10 Weight loss myths exposed
Obesity and being overweight is a huge problem in this era of sedentary life style, specially in developed countries. Due to this reason, a lot of people are always trying to lose weigh. However, they fall trap to various weightloss myths and lies floating around regarding weight loss.
In this article, we have compiled some of the most common weightloss myths floating around.
1. Starvation is the best way to lose weight
A pretty well established myth and misconception regarding weightloss among the illiterate lot is to starve to lose weight. Well, it’s just one of the weightloss myths.
Crash diets can make you get emaciated, which is far different from healthy weight loss. In fact, it can alter the metabolism of your body in a way that it can result in a weight gain in longer term. The main issue is that this type of diet and routine is really hard to maintain. Your body gets low on energy and when you eventually start eating things, including high-fat and high-carb or high-sugar things, you’ll eat more than required and resulting in weight gain.
Also, starvation damages and alters normal body metabolism, making various unhealthy changes.
2. Crash course of exercise is the only way to lose weight
Well no doubt exercise is very much important for weight loss, and crash courses do make you lose weight too. However, they are not beneficial alone. You’ll have to setup an exercise regime that will include regular physical activity. So that you can perform it on regular basis and make it your habit.
Successful weight loss means having small changes in your life. But they have to be the ones that you can stick to for a longer period of time. It’s important to make a regular workout routine that you can do on regular basis.
It’s recommended for adults (between 19 and 64 years of age) to perform at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of exercise a week. You can divide 150 mins into 3 to 5 days every week. This should also include at least 2 days of strength training for major muscles of the body.
These activities include any healthy aerobic activity. Like cycling, hiking, jogging, any sports, etc. coupled with strength training couple of days a week and stretching exercises. This will bring a continuous and more permanent weight loss in your body. And this weight loss will be healthy, with no muscle loss, in fact with muscle gain!
A good diet plan with a good exercise plan will eventually get you the best body shape you want with health and stress free body and mind.
3. Slimming pills are effective for permanent weight loss
Well, sorry to disappoint you, weightloss pills are not effective for long term weightloss at all. Most weightloss pills available online and in the market are some chemicals which usually not help you lose weight at all. And the ones that help you get some weight loss are the compounds that mostly damage your body in long run. They are not effective in long-term and for permanent weight loss even.
Never use any weight loss pills or supplements without consulting and discussing it with your doctor.
4. Healthy foods are more expensive than junk
Mostly people chose to eat the junk and unhealthy, processed and packaged products with a concept that healthy foods are much more expensive than them.
E.g., people go for toxic and packaged milk like nestle and others. They think that the pure and natural milk will be more expensive, well they’re not!
You’ll just have to make a list of all food items. Then, look for various places where you can acquire them. Some items might have higher price, some places or stores might have higher price too. So short list the ones best suited in your budget, but never compromise your health by taking those junk and toxic products out in the market.
People pay toxic and high fat and stuff diets from mcdonalds and other fast food outlets, however if you get the raw materials yourself and cook the healthy meal yourself, it will be far more cheaper and healthier. It just takes an effort to break the habit.
5. Diet coke is safe during dieting
NO! it’s not! diet coke or anything diet, containing aspartame is toxic to the body and leads to long term damage to your brain cells and other tissues of the body, resulting in memory loss and other side effects.
Other than that, coke, pepsi and other drinks by these toxic companies are toxic to our body and result in a huge damage, so they should be avoided at all cost, while you’re dieting or not.
6. ‘Low fat’ or ‘reduced fat’ food products are always a better choice
A reduced-fat product contains less fat than the original one. But how much less? That’s not sure, so not every item with reduced fat written on it is good for diet and weight loss as it contains less fat than the full fat version of the same product. So reduced fat version of any product is not always the healthy choice.
Similarly, low fat food items might contain a low level defined by food authorities to label it as low fat, but it may be containing high sugar content! They no where promised that it’s low on sugar and carbohydrates too! right?
So when buying any low fat or reduced fat item, check for the original fat content in it and also don’t forget to read the sugar content in it too! In fact it’s best to check all the ingredients and percentage of the items present in that product along with the calories it’s offering.
7. Margarine contains less fat than butter
Margarine has different type of fat than butter, but that doesn’t mean it has less amount of fat than the butter.
It usually contains lesser saturated fats than the butter and is high in hydrogenated fats than butter.
Hydrogenated fats are called trans fats and are considered to be harmful for our health more than saturated fats.
If you’re trying to lose weight and remain healthy, then you need to reduce both the hydrogenated fats and the saturated fats in the diet.
The hydrogenated oil in margarine has to be listed in ingredients, so look carefully on the package to see if it contains hydrogenated fats, total amount of fats in it and calories that it offer too.
8. Carbohydrates make you fat
Carbohydrates are required by our body but in right proportion and quantity. Excess of anything is bad so definitely excess carbohydrates and sugar will make you put on weight, but when taken in right quantity, they don’t cause weight gain.
9. Cut out all snacks when losing weight
Well it’s not the snacking that’s the issue, it’s the type of snack that can help you lose or gain weight.
Certain fruits or vegetables, chosen wisely and in small quantity, can be beneficial in weight loss. Similarly, the wrong ones can ruin your diet altogether and make you gain weight too, specially the ones high in fats and sugars or carbohydrates.
10. Skipping meals will help in weight loss
For weight loss, ideal is to calculate and control the total calories and the types of foods you eat. Divide the food you have to eat throughout the day instead of skipping the meal for best results.
Skipping the meals can result in tiredness due to lack of energy during the skipped hours, resulting in poorly chosen snacks and ultimately weight gain.
Do you wanna share any common weight loss myths? Let us know through comments!