You've tried virtually every "diet" you can think of and still

haven't lose weight. Or, perhaps you've lost weight only to quickly

gain it back. You feel like you are in a never-ending battle that

you just can't win. Does this sound familiar? Stop beating yourself

over the head in frustration!

More than likely you just aren't armed with the right information to

help you be successful in reaching your weight loss goals. There are

so many diet misnomers floating about that it's easy to feel like

your drowning. The first step toward success is distinguishing fact

from myth and using the power of knowledge.

To help you get started on the path to permanent weight loss and

health living read below to learn what's true and what's false in

the world of dieting. Take the quiz below to test your knowledge and

you'll learn what it really takes to beat the scale. Read each

question and answer true or false. Then read below to find out

whether or not you guessed right.

1.  Skipping Meals Is a Good Idea
   

2.  You Can Spot Reduce Certain Parts of Your Body
   

3.  Eating Late At Night Makes You Fat
   

4.  If Something Is Fat Free, You Can Eat As Much As You Want
   

5.  Eating Less Than 1200 Calories Will Accelerate Weight Loss
   

6.  Salads Are Always A Great Eating Out Choice
   

7.  You Can Lose and Maintain Weight Without Exercise
   

8.  If You Only Lose One Pound A Week You Need A New Diet
   

9.  You Shouldn't Exercise Every Day
   

10. You Should Wait To Strength Train Until You've Lost Weight
    

11. False. The idea behind this myth is that you'll consume fewer

calories in the entire day. The reality is that you probably will

consume at least the same amount, if not more. Skipping a meal

lowers your blood sugar. Low blood sugar usually makes you very

hungry. In return you end up eating quickly and probably making poor

food choices when those hunger pains come a knocking. Eating several

small meals per day helps you stabilize blood sugars and control

your appetite.

2. False. If you slave over 200 sit ups a day, it still isn't going

to get rid of your spare tire. Fat is lost evenly throughout the

body. You can't focus on one body part and only work it in an

attempt to reduce that fatty area. To help a trouble spot you must

focus on overall fitness – aerobic workouts, strength training, good

nutrition and more. That's the only way to reduce extra fat.

3. False. Your body doesn't determine your weight based on WHEN you

eat. It just cares how much you eat. What's important is determining

how many calories are coming in versus how many are going out. You

need to find the right balance based on how much your eating and

exercising. If you take in more calories than you burn, then the

extras will be stored as fat. That's true whether you eat at night

or not.

4. False. For the most part, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.

Sure, it is a little more complex than that but just keep in mind

that for every extra 3,500 calories that you take in and don't burn

off, you will gain a pound. Does it matter if all of those 3,500

calories are fat-free. No! Your body just cares that the extra

calories were consumed. Plus, fat makes you feel full. If you don't

eat enough of it, you may find yourself constantly hungry and you

may end up consuming more calories than if you had eaten something

with fat in it.

5. False. In fact, it may have the opposite effect. Too few calories

per day causes your body to adapt to a minimal amount of food, and

slows down your metabolic rate. The body may think it's "starving"

and actually hold onto every bit of food to ensure survival. Then,

when you begin to eat normally, your calorie needs are reduced and

you end up gaining more weight even though you are consuming less

food.

6. False. Sometimes you'd be better of eating a burger than a salad.

Many restaurant salads are dripping in high calorie, high fat

dressings. Plus, they often add fatty toppings like croutons and

bacon bits. If you are going to choose a salad, be sure the dressing

and extras don't sabotage your calorie counting.

7. True. When it comes right down to it, weight loss is about the

difference between intake and output. As long as you are burning

more calories then you are consuming, then you should be able to

lose weight. So, exercise isn't a necessity but it certainly is the

best approach. Study after study has proven that groups that both

maintain an appropriate calorie intake and also exercise have better

weight loss successes and are better at keeping it off. Plus,

exercising provides SO many health benefits it would be crazy not to

include it as part of a healthy lifestyle.

8. False. Losing 1 – 2 pounds per week is actually an excellent

weight loss rate. If you lose more than that, then it's very likely

that it won't be permanent. You'll just end up gaining it back. When

you lose at rapid paces, typically you end up losing water weight

and muscle weight. You want to lose fat. So, even thought the scale

may show less, you won't be as healthy and won't look as good.

9. True. It's not necessary to exercise every single day of the

week. Sure, it's great if you can get some type of physical activity

in on a daily basis. But, it also is important to give your body

rest time to recover and improve. For example, you don't want to

lift weights every day working the same muscles. They need time to

rest. And, intense cardio workouts daily can wear you down. Resting

one day a week can actually help you.

10. False. Strength training is an essential part of good fitness.

Virtually everyone should include some type of strength training in

their weekly workouts regardless of whether they are wanting to lose

weight, just maintain it, or build muscle. And, muscle actually

helps your metabolism (e.g. helps you burn calories), so you should

do it as part of a weight loss program.