You think: I ate salads for lunch this week so I can eat more for dinner.
Reality check: A salad doesn’t automatically mean you’re eating healthy. There are a lot of hidden calories in salads, says Pasternak.
“The reality is that most salads are far from healthy, loaded with calories from dried cranberries, bacon bits and dressing.”
You think: I can have fast food for lunch; I’ll just go the gym later.
Realty check: Fast food packs a lot of calories and it’s unlikely you’ll “undo” all of those calories at the gym. Let’s say your greasy-but-oh-so-good lunch ran about 800 calories, an average sized woman will only burn about half that during an hour long aerobics exercise. While working out is a great routine to get into, it’s also important to make smart decisions.
You think: I can eat as much “low fat” food as I want.
Reality check: Low fat foods are deceptive. Low fat foods come with added sugar and other not-so-healthy ingredients, Brian Wansink, a researcher in food psychology at Cornell University tells CNN.
“People often believe that low-fat foods have 44% fewer calories than they do, but when companies remove fat, they add sugar, so these alternates typically have only about 10% less calories.”
You think: Drinking water will kick some of the calories out of my body.
Reality check: Water is certainly good for you, but gulping a bucket of water won’t make a dent in the massive bowl of pasta you ate for dinner. Drinking lots of water is no substitute for eating right.
