Week 2: Banish myths about weight loss

You know by now that Spartan crash diets are useless, and the only way to lose weight is by changing your habits. You also need to expunge all those myths you hear about weight loss. Here are a few of the most common from Dr Cocaul:

Olive oil is good for your health. True, but drowning your food in fat...?! 
"Many people think that because olive oil is a healthy type of fat you can't get enough of it. It's just as calorific as any other oil, so go easy with it if you want to lose weight."

The sweetener aspartame contains cancer-causing agents. False.
"Aspartame does not harm anyone, including pregnant women."

You shouldn't eat fruit at the end of a meal. Totally false! 
"When you have a piece of fruit at the end of a meal, its glycaemic (GI) index is lower than it would normally be because you're digesting it alongside other foods, so your body will get less sugar but the same amount of vitamins from it."

You shouldn't eat and drink at the same time. Load of rubbish! 
"Obviously you can eat and drink at the same time. If you drink during a meal you'll pause more, which is excellent as you'll fill up more slowly and stop when you're full. But don't drink too much, otherwise you won't absorb the nutrients in your food as quickly."

Carbs make you fat. No, no, no!
"If you cut carbs out of your diet, you'll only end up eating more fat and gaining weight. If you eat enough carbs, your body burns them more efficiently, which means you burn more energy. Remember fat is stored far more easily than carbs. Not touching pasta and rice but eating fatty food is a fatal mistake. Complex carbohydrates in particular are slow-release sugars and they're also essential for the brain, so don't cut them out, whatever you do."