One of the greatest challenges in achieving your health and hotness goals is discerning good information from stubborn nutrition myths. Happily, the MyBroadwayBody.com team has you covered!

In this post, we’re going to take a flying axe swing at some of the most common beliefs that prevent people from getting that Broadway body.

#1. Eating 6 Meals A Day Will Help Me Burn More Fat.

There is no extra calorie-burning benefit to consuming many small meals. Calories in, calories out will always win, so the determining factor for meal frequency should be personal preference.

Practically speaking, eating more meals throughout the day helps people avoid being hungry and make better nutritional choices. Additionally, it may ensure they have the proper nutrients in their system to fuel their workouts. For most people, three to five “feedings” work best, but if you truly enjoy the structure, feel free to rock six.

#2. Eating Before Bed or Late At Night Makes You Fat.

Nope! Total calories are what matter. Your body doesn’t care when it eats. In fact, eating protein before bed, while not strictly necessary, has been a strategy employed for years by bodybuilders to keep muscle while losing fat. If you train in the evening, you should still eat a meal after your workout.

#3. Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of the Day.

Not necessarily. Total calories are what matter. And if your breakfast is a crappy carb bonanza of bagels, cream cheese, cereal, and juice, you’re totally fucking over your fitness goals.

Now, I love breakfast foods, so I love me some breakfast. But if you aren’t hungry in the morning and work out in the evening, there’s nothing wrong with skipping breakfast and “spending” your daily “budget” of calories on lunch, a pre-workout snack, then one or two meals after your workout.

#4. Carbs Make You Fat.

Lies! Calories make you fat.

Some people thrive on carbs and some people seem to do poorly with lots of carbs, so this should be tailored to your individual needs and preferences. It is true that on the Unicorn Diet we want to be mindful of the portion size and the type of carbohydrates. But this doesn’t mean you can eat 5,000 calories of bacon and cheese and still lose weight. You’re simply going to have a very hard time overeating with just protein and fat since they are both very filling.

Generally speaking, those looking to lose substantial weight do better on lower carbs. So in practice, this is a great idea. But please appreciate that “heavy” carbs are not inherently fat inducing, but (a.) they’re easy to cut out to reduce your calories, (b.) they don’t tend to have as much nutritional value, (c.) they’re easy to overeat and / or measure incorrectly and (d.) you can probably make better choices for your health and hotness.

Lastly, since carbs are the body’s preferred energy source, if you’re a dancer and very physically active, we want to be mindful of making sure you’re fueling your lifestyle. In this scenario, we strongly recommend consuming sufficient carbs so you can kick ass in class, at auditions, and at your show!

#5. Fat Makes You Fat.

Again, too many calories make you fat. Fat is not a bad guy. Yes, fat has more calories per gram (9 cals per gram) than protein or carbs (4 cals per gram), so it’s easy to go overboard. However, fat plays a crucial role in many bodily processes, so we don’t recommend a low-fat diet, and strongly advise against an almost no-fat diet.

Trying to eat a super low-fat diet is reflective of a distinctly 1980’s “Snackwells” / “Sour Patch Kids… A No Fat Food!” mentality. It’s counterintuitive, but you must focus on the whole picture. Eating an appropriate amount of healthy fats for your goals and caloric needs will actually make you hotter and healthier.

#6. Eating Healthy Foods Can’t Make You Fat.

Another common misconception is that if you eat high quality foods, you can’t get fat no matter what you do. Sadly not true. If you eat 5,000 calories of blueberries, fish oil, broccoli and chicken breast, you will still put on weight.

Although this overeating scenario is unlikely, we have seen many an aspiring performer realize to their dismay that their organic salad is clocking in at 1,500 calories. This is to say nothing of foods that are perceived as healthy that are really just junk food (organic granola comes to mind).

Likewise, you can lose weight on a diet of 600 calories consisting of Sour Patch Kids, protein shakes and crystal meth abuse, but this isn’t our favorite strategy. For more info, check out this article about the nebulous fitness industry concept of “clean eating.”

If you’ve found yourself entranced by one of the above myths, fear not! That’s very normal. In fact, you may even be afraid to try the Unicorn Diet because you’re holding onto one of the above beliefs. If this is the case, don’t beat yourself up.

Come have a chat with us on the Community Forum and we’ll strategize how to help you best succeed for your goals and personal preferences!