Are you trying to lose weight? Are you thinking of getting your dream body shape? In case you have decided to start your weight loss journey, you would like to see positive results soon. But this cannot happen overnight. Not only patience but knowledge of what is true and what is false is very important; this makes your decision making easier and accurate, and you will surely get better and timely results. To help you make the right choices, we have made a list of 10 biggest myths and misconceptions about weight loss.
The 10 Surprising and Interesting Myths busted about Weight Loss are as follows:
1. To lose weight, you need to eat less and move more
If you think you will only eat less and do more exercise and shred kgs, then this is not the case. Weight loss depends on various other factors like environment, genetics, eating habits etc. It might do well for a lot of people but not in every case. You’re overweight might be an underlining reason for some biological issue. In such cases, this theory fails, and even after losing weight, you might regain as soon as you change your eating habits. Hence this is just a temporary solution.
2. Carbohydrates make you fat
When you are taking a balanced diet and right quantity of carbohydrate in your diet, it would not be responsible for your weight gain. In fact, whole grains like brown rice are very healthy and will not make you gain weight. Just try to avoid fried starchy food and excessive carbohydrates in your diet.
3. All calories have the same effect
We agree that all calories have the same amount of energy, but this does not mean that all sources of calories will have the same effect on your weight. Different food items have different tendencies with respect to metabolism and cravings. Calories from a whole food like fruits are much better than calories from refined food items. Similarly, protein increases metabolism and is good in optimising the function of weight regulating hormones as compared to carbs or fat.
4. Fasting is beneficial for weight loss
Honestly speaking fasting is no benefits on health because of fasting people lose weight as when you don’t provide your body with required calories; it will start taking those calories from the stored fat in your body. Due to which you may lose some weight, which can have harmful effects on your health like dizziness, fatigue, low blood pressure, etc., and when you eat, you eat more after fasting.
5. Snacking is bad
Eating snacks between meals can also make you eat less and can stop your urge of overeating. A lot of dietitians suggest that one should take 5 or 6 smaller meals rather than having 3 bigger meals. The only thing you need to take care of is that your snacks must be healthy. It should not be chips, cookies, candies or fried items. Try having nutritious food like fruits, smoothies, vegetables, nuts, yoghurt etc.
6. Once you start losing weight, it will continue
Weight loss is not a linear process; the human’s metabolic rate comes down as he loses weight. You burn calories when you have more muscle in your body, but with time as muscle decrease, the weight loss process also slows down. Also, the initial loss is the water weight of your body. So you will have to increase the activities and intensity of the workout to continue losing weight.
7. Your diet does not matter the only exercise does
Diet does play a crucial part in your weight loss journey. Ideally, you can lose weight by burning 500 calories per day. You can lose by exercising, but if you change your diet and calorie intake then even without doing a high-intensity work and even by just walking, you can reduce weight. The only thing you need keep in mind is reducing the extra calories you are consuming by changing your diet, but make sure you consume the minimum requirement of your body to avoid illness.
8. Immediate results will appear
Immediate results will appear; this is not true for everyone. Do not expect to see results as soon as you start taking healthy diet and start exercising. Every person has different genes, environmental factors, metabolism, hormones etc. so even if you are you are following all ideal rules of weight loss, it might not show up. But this doesn’t mean you will not lose weight. Seeing a noticeable result may take time for you because of any of these factors. That is why patience and consistency is an important factor in this process, and also it is important to understand yourself.
9. Target particular body part
You might be concerned about the weight on a particular body part like thighs, stomach, biceps etc., and want to get slimmer from there as soon as possible, but this cannot be done because it is difficult to tell that from where the body will start shedding weight. It is different in each case, but then it is also not impossible. For this, a continuous effort is required, and particular exercises focusing on that particular body part is required. As soon as your body starts shedding weight from that part, you will notice the changes.
10. Drinking more water will make you lose weight
Drinking plenty of water will not make you lose weight. Drinking a lot of water each day is a good idea. A lot of dietitians suggest you drink a minimum of 8 glass of water. The reason is it helps you to stay hydrated all day. During dieting and intense workout sessions, there are chances of getting dehydrated. That is why it is recommended and not because it helps in losing weight. It also cleanses our body and flushes out toxins.
When you are trying to lose weight, you will come across various myths and misconceptions. But it is important to understand what will work for you. The relationship between your body, food, and weight is complex. So don’t start following whatever you read and believe only those things which are backed by evidence
