7 Weight-Loss Myths You’ll Do Good to Forget You Ever Heard
If you had a New Year’s resolution to lose weight but have since fallen off the wagon with it, you could be stumped about where you went wrong.
Unfortunately, it’s possible that you have bought into a fair few weight-loss myths — perhaps because a perfectly well-intentioned relative or friend shared them with you as though they were gospel. Here are some of the least helpful mistruths about shifting blubber.
“Supplements are a silver bullet for weight loss”
“I get questions daily on supplements with people wanting to gain or lose weight,” Bodybuilding.com team athlete Nikki Walter told Insider, adding that the subject of protein shakes also comes up regularly.
“Shakes for weight loss may work temporarily, but also contain artificial sweeteners, or sugars that could delay the weight loss process,” she warns.
“Eating fat will lead you to put on weight”
How true this actually is will depend on what types of fat you eat. While trans fat should be abandoned and saturated fats ought to be reined in, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are healthy choices. Good sources of these healthy fats include nuts, avocado, salmon, flax seeds and olive oil.
“Losing weight is all about how many calories you consume and how many you expend”
Focusing too much on your net calorie consumption can hamper your weight-loss progress. That’s partially because calories are not all equal in their impact on the body.
In a paper published in the Open Heart Journal and cited by Prima, researchers noted that consuming a 150-calorie can of fizzy cola will affect your overall health more adversely than four tablespoons of olive oil totaling 500 calories.
“A tough exercise regime would help you to lose weight especially effectively”
The situation isn’t quite as simple as this, as you could find yourself burning out too soon if you attempt this kind of ‘all or nothing’ approach. Instead, you should endeavor to strike a balance, exercising regularly but keeping your fitness plan realistic and manageable for the long term.
“When in the gym, you should stick to HIIT”
This acronym stands for High-Intensity Interval Training — which, though efficient for burning fat and losing weight, could leave you too exhausted to keep up a fitness routine for particularly long.
Hence, you should probably instead go for a mix of strength training and LISS (Low-Intensity Steady-State) exercise. Gym King stocks clothing — like men’s t-shirts — suitable for a more casual gym routine like this.
“Carbohydrates cause weight gain”
Naturally, after exercising, you might want to replenish your energy by having a meal. For this, fruit and vegetables would be wise inclusions — as, even despite the high carb content of such foods, they contain minerals, fibre and antioxidants that would bode well for your weight-loss journey.
“You need to learn to ignore hunger pains”
If you’re hungry, you must eat. Nonetheless, you should make sure you eat full, nutritious meals and snacks rather than simply reach for a chocolate bar, as you need to make the right food choices in order to remain nicely fueled.
