Eat Less + Exercise More = Weight Loss.Restricting calories turns on ancient mechanisms that prevent starvation. "These slow your metabolism to conserve energy and trigger a cascade of molecules in the blood so you receive hunger signals that are too strong to ignore ? all leading to weight gain," says Dr. Hyman.

Diet Myth #2:

You can control weight by counting calories.All calories are not created equal. Food that enters your blood stream quickly promotes weight gain; food that enters slowly promotes weight loss. For example, sugar from soda enters your blood very rapidly; the calories you aren't using is stored as fat. The same amount of sugar from kidney beans enters your blood slowly. "Because your body has a greater chance to make use of the calories over time, more is burned and less stored," explains Dr. Hyman.

Diet Myth #3:

Eating Fat Makes You Fat.We have been brainwashed to believe that if we eat fat, we will get fat. There's one problem: Science does not support this myth. "In the last 40 years, our national fat consumption has decreased from 43 to 34 percent of our total calories," Dr. Hyman points out. Eating less fat than ever, we are growing fatter. The reason? Low-fat diets are often rich in starchy or sugary carbohydrates, which raise insulin levels and promote weight gain.

Diet Myth #4:

Eating No-Carb or Low-Carb Will Make You Thin."Carbohydrates are actually the single most important food in your diet for long-term health," says Dr. Hyman. As with calories and fats, there are different types of carbs that interact with your genes leading to remarkably different effects. Human beings have not evolved to metabolize the highly processed and refined carbohydrates we eat that contribute to the major diseases diabetes, heart disease, dementia and cancer. So opt for the good carbs such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans instead, advises Dr. Hyman.

Diet Myth #5:

Skipping Meals Helps You Lose Weight."One of the reasons that Americans are getting to be as big as Sumo wrestlers is because we actually eat like them," notes Dr. Hyman. "The Sumo diet causes ordinary people to gain extraordinary amounts of weight. They skip breakfast, train for five hours (working up an appetite), eat a huge meal, nap for several hours, eat dinner and go to sleep." Check your eating habits: Do you skip breakfast and eat a large meal just before sleep? Contrary to popular belief, skipping meals is a recipe for diet disaster, so make sure you're eating at regular intervals.

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