POPULAR Weight Loss Tips Doctor Fact-Checks part 1
Turn down the lights "and turn up some music while you eat. "These environmental distractions "will take your attention away from the food." Turn your house into a rave while you eat, get a giant bear chasing you around so that you don't have enough time to put the food in your mouth. What kind of advice is that? For those of you who are looking to be at a healthier weight, the internet has no shortage of weight loss advice. Well, in this video, I'm gonna take some of that advice, and put it through a lie detector. And find out what's true, what's not, Let's get started. "Drink black coffee. "This will boost your metabolism." Well, look, caffeine is a stimulant. So it could potentially boost your metabolism. But why I like this statement is because black coffee means that it doesn't have excess calories from sugar, milk, creamer. All of that. In addition, black coffee will technically keep your fast going. So if you're a fan of intermittent fasting, you still gonna be getting a lot of those same benefits with having a little stimulation onboard. "Hang a mirror in front of your dining table. "Studies show watching yourself "reduces the amount of food you consume." No, if you want to hang a mirror in front of your dining table because of decor, please, go right ahead. If you're doing it so you hate yourself while you're eating, no. (speaking foreign language) "Use smaller plates and bowls to serve your own food. "This is an optical trick "that will give you a full sensation "from seeing a clean plate." I like this tip. I think it's a fairly benign tip. Really, one of the biggest problems in the eating habits of my patients who are obese or overweight is that they eat really big portions, and they don't even realize it. So by having a smaller plate, you're already helping yourself to figure out a healthy portion size. But also when you see it and you eat the entire plate, there is a psychological concept to how you absorb those calories. It really does take effect. "Participate in intermittent fasting, "though it may also reduce muscle mass." This is controversial. For some, like myself, intermittent fasting works great because you're eating in a very specific window, meaning that you're not eating for 16 hours of the day and you're only eating in a time-restricted eight hour feeding pattern, you're gonna eat less calories. That's just the nature of eating in a smaller window. That being said, some people actually get a disordered relationship with their eating habits when they do this type of fasting. So it's certainly not for everyone, but it is an option. And we've actually seen some favorable health effects outside of just the weight loss. That includes hormonal changes, favorable hormonal changes, increased clarity. Also there's a genuine benefit to not having to eat for 16 hours of the day. Kind of gives you an advantage for you to be able to focus, exercise, perhaps do a little mindfulness session. Which can go a long way to calming you down "with whey protein powder. " This one I am hesitant to recommend to a lot of folks. I'm not a huge fan of getting my protein needs from supplements. When you eat a protein rich meal, it usually comes with some fat. Perhaps some carbohydrates, depending on the source of the protein. And when you're getting whey protein powder, you're really isolating the protein and getting just that. I feel like you can find nutrient rich protein sources like tuna, like salmon. And in addition to the protein, you're also gonna get a lot of other nutrients that aren't found a whey protein, like omega-3 fatty acids. "Chew more slowly. "Your brain can take time to signal "to your stomach that you're full, "so being patient with how quickly you eat "can allow your brain time to cut off "before you overeat. " I would change this advice just a little bit. I would say chew thoroughly, 'cause if you slow down your chewing, that might be a little bit awkward. But if you choose thoroughly, you could actually give yourself the time to signal to your body that you're fuller, that you're getting the nourishment that you need. 'Cause it's really about eating to the point where you're satiated, not to the point where you feel so full that you hate yourself. Let's be honest, we've all been there. But that's not an ideal place to be if you're trying to maintain a healthy weight. "Spoil food you don't want or need to eat. "If you've got leftovers that are calling your name, "find a way to ruin the food "such as dousing it in milk "or pouring in a ton of salt." What? Not only will this create a very disordered eating pattern where you're destroying food instead of creating a healthy relationship with it, but you're also getting rid of food that someone can eat. People in America are hungry, especially during COVID-19. This is a true problem and it's even a bigger problem around the world. I don't know where this advice came from, but two thumbs down for me. "Drink green tea. "It's loaded with powerful antioxidants called catechins, "which are believed to work synergistically "with caffeine to enhance fat burning. " I am one of the the biggest green tea fans out there. It's important to know that it has caffeine in it. So, ideally, not a great drink to drink at the end of it the day. But for lunch, for breakfast, green tea is a great option. Not only does it have catechins, it has polyphenols in it. L-theanine, which sort of balances out the boost that you get from the caffeine stimulant, but also gives you that calming effect on your mind. Now, whether or not green tea will actually boost weight loss, it's not gonna be a magical effect that you see here. In fact, I've seen a lot of companies try and do something shady like, "Our supplements have green tea extract "and that's what helps you burn fat."
