Plant Fit Movement > Articles > Chef AJ Quiz
TRUE OR FALSE?
Putting common weight loss beliefs to the test
by Chef AJ - bestselling author, TV chef & weight loss coach
It's that time of the year again when diets pop up left and right...
But did you know that according to U.S. News 80% of new year resolutions fail by the second week of February?
What's going on here?
Well, weight loss is complex and many wrong beliefs are preached like gospel - even though at times they contradict the law of physics (see below for a classic example!).
So take our short and fun quiz where we put 9 of the most common weight loss beliefs to the test (most only get 30% right) - click here to start the quiz now.
1. We underestimate the amount of calories we eat by 20-35%!
Think about that. Even if we had the right strategy in place, what good is it if we can't intuitively figure out when we ate enough?
And who can keep track of the calories in our drinks anyway? Drinking five cans of beer a week adds up to 44,200 calories over a year, equivalent to eating 221 doughnuts!
And maybe you've been through this yourself... You're disciplined, you're doing your best to not overeat, you gather all your willpower and push on for two weeks but the scale didn't move one bit.
If that has ever happened to you, it may just be a case of not being able to accurately estimate the amount of calories we consume. And that's just human - imagine having to track over 1.3 million calories a year (that's the average in the US), who can realistically expect this to work?
That's why I'm excited to share some of the latest research with you during the quiz... For example, I'm not too big on exercise and if you aren't either you'll be surprised what the latest studies show...
2. Will power is a limited resource
Another reason why new year's resolutions fail so quickly is that will power is like a battery. Our battery may be full in the morning but once we face the world, deal with our boss, get stuck in traffic, have to quite down screaming kids and so forth our will power dwindles... So at the end of the day we're exhausted! So it's only human to give in at some point and grab a snack or give yourself a treat...
If that has ever happened to you, remember that it's not your fault!
It's just how our biology works. But it also means we need smarter strategies!
You'll discover some of those strategies when you take our fun, short quiz!
In the quiz we're putting 9 of the most common weight loss beliefs to the test. And we give you references to the scientific studies so you can verify each one for yourself.
3. Not all food is has the same calories
Did you know that fat is 9 calories per gram but carbohydrates and protein only 4 calories per gram?
That by itself can make a huge difference.
Another thing you can do is eat food that has a high water content because this will fill you up but the water content does not contribute to the calorie count (water has zero calories - and it helps you reach the recommended water consumption).
Yet we see many weight loss beliefs being preached like gospel even though they blatantly go against these laws of physics. Now I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to bend the laws of physics to be healthy...
So if this makes sense to you, then you have to take my short quiz! Let's put those beliefs to the test (you'll be surprised which ones hold up and which don't)...
4. You can't outrun your diet
Consider this:
- To burn off just two slices of pizza you need to run for 33 minutes (326 calories) - but let's be honest, who stops at two slices?
- To burn off a portion of french fries (460 calories) you need to lift weights for about an hour - but who eats just the fries?
- To burn off a can of soft drink it's 14 minutes cardio (140 calories)
- To burn off a small chocolate bar (237 calories) we need to sweat for 25 minutes
It's very hard to burn off all those calories hidden inside our favorite foods. Yet so many weight loss programs claim exercise will do the trick so here's a stat that will blow your mind:
The National Weight Control Registry is a registry of people who've lost at least 30 lbs and maintained it for at least 1 year. It started in 1994 and is tracking over 10,000 individuals. This is done to see what strategies work long term. And get this: only 1% of those successful people relied solely on exercise to lose and keep the weight off.
But that's just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to movement - and there is a caveat on boosting our metabolism. Take the quiz here and find out!
5. When we eat matters (what most intermittent fasters get wrong)
Intermittent fasting is all the rage these days but what most people get wrong is that they skip breakfast and eat late instead.
Skipping breakfast has been shown to increase snacking later in the day, lead to late night suppers which is bad for weight loss and health and after reviewing studies over 10 years the USDA recommends to eat breakfast for weight management.
Neglecting breakfast and our fasting period over night is just one way we can damage our metabolism. And if you want to find out what increases our metabolism more - exercise or nutrition - just take the quiz and find out!
6. We may not lose weight in our sleep but we need to sleep to lose weight
Researchers found that poor or lack of sleep impacts our metabolism negatively and in return more energy is stored in the body as fat. Not getting enough or good sleep also messes with our hormones - increasing our insulin and cortisol levels which is associated with storing more fat.
And the list goes on... If we don't rest well at night we tend to have more appetite, have a harder time making healthy food choices and harm our health long term.
In short: try not to be one of the 40% that get less than 7 hours of sleep a day.
And while sleep is something we can control, our genes are not. To discover the impact of our genes on our weight please click here to start the quiz where we reveal more.
About Chef AJ
Over the last 8 years Chef AJ has been working with countless doctors to create recipes for everyone that are both delicious and healthy.
Chef AJ was the Executive Pastry Chef at Sante Restaurant in Los Angeles where she was famous for her sugar, oil, salt and gluten free desserts which use the fruit, the whole fruit and nothing but the whole fruit.
She is the host of the television series Healthy Living with CHEF AJ which airs on Foody TV. With her comedy background, she has made appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and more.
She is the author of two books including the popular book "Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight".
Chef AJ holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell University and is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
While she wasn't always healthy and struggled with her own weight in the past, today she is determined to live at least 100 and is proud to say that her IQ is higher than her cholesterol.
She's passionate about sharing what she's learned with others which is why she created this quiz for you. Click the button and let's put 9 of the most common beliefs on weight loss to the test:
TRUE OR FALSE?
This quick and fun quiz puts 9 of the most common weight loss beliefs to the test. Maybe you even discover what could be holding you back...
This quiz is going to reveal…
Question 5
The little-known way that can improve our metabolism (burn more, weigh less)...
Question 1
If our weight is pre-determined by our genes - and if so, how much...
Question 8
Which combination of common ingredients tends to lead to fast weight gain and why...
Questions 3 & 6
What you may not know about fat and carbs (vital to a healthy weight)
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