There are a crazy amount of weight loss myths that are always in circulation. When you decide you want to shed a few pounds it can be hard to know what to believe! Should you be eating carbs or cutting them out? Do you really need to exercise, or is ditching snacks good enough?
Well, I’m going to show you just a handful of the most popular weight loss myths. Hopefully this will help to clear a few things up…
Extreme dieting is the way to go
Often, people who are trying to lose weight think that by slashing calorie intake and skipping meals they’ll reach their goal faster. However, this is the worst way to lose weight. When you starve your body, it goes into shock, so rather than losing the fat your body will cling onto it making weight loss harder. Your energy levels will also be affected, and because you’ll spend more time hungry, when you do eat you’ll probably over-consume. Drastic dieting and weight loss is not only unhealthy and hard to maintain, but potentially dangerous. The most successful, long term method for weight loss is making small changes and simply burning more calories than you consume.
Weight loss is consistent
Weight loss is definitely not linear; it fluctuates. One week you may lose more weight than the last, or you may even have gained a little. That’s totally normal and nothing to worry about. Women in particular can gain a little extra weight during their menstrual cycle, so if the number on the scale rises, that doesn’t mean you’ve piled on extra fat. With weight loss, although it will go up and down, as long as you stay consistent, the general trend will be downward.
Carbs are evil
How many times have we heard this?! As soon as people want to lose weight, the first thing they think they need to do is eliminate carbs from their diet. This is potentially one of the biggest weight loss myths around. Carbs are essential for energy and are a highly important part of a balanced diet. As with any food, if you consume the right quantities, they will not lead to weight gain. When you want to lose weight, you can still eat carbs, just always try to go for the unrefined option. That means choose brown bread, brown rice and brown pasta instead of the white alternatives for example.
Low Fat/Reduced Fat options are best
When you’re shopping and see something that says ‘low fat’, it’s easy to immediately think that’s the way to go. However, this isn’t always true. The term ‘low fat’ or ‘reduced fat’ simply means there is less fat in it than in the full fat option; it doesn’t actually mean it’s low fat. On the contrary, it may still actually be pretty high in fat. The best thing to do is check the label and actually see how much fat it contains. It’s also a good idea to check the sugar content because often foods that are labelled as low/reduced fat have a higher sugar content to compensate, which can make them counterproductive.
All fat is bad for weight loss
On the topic of fat, one of the classic weight loss myths is that all fat is bad. Wrong. Like carbs, your body needs fat for energy and to function properly so cutting is out is a bad move. There are good fats and bad fats and it’s just a case of knowing the difference. Fast food, cakes, biscuits, sweets… those are all examples of bad fats. They aren’t very healthy, provide little nutritional value and will make you gain weight if eaten in excess. Whereas avocado, salmon, eggs, nuts & seeds… these are all foods that contain good fats, fats your body needs. As long as you know your fats, your weight loss won’t suffer!
You can eat what you want if you exercise
Often when it comes to weight loss, people can have an ‘either/or’ attitude. “I don’t need to exercise if I just eat less” or “I exercise loads so I can eat what I want” are common phrases you may have heard, or even said yourself. But the truth is, for successful weight loss, exercise and nutrition have to work hand in hand. It takes a lot of exercise to burn off calories so if you just eat what you want, you probably won’t be able to work it all off. Even if you have a faster metabolism and burn calories quicker, you need to think about the quality of food you’re putting in your body. If you aren’t consuming the right nutrients and keeping your diet balanced, your health could be impacted later down the line.
For workouts, recipe ideas and tips & advice, head to my Instagram page. If you’re looking to lose weight and need support with reaching your goal, I can help! Check out my personal training services and if you want to talk, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!