If you Google the term “weight loss”, it returns almost 3 billion results in a matter of seconds. Despite the fact that there’s an abundance of advice out there, that doesn’t mean all of it is rooted in fact. With that said, I’m debunking some of the most common weight loss myths and mistakes.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, kick these myths and mistakes to the curb. As a result, you’ll have more successful weight loss and a clearer mind.
1. Weight Loss Is Expensive
With the rise in trendy health food stores and fancy gyms, it can look as if healthy eating and exercise is expensive and inaccessible.
However, healthy eating and exercise is only expensive if you choose to make it so.
The key to keeping things cost-effective is to not get caught up in fancy marketing.
You can eat healthy for cheap OR you can spend extravagant amounts of money on unnecessarily expensive pre-packaged foods. And, you can exercise for free or spend tons of money on overpriced classes.
My two biggest money-saving pieces of advice are to:
- 1. Cook healthy meals at home with raw ingredients
- 2. Exercise for free by running or doing yoga at home
2. Exercise is More Important Than Healthy Eating
In recent years, certain propaganda has led some people to believe that exercise is more important than healthy eating for weight loss.
For example, major junk food brands including Coca Cola have spent millions of dollars trying to persuade people that they’re unhealthy simply because of lack of exercise.
However, that simply isn’t true.
According to the Mayo Clinic, healthy eating and cutting calorie intake is the key to weight loss success.
Truly, the best way to lose weight and get healthier is to combine healthy eating with exercising. Just don’t fall victim to the myth that you can eat whatever you want simply because you exercise. Rather, eat healthy so that your calorie intake drops and you get the necessary energy to exercise more.
3. Eat Less to Lose More
Weight loss is initiated by achieving a calorie deficit. However, eating extremely small amounts of food in the hopes that you’ll have a greater deficit is a bad mistake.
If you eat so few calories, your body’s metabolism will start to drop. Resultantly, you’ll actually burn less body fat than if you were to achieve a calorie deficit through more reasonable measures.
The bottom line: Eat enough calories to achieve a deficit but don’t over do it. Crash dieting will only make weight loss harder and less effective in the end!
4. Fats and Carbs are Bad for Weight Loss
One of the most popular weight loss myths in existence is that carbs and fats are the enemy. While it’s extremely popular, the truth is that you need both to lose weight.
In fact, eating the right kinds of carbs and fats helps you lose more weight.
The most important thing is that you eat complex, high-fiber carbs rather than simple carbs. Think foods like brown rice, barley, and oatmeal. And, that you eat healthy unsaturated fats from foods like avocado rather than highly-processed saturated and trans fats.
Completely depriving yourself of any food group is a recipe for weight loss disaster. Instead, focus on eating the good types of carbs and fats and you’ll lose more weight faster.
5. Only Intense Workouts Help You Lose Weight
While super intense bootcamp, cross fit, and spinning classes have been on the rise in recent years, you don’t need to do them to lose weight. Actually, you can do an energizing yoga or pilates workout and get the same results.
As long as you get your heart rate up into its fat burning zone, you will initiate weight loss. That is, about 70% of your maximum heart rate.
Moreover, don’t force yourself to do workouts that you don’t want to do. Instead, choose ones that you enjoy, whatever they may be.
When you force yourself to work out in ways you don’t enjoy, you’re more likely to fall off the rails in your journey. Weight loss doesn’t need to be painful!
6. You Must Eat Breakfast to Lose Weight
Some research shows that eating breakfast is essential for weight loss. More specifically, eating a high-protein breakfast.
While there is a lot of research out there that agrees with this, the truth is that you don’t have to eat breakfast to lose weight.
Consider weight loss tactics such as intermittent fasting where people often skip breakfast and don’t eat their first meal until the afternoon. Yet, they lose more weight in the end.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most full-proof weight loss methods out there.
If you’re trying to lose weight but don’t usually eat breakfast, then don’t force yourself too. Instead, I recommend trying intermittent fasting. It could lead to even more weight loss without having to eat any less food.
7. Weight Loss Is Purely Physical
The final and perhaps worst of all the weight loss myths and mistakes is that weight loss is a purely physical transformation. Anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight and failed before understands that this is a false and toxic belief.
The truth is, weight loss is equally about your mental health as it is your physical health. It’s very difficult to lose weight when you’re not feeling well on the inside.
In order to get healthy physically, I suggest that you start by focusing on your mentality. Some ways you could do that are:
- – Practicing daily meditation or yoga
- – Journaling
- – Working with a health coach or another professional
Whatever is on the inside will manifest on the outside. Take care of your mentality first and you’ll not only lose weight but feel better all around!
Final Thoughts on Weight Loss Myths and Mistakes
Weight loss can be a challenging process. But, that doesn’t mean that it has to be difficult.
Save yourself the unnecessary difficulty by cutting these common weight loss myths and mistakes out of your mind. You’ll have more successful weight loss and relieve yourself of some stress at the same time!
