There are many common weight loss myths that people follow when it comes to their health. It is sometimes difficult to separate weight loss myths and facts from reality. Many things seem true while others are just laughable. I once read somewhere that if you drink water at night you will gain weight or if you scratch your head again and again your hair starts falling…
Weight Loss Myth #1
The more weight I have to lose, the more intense my exercise routine should be.
The Truth About Weight Loss: While it’s great to have an intense workout routine, there are a few things you should consider: The first thing is that everyone is at a different level when it comes to their fitness and how much they really Can handle the intensity. If you’ve been physically inactive for many years, an intense form of exercise that might be right for you is walking a half-mile a day. After walking half a mile you find you are sweating profusely and you are tired. However, for a person who has been physically active for many years, walking a half mile can be done without breaking a sweat. Everyone has a different definition of what “intensity” is.
If an hour of exercise a day is intense for you, but you only have 20 minutes a day because of life’s busy schedule, those 20 minutes will go a long way. This might not necessarily be classified as “intense” by your definition, but those short cardio moments will have positive health-transforming effects.
Fat Loss Myth #2
Stress and weight gain don’t go hand in hand
Weight Loss Facts: This is one of those “laughable” myths. Read on to learn more about how stress is adding pounds. Please download my free eBook, “The Psychology of Weight Loss” for your life
Weight Loss Myth #3
I can lose weight by eating whatever I want
Weight Loss Truth: Sir Isaac Newton once said, “What goes up must come down.” There are natural principles that govern our lives. If you throw a ball up in the air, it’s going to come back down. You can sit on your couch and fantasize and imagine that the ball will float in the air, but natural principles teach us that it will come down. The same goes when it comes to our weight.
This is one of the most common weight loss myths. It is unrealistic to think that your health and weight will be in balance if your diet mainly consists of Twinkies, chips, and donuts. Sure you can reduce it by exercising, but most people whose diet mainly consists of junk food are probably not disciplined enough to stick to a workout routine. I know some people who look in good shape on the outside not because they are “fat” but they have high cholesterol.
Just because I am sorry to have broken the hearts of so many Twinkie lovers, I will say this. You can eat junk food, cookies, chips, ice cream, pizza, burgers… these are all “soul-satisfying foods”, but it should be in moderation. Excess of anything is never good.
Fat Loss Myth #4
Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight
Weight Loss Facts: There are many studies that show that people who skip breakfast and eat less frequently during the day are much heavier than those who have a healthy nutritious breakfast and then eat 4-6 eat small meals. This may be due to the fact that they tend to be hungrier later in the day, and may have a tendency to overeat during other meals of the day.
Weight Loss Myth #5
I won’t lose weight if I eat at night
Weight Loss Truth: You can indulge in food during the day and not eat a single thing at night and you will gain weight. As is the fact that you can starve yourself during the day and overeat overnight and still gain weight. The key here is balance. If your body is telling you that it is hungry, maybe you should listen to it. The truth is that if you don’t exercise, eating more will make you gain weight; It doesn’t matter what time of day you eat. Whenever I feel hungry at night, as is my habit with other meals during the day, I try to choose something that is natural in nature. Something like fruits, vegetables, or I can even make myself a fruit smoothie. During those moments when I have a craving for ice cream or something sweet, I give myself permission to have some, and not feel guilty about it. Many people who are overweight live their lives in guilt and shame. However, I do allow myself to have some in moderation.
Fat Loss Myth #6
i’m not acceptable until i lose weight
Weight Loss Facts: The reason why a person is not acceptable for being fat is because he is not acceptable to himself in the first place. The way you think others see you is based on your own perspective. I sincerely believe that it is important to be emotionally fit before being physically fit. I’ve gone through these self-limiting feelings before. Once I realized that I was already enough in the eyes of God and had no need to prove myself to anyone or seek external validation for my self-worth, it made all the difference to me . Once you accept yourself for who you are right now and realize that you are already good enough in God’s eyes, you will no longer feel as though you are not acceptable because of your weight.
Weight Loss Myth #7
i need to cut calories to lose weight fast
Weight Loss Truth: If you’re overeating and stuffing your face, reducing your calories can be a good thing. However, if you’re eating proportionately, reducing calories can have adverse effects. If you are cutting calories and starving your body, it will lower your metabolism, or in other words slow it down, which may result in you not actually losing any weight, even though you “Cutting Calories”
Fat Loss Myth #8
skipping meals will help me lose weight
Weight Loss Fact: Skipping meals can actually make you gain weight! You will get very hungry and eventually you will have to eat. This will derail your metabolism and eventually slow it down. Think of a car that runs on gas (food), if you don’t fill it up, it will eventually stop working. Same happens with our body, we need to fuel it continuously.
