Are you well informed?

Take this short quiz to find out.

True or false: 2% milk is low in fat.

False: An 8-ounce (250 ml) glass of 2% milk contains 5 grams of fat, about the same amount as two slices of bacon. Don’t tell me now that bacon is low fat.

True or false: Soft drinks like Coca-Cola have about the same amount of calories as plain fruit juice with no added sugar.

True. An 8-ounce (250 ml) glass of freshly squeezed orange juice has 118 calories, and a glass of the same volume of Coca-Cola has 107 calories. Fruit juice, on the other hand, is much healthier because it provides more nutrients and contains fructose rather than refined sugar.

True or false: Any woman planning a pregnancy should take a vitamin supplement rich in folic acid.

True. Food alone is not enough to meet the needs of pregnancy without question. Taking a vitamin supplement before conception reduces the risk of certain birth defects and possibly Down syndrome.

True or false: When you want to lose weight, you should eat as little as possible.

False: You have to provide your body with everything it needs. What will happen to a house built with half the number of nails needed? It may look solid at first, but sooner or later problems will arise. An organism on a bad diet is like a poorly built house. At first, nothing will seem wrong, but with time, problems will appear.

The human body does not have a large supply of certain vitamins such as those of the B and C groups, nor of certain minerals such as potassium and iron. It does not have any protein reserves either. It is therefore important to avoid a lack of these substances during the weight loss period. As fats are present in large quantities, it is important to avoid taking in unnecessary amounts during the diet, except for essential fatty acids, which are quite easy to obtain, for example by eating salmon or tuna regularly. For people who do not eat fish, I recommend taking a dietary supplement.

True or false: If you are on a diet and feel weak, you should definitely eat more.

False: Let’s take the example of a person who has 40 pounds (18 kg) to lose. One pound of fatty tissue is a reserve of 3,500 calories. This person has 140,000 calories in reserve at any given time and is not at risk of running out of energy. When you follow a good diet program and do not lack any of the essential elements such as water, minerals, vitamins and proteins, you have no reason to feel weak. On the contrary, people who follow a good weight loss program feel a boost of energy.

The feeling of weakness is often due to dehydration or a lack of essential elements.

True or false: Dieting slows down the metabolism permanently.

False: During the diet, there is indeed a slowing down of the metabolism. However, during the maintenance period, the metabolism returns to its initial speed. Researchers have studied hundreds of people who have lost weight and then regained it. They did very precise tests on the metabolism of these people and found that they had exactly the same profile before and after their weight loss diet. The research that showed a slowing of the metabolism was done over 20 years ago in rats and has not been confirmed subsequently in either rats or humans.

True or false: Almost all dieters gain weight afterwards, often exceeding their initial weight.

False: More than 80% of people who come to monthly follow-up meetings and use the tools of the Motivation for Weight Loss program maintain their weight for three years after the diet. The hardest part is convincing them to come to the follow-up visits. Which group of people do you prefer to belong to?

We all have our ups and downs. If you are doing well, come to your follow-up visit to maintain your gains. If you are not doing well, put aside your pride and come to us. We can help you.