Fat Chance! Weight Loss Myths Busted

Faced by an onslaught of fad diets and unqualified advice on losing  weight, it can be hard to sort the facts from the hype. Step forward  Anita Bean to help dispel 11 of the most prevalent myths.

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1 ‘Sugar is the devil’

The main gripe with sugar is that it makes our food and drink taste good, which makes us want to consume more and more. However, there isn’t clear-cut evidence that sugar itself is fattening, addictive or toxic.

“No food is essentially ‘evil’ — it’s all about context and how much we consume, how often,” registered nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed says. “Sugar is unlikely to be a problem unless it’s over-consumed.”

Cyclists have less need to worry about sugar than do sedentary folk. Studies have shown that regular exercise blunts the negative effects of sugar (or, more specifically, fructose), preventing the rise in blood fats that normally occurs after eating lots of sugar. This isn’t a licence to tuck into extra doughnuts; you still need to keep a check on calories and stay within sensible limits. The government suggests a maximum five per cent of our daily energy intake from added sugars, which works out at 37g or nine teaspoons for a cyclist consuming 3,000kcal a day. 

SWAP IT: When you need a sugar fix (e.g. on a long hard ride), opt for real food sources (e.g. Medjool dates, bananas, raisins, and fruit-and-nut bars) instead of gels and energy bars.

2 ‘Going gluten-free is healthier’

About one in 100 people have coeliac disease, an autoimmune disease that sees the body trigger an attack on the intestines when gluten is eaten. For such people, a glutenfree diet is essential. For the rest of us, there’s no strong evidence a glutenfree diet is beneficial.