The fiber and protein in such foods take so much effort to digest that your body doesn't absorb some of their calories. The Active Calorie Diet is a smart new plan from Prevention magazine that takes advantage of all the new knowledge about calories. By choosing more Active Calories and fewer processed foods, you'll set your fat- burning engines on high all day long so you'll lose more weight—without feeling hungry. There's nothing special about fat that packs on pounds: Getting enough fat in your diet—the Institute of Medicine recommends that it make up 2. Monounsaturated fats—MUFAs (pronounced MOO- fahs), for short—come from the healthy oils found in plant foods such as olives, nuts, and avocados. A report published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that a MUFA- rich diet helped people lose small amounts of weight and body fat without changing their calorie intakes. Another report found that a breakfast high in MUFAs could boost calorie burn for 5 hours after the meal, particularly in people with higher amounts of belly fat. Pair these delicious healthy fats with a reduced- calorie eating plan and you'll lose weight and reduce belly fat. Limit saturated fats and avoid trans fats in your diet. Both kinds can cause health problems. But this topic has been debated for years, and a study in the April 2. Obesity suggested that eating after 8 PM may increase the risk of obesity, but there aren't clear- cut reasons why. It's mainly how much you eat—not when you eat—each day that affects weight gain. Many people eat at night out of boredom or other emotions instead of hunger, and they wind up consuming more calories than they need for the day—calories that are then stored as fat. Also, people who eat at night may wake up without an appetite and skip breakfast, the meal that helps control calorie intake throughout the day. To ward off nighttime hunger, eat dinner an hour later, suggests Marjorie Nolan, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. You'll save calories by curbing the urge to nosh in front of the TV. It's possible that drinking water can aid weight loss efforts, but it won't automatically make you lose weight if you're not changing any other habits. A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study found that people who regularly drink water eat nearly 2. And if you sip water instead of sugary drinks, the calories you've saved will help shed pounds. Drinking ice- cold water can help you burn more calories, too. German researchers found that drinking 6 cups of cold water a day raised resting metabolism by about 5. It's up to you to decide whether 5. Don't wait until you're pregnant to improve your eating habits. Set the stage now with healthy diet changes to ensure your baby gets off to a strong start.But cheese is a high- calorie, high- fat food and should be eaten in moderation. Faux- meat fixators: All they eat is boxes of frozen faux meats, such as soy chicken nuggets, vegetarian sausage links, and veggie bacon strips. These products are okay once in a while, but they are heavily processed and can have a lot of sodium, resulting in bloating and water retention. No- veggie vegetarians: A lot of vegetarians don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. They eat only grains, beans and veggie burgers, all of which can be high in calories. Same- meal- minus- the- meat vegetarians: These people eat the same meals they did before, but without the meat. If they're not replacing the protein, they'll probably have a ferocious appetite and may be missing out on essential nutrients. They often wind up taking in too much junk food. Be aware that the word . She advises new vegetarians—and those who want to dabble in a vegetarian diet—to start having fun with vegetarian recipes. Enjoy the journey of it. People who consumed just one diet soda daily had a 3. University of Minnesota study of nearly 1. Are you tempted to try the Military Diet? The quick weight loss program, sometimes called the “3 Day Diet,” is incredibly popular on the web. What you're trying to do when you eat diet foods and drink diet soda is to cheat your body, says Ashley Koff, RD, resident dietitian on the new Lifetime show Love Handles: Couples in Crisis. If you use one of those things as your tool, you're always going to need that. And you might be getting weight loss results but no health benefits. The diet versions will have fewer calories than the quality versions, but they'll also have fewer nutrients. It does get harder to lose weight as we age, but you can put some healthy habits into practice now to maintain your weight—or even lose—as the years pass by. The years leading up to menopause, known as perimenopause, are prime time for weight gain: On average, women put on a pound a year, mostly around the waist, according to the Mayo Clinic. Out- of- whack hormones and a slowing metabolism are a couple of the weight gain culprits. But reaching menopause doesn't have to mean getting plumper. Studies show that the more you work out, the slimmer you'll be, even during this transition time. Keep your diet in check and you'll boost your results. Fine- tune your workouts and eating habits to shed those pounds—and keep 'em off—with these tips: Exercise at least 4 hours a week: That amount helped nearly 4. American Cancer Society study.
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