Do You Believe Any Of These 9 Weight Loss Myths?

The health & fitness industry is full of myths that continue to live on and are perpetuated by various means. Below is not an extensive list, rather a collection of some of the more popular ones that need to be debunked.

1. Lifting Weights Makes You Bulky

I wrote about this in-depth in another blog post (Lifting Weights Makes You Bulky!…Just Kidding It Doesn’t). First, some context. I’m talking about when you are trying to lose weight. A lot of females shy away from lifting weights since they think lifting heavy weights will make them big and bulky. The biggest takeaway from the blog post I wrote was this: in order to effectively put muscle on you need to be in a caloric surplus, when you are dieting you are in a caloric deficit. This single-handedly helps control the “throttle” for building muscle or not, so keep this in check and you’ll be fine.

2. Carbs Make You Fat / Carbs Are Bad For You

Photo credit

In today’s society it’s hard to avoid Carbs, they are everywhere. Those who’ve tried a Ketogenic Diet know what I’m talking about. I wrote a blog specific to answer this question, Carbs Are Bad For You And Will Make You Fat!…Just Kidding. Seems to be trend with the names of these blog titles haha…

If you don’t feel like reading that blog, here’s what you need to know: Carbs are NOT bad for you, and they don’t necessarily make you fat. In Moderation Carbs are just fine, and what makes you “Fat” is a caloric surplus. Having said that, it is often easier to over-consume carbs – which is in part why this myth likely exists.

3. You Should Only Do Cardio For Weight Loss

Photo model: Nickela, who didn’t just do cardio as part of her weight loss strategy.

Two prominent things can happen if you just do cardio (treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, or stairclimber):

1. You lose weight, but then gain the weight back afterwards
2. Weight loss plateau

I go over all of that in this post, what you need to know is that the best weight loss strategy incorporates resistance training. Cardio can definitely be a part of your weight loss plan, in fact, it should be to some extent, but a combination approach allows you to create a more effective caloric deficit, will set you up for success afterwards, and give you the best physique.

4. Eating More Often Will Boost Your Metabolism

Photo Credit

When people refer to “eating more boosts your metabolism,” they are referring to the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). In a nutshell this is the energy needed (calories) to digest and process the food you’ve just ate. What is actually seen, which can be seen by the image above, is that it’s quite the opposite. You have a higher metabolism with bigger meals, less frequently.

5. You Shouldn’t Eat Before Bed

Research continues to show that fundamentally weight loss is an energy in energy out equation. When there is an energy deficit weight loss will follow.

Something that might help you understand this myth: nighttime eaters typically make poorer food choices in general, especially later on in the day and at night, and this can either stunt their weight loss efforts or cause weight gain. Further many fall victim to habitual hunger cues after supper, which are conditioned eating cues like wanting to eat popcorn while watching tv. These are not physiological hunger cues and can cause people to over-consume calories for the day.

If you find yourself hungry after dinner, opt for low-calorie (low-calories popcorn) and nutrient-dense food options (snap peas and carrots); 0r low-calorie beverages.

6. Body Wraps / Waist Trainers Help You Slim Down

Just like cleanses and detoxes, this makes my face sore from face-palming. Any results that you see from wraps, or waist trainers, are just water displacement or muscle tone temporarily changing. In order for anything to effectively make you slimmer, permanently, you need to create a caloric deficit (like mentioned in the above myth) for your body to mobilize and use fat stores. Anything else that doesn’t somehow put you into a caloric deficit is not going to help you lose weight permanently. Read this for more information.

7. You Can’t Lose Weight Because Of Your Slow Metabolism

Take home message: with a proper weight loss program, which should be continually adapted and changed in response to your progress, EVERYONE can lose weight. Not saying that it’s particularly easy, however.

8. Sweeteners Will Prevent Weight Loss & Are Bad For You

Photo Credit

I’ve written about it sweeteners not being bad for you before, click here to read what I wrote. If you don’t want to read it, know this: Sweeteners have no scientific evidence that in humans they are bad, and there has yet to be a study to show that under calorically controlled conditions that the use of sweeteners curb weight loss. There has, however, been studies that looked at the effect of swapping out diet pop for full sugar versions. Successful weight loss was seen in many of these studies; I’ve intentionally not linked any studies because I’m not trying to suggest that simply swapping out diet pop will results in weight loss, weight loss is multifactorial and there are other factors that need to be considered.

9. Cleanses & Detoxes Help Rid Your Body Of Toxins To Help You Finally Lose Weight

Cleanses and Detoxes may give you the appeal that you are detoxing your body, however that’s the power of marketing at play. I’m not going to waste my time or energy trying to convince you otherwise because my face would hurt from facepalm-ing myself so much in the process, so instead just know this: your liver and kidneys do all of the detoxing and cleansing that your body needs. Get some exercise, sweat often, and eat some veggies and you’ll be just fine.