Overweight(体重超标)或obesity(肥胖)会影响健康，政府近年积极提醒市民overweight和obesity的害处，大家对控制体重就更着意。
衞生署衞生防护中心的“健康资讯”警告：”Obesity increases the risk for a number of chronic diseases, such as hypertension(高血压), heart diseases, hypercholesterolaemia(高胆固醇), diabetes mellitus(糖尿病), cerebrovascular disease(脑血管病), gall bladder disease(胆囊病), osteoarthritis(骨关节炎), sleep apnoea(睡眠窒息) and some types of cancer.”
但大家对减磅(weight loss)的方法却有些普遍的误解。减磅不得其法，会事倍功半，或没有功效，甚至适得其反。
Marilisa Racco最近在Global News报道：”For some people, weight loss can feel like an elusive goal. Weeks and even months of lifestyle changes and regular workouts may not yield the results they want. But nutrition experts say a lot of that comes down to weight-loss myths(错误观念) that continue to persist.”
Elusive是形容词，解difficult to find, catch or achieve，难以找到、抓住，难以获得、实现或达成的。很多人都觉得减磅是个elusive的目标。多个星期或多个月改变生活习惯、努力做体操，但却得不到想要的结果。营养专家就指出，问题是出在一些减体重的误解继续存在。
卡路里迷思
减肥不外乎是饮食、运动或心态，而这些误解与这几方面有关。首先，是以为︰”All calories are created equal”(所有卡路里都是一样的)。”There’s no question that the amount of calories you consume(进食、吸取) in a day matter, but where you get your calories from makes a big difference.”
营养师解释：”Foods that are high in protein and fibre(纤维) make you feel full longer, which means if you have 500 calories of nuts versus 500 calories of pop, it’ll mean the difference between satisfying your hunger and looking to consume more food later on.” 一杯汽水和一杯坚果同是五百卡路里，但坚果饱肚，汽水喝完一会就会肚饿，即是说你需要吃东西，前后加起来摄取的卡路里就高很多。
另一个myth是︰”You need to exercise more to lose weight”(减肥需运动)。专家说，运动当然有益健康：
First and foremost(首要的、比什么都重要), exercising is good for your heart, bone density(骨质密度) and strength … but the average person does not exercise at the intensity(强烈程度) they’d need to burn a significant(有意义的) amount of calories.
另外，很多人都说︰”You can’t lose weight without willpower”(意志力不足，减肥注定失败)。要改变生活和饮食习惯，有willpower当然有帮助，但”unfortunately, this kind of thinking sets you up for failure right away”(不幸地，这种想法容易令人失败)。因为你每天都要吃多餐，若每餐都要靠意志来压制食欲，你挨不了多久。
The reality is, weight comes down to a variety of factors, including biology(生理) and genetics(遗传), which cannot be countered by willpower alone.
Body weight planner (https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp)是个计划控制体重的小工具，要有效控制体重，须了解个中原理，可参考Traci Mann的Secrets from the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss, the Myth of Willpower, and Why You Should Never Diet Again。
