5 Senseless Weight Loss Myths
In the 1920s doctors prescribed cigarettes to people who wanted to lost weight. The Cigarette Diet took advantage of nicotine’s ability to suppress a person’s appetite. For people who wanted to shed a couple pounds, they put down the plate and fired up a cigarette.
Now that we know all the health dangers that come with smoking, it seems crazy, right? Well, some of the modern day diet fads aren’t too far off.
Food Weight Loss Myths
If you want to lose weight, avoid these five weight loss myths that make absolutely no sense.
- Myth: Counting calories is the only way to lose weight.
Knowing your caloric intake does have some value, but basing your entire diet around not exceeding a particular number is not realistic. Losing weight and maintaining your success should be based on an eating regimen you can develop as a lifestyle, not a quick-fix to fit into skinny jeans.
- Myth: You can’t eat the foods you love when losing weight.
If you constantly deprive yourself of food you like – cookies, chips, and pasta – you’ll quickly give up on your weight loss plan. Incorporating fats, sugars, and carbohydrates into your diet in a healthy way will keep you on track without feeling you’re missing out.
- Myth: All calories are created equal.
Eating 50 calories in chocolate (approximately 15 plain M&M candies) and 50 calories in fruit (8 strawberries) gets two very different reactions from your body. Eating refined sugar intensifies cravings for more sugar, while snacking on naturally sweet fruit helps meet a hunger craving while offering antioxidants to your body.
Exercise Weight Loss Myths
- Myth: Exercise alone will help you lose weight.
It’s impossible to out gym a bad diet. Weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in during a 24 hour period. Support the 30 minutes you spend on the treadmill with healthy food choices. Refueling with sugar and fast food more than negates your gym time.
- Myth: Fasting will help me lose weight faster.
There is partial truth to this statement, but the dangers far outweigh the benefit. Fasting, eating little to no food for an extended amount of time, will cause you to lose weight in the short term. However, when you stop consuming food, your body goes into conservation mode, burning calories more slowly. When you begin to eat again, your metabolism has slowed drastically, making immediate weight gain likely.
If you want to lose weight or maintain your weight loss, following a healthy eating plan and staying active are the two most important factors. Don’t fall victim to the fad diets that could do more harm than good to your body.