Slideshow: Fat-loss Facts or Fiction?

1. Fat Loss Lie: It’s expensive to eat healthily.

The real deal: A recent study from the University of Washington concluded that to reach nutritional standards set in the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, Americans would have to pay, on average, hundreds of extra dollars per year. But Pablo Monsivais, the study’s lead author, explains that despite these findings, “It is possible to eat well on a lower budget.” Even though potassium was pegged as the most expensive nutrient (adding $380 per year), he notes there are many affordable options such as bananas, potatoes, milk, low-sodium tomato juice and unsweetened dried fruit. Your best bet is changing types of food you are currently eating – not add to – to reach these guidelines in a cost-effective way. Check out Eat Clean in Lean Times, our web exclusive video series with Tosca Reno for more tips on how to dine on a budget!

2. Fat Loss Lie: Twenty minutes of exercise is all I need.

The real deal: So you’ve reached your goal: congrats! But are your thrice weekly, twenty-minute treadmill jaunts the best way to keep the weight off? A 2010 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that more exercise may actually be better for lasting fat loss. In fact, their research showed that 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each day was best to prevent long-term weight gain in normal-weight women. The good news: you can still jog or use the elliptical for your regular 20- to 40-mintue sessions, but add daily flexibility or weight-training routines to increase the odds of hitting your fat-loss finish line. Try some of these workouts!

3. Fat Loss Lie: Don’t eat after 8 pm.

The real deal: People often tout this lie as one of the “Top Five Diet Rules To Follow,” but it’s really not that straight forward. This myth likely came into effect because the calories that people consume at night tend to be higher-fat snack foods, and cutting these foods out is an easy way to trim calories. But if you get home, hungry as a bear, and haven’t eaten anything since noon (a big clean-eating no-no, by the way!), go for it: research has shown that nighttime calories are no more likely to contribute to weight gain than the calories you eat throughout the day.

Make some of these clean snacks to munch on during the day to keep the hunger pangs at bay!

4. You may also like…

1. 5 Ways to Shed Fat and Have Fun
2. The Fit Woman’s Guide To Body Fat 
3. Boost Your Fat Burn