Weight loss is a growing concern. Majority of the people are dying to banish the unhealthy curves. Everyone has got something to add on to the list of things to do to lose weight. With the increase in the number of do’s and don’ts varying from one person to another, the question of what’s true and what’s not arises.
Surprisingly there are a number of things that are being constantly imposed on us as facts which aren’t true at all. Let’s take a look at some of them –
Table of Contents
Myth 1: All calories are the same
Cutting down the calories by limiting the intake of food is what a lot of people do to shed weight. However, the path to reach your weight loss goal is by choosing your calories right and not cutting them. You get energy from calorie. When you cut them altogether, you will end up feeling tired, hungry, and craving for more food, which paves way to a vicious cycle of binge eating. The kind of calories in carbs is different from that in fats or proteins. So, instead of loading your body with empty calories go for the ones that boost your metabolism.
Consider this:
- 14″, Full Cheese Pizza contains nearly 2400 KCal. (vs.)
- 30 eggs, 2300 KCal.
Both the above 2 foods contain similar calories. Will they be considered the same? Should they be considered the same?
While the calories may be identical, the way each of these foods interact with our body is radically different. Consuming eggs, that are nutrient dense, will boost our metabolism. Whereas eating a pizza might not provide us much in terms of nutrition and will most likely contribute to increasing our lethargy.
Quality plays a much higher role here, than quantity.
Myth 2: Move your body and forget what you eat
For years we have been hearing the phrase – “Eat Less. Move More”. Although this sounds convincing, it is the worst you could be possibly doing. A significant amount of your weight is dependent on what you eat and exercise has very little influence over your weight. While exercise in itself has a whole host of benefits, weight loss is one of the least significant ones.
Whatever modest amount of calories you burn during workouts go waste when you refill your body with empty calories through unhealthy junk food. Therefore, it is necessary to eat nutritious food in order to stay fit.
Myth 3: Eat fruits and veggies and forget everything else to lose weight
Consuming fruits and veggies do make you healthy, but have no effect in helping you lose weight. If you still fill your stomach with empty calories and continue to enjoy your pizzas and burgers along with fruits, it’s not going to have any impact on your weight. Instead of having your veggies as a detox medicine after having tons of junks, ditch all the empty calories and replace them with fruits and vegetables.
Myth 4: The weight loss graph is consistent
When you are in your weight loss journey, you cannot expect it to be consistent. You should be prepared to witness a bit of weight gain in the process. There will be days you will gain weight and days when you lose weight rapidly. Your weight tends to fluctuate depending on the amount of food or water your body holds as well. So, reaching your weight loss goal is an inconsistent trip with ups and downs.
Myth 5: Fats are fattening
Fat is the first thing we remove from our diet in order expel the fats clinging on to our body. Although being scared of fat seems logical, the truth is fat is actually good. A lot of unhealthy foods, rich in empty calories tend to contain a significant portion of fats creating a false image that fats are fattening. Healthy fats in fact aid in weight loss by improving satiety and burning fats stored in the body.
Myth 6: Ditch snacks to lose weight
Snacking doesn’t make you fat, but what you snack does. For a lot of us snacking means munching on namkeens or fries; therefore, snacking on these unhealthy foods is definitely going to make you fat. Whereas, switching to fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds do no harm, rather boost your metabolism. Do not ignore when your stomach grumbles in the evening worrying you’d become fat, fill it with something healthy instead.
Myth 7: Sipping on water helps to lose weight
If you think you can eat mindlessly and wash it off with water and not worry about weight gain, then you are wrong. Drinking plenty of water is great for the body in several ways. Thirst is sometimes perceived as hunger making us load our body with more food than necessary. Drinking water hydrates you and prevents unwanted eating that will prevent unnecessary weight gain. But water alone doesn’t act as a fat burning potion.
Myth 8: Empty your breakfast plate to lose weight
If you are someone who shoves down a plate full of food first thing in the morning until you gag, you need to stop it right away. This isn’t going to help you lose weight in any way. Starting the day with a hearty breakfast is great. When you skip breakfast there are chances for you to be hungrier and over eat. A healthy breakfast keeps you full longer. But if you are not up for a meal the first thing you can very well skip it.
Myth 9: Starving leads to weight loss
This is a short cut method many follow to lose a few pounds instantly despite being aware of the fact that it’s unhealthy. The truth is, starving is not only unhealthy, but it spikes up your weight quickly. Our body is tuned in a way to deal with long periods of starvation. When you starve longer, your body ends up storing food in the form of fat in order to fuel your body with energy if it is deprived of food in the future. It doesn’t burn everything you eat, rather stores them in the body and pushes you to eat more. This in turn makes you fat.
Myth 10: Dieting makes you hungry sooner
Dieting is often misunderstood as eating less; but it is actually eating right. If you are following a diet and you find yourself hungry all the time, then you are probably not doing it right. When you have a balanced diet rich in nutrients, you tend to be full and energetic longer. In other words, the right diet frees you from any unwanted scenario of binge eating.
Myth 11: You can do nothing about genetic fats
Genes do have an effect on your body type and weight, but the bigger factor influencing your weight is the eating behaviour. The reason for a lot of people in the family to be on the fatter side could a wrong eating habit followed by many for years together. Even if you have a lower metabolism genetically, you can still witness a healthy transformation by tweaking your diet and putting more effort.
CONCLUSION
In our program, Eat Fit Get Fit, we strongly believe that weight gain is only a symptom that is pointing to an underlying cause. To lose weight, it is important to treat the cause, not just address the symptom. Looking at weight loss in insolation is akin to treating a fever caused by a viral infection with just a mild paracetamol.
Weight loss is not as tough as what many think. Check out what our clients say about us here.
If you are looking to get started on your weight loss and health journey, drop us a message and we will be in touch.