Weight Loss Myth #9
I think I have genetic weight gain, it runs in my family!
The Truth About Weight Loss: Can Anyone Say Excuses? I won’t deny that there may be a tendency for heavy parents to raise heavy children who will remain heavy throughout life, but I don’t believe there is really any “fat” gene or DNA. What we inherit from our families, mainly those who directly raised us, are our thoughts and beliefs. Your views on food, money, religion, politics, education, etc. are based on how you were raised. If you grew up in a household where primary meals were cooked in fried foods, you may have a tendency to cook and eat fried foods throughout your life. If so, then you may be a bit heavy around the waist. The easy thing to do is to blame it on the people who were in charge of your upbringing, however, you always have the option to change.
Fat Loss Myth #10
eating healthy is hard
Weight Loss Fact: Eating healthy is the easiest thing in the world… once you train yourself to do it. How many times have you set a goal to lose weight or “eat better”? The first few days you’re doing great, eating all kinds of foods you wouldn’t normally eat. Then something funny started happening, you went back to your old habits and behaviors. This has happened to you in other areas outside of your health. It could be in earning money, looking for a new job or in your relationships. It takes time to form a new habit because our brain does not like change. Change in the brain is dangerous. Anyway, if you want to learn more about how our brain keeps us from forming new habits please download my free eBook, “The Psychology of Weight Loss”.
Weight Loss Myth #11
You have to give up your favorite food to lose weight
Weight Loss Truth: What Would the World Be Without Chocolate and Pepperoni Pizza??? I think it would be a torturous world to live in!! Lol, now on a real note I completely disagree with this myth. You are definitely able to eat your favorite foods. It’s not fun to deprive yourself of such enjoyment, and quite frankly you’ll end up eating it anyway. As mentioned earlier, the real key is moderation. If you’re a steak lover, it might not be the best of things to eat it every day, but maybe once or twice a week. Those who know me personally know that I love chicken wings with pizza. In an ideal world where I don’t gain any weight and my arteries don’t clog, I’d love to eat this several times per week, more like every day. However, I know they aren’t the healthiest food choices, so I stick to it about 2-3 times per month. I am not giving up my favorite food, I am only eating it in moderation so that it does not catch up with me in the form of extra weight.
Fat Loss Myth #12
overeating is caused by hunger
Weight Loss Fact: Nice try there. I wish we could blame “hunger” for this one. In fact, what we call hunger has nothing to do with your overeating. It may do something to tell your body that it is time to “refuel” and it needs food, but it is not a sign that one should eat more. There are different reasons why many people overeat. One of the main among them is the feeling of stress, depression, loneliness, anxiety, fear and other downgrading emotions of that nature. Sometimes food can be a means of fulfilling your needs. You will actually be meeting your needs through the foods you eat. For example, if you live a lonely life, and are not very happy, then food might be a means for you to feel happy and relaxed. There are many more articles that I have written on this subject but suffice it to say that there is no more eating than being hungry.
Weight Loss Myth #13
only strict diets work
Weight Loss Truth: There goes that word again…diet….those “drastic diets” are only good for quick weight loss and rapid weight gain once you get to it. These drastic diets range from the “cookie diet”, lol….to the “water only diet”….I’m sure you can lose weight while on these diets, however the weight will come right back and usually with some extra weight as a bonus
Fat Loss Myth #14
i’m too fat and too low to start
Weight Loss Fact: A long journey begins one step at a time. It is natural to expect immediate results and even fear the road ahead; Especially if you are overweight. The secret here is to make small incremental changes. Don’t expect perfection as it will only lead to disappointment. You’re never too far down the road where you can’t see the sunlight…
Weight Loss Myth #15
I can’t do it, I’ve tried and failed many times
THE TRUTH OF WEIGHT LOSS: The great Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.'” … It’s 90% mindset, And 10% is actually closing. your butt and doing something about it. You fall, you get up again… you fall again, you get up again. If you have tried to lose weight in the past, now is the time to try again. Desperation is to lose weight like a piece of fried chicken to a vegetarian……they don’t go hand in hand.
Source by Hyrum R
