Common Myths of Weight Loss

Since weight loss is such an important topic in today’s society there have been many myths about weight loss that have developed in everyday conversation. Perhaps you are familiar with some of these myths.

Skipping Meals. A common myth is that skipping meals will help you to lose weight. Eating less food should lead to weight loss right? Wrong. The National Institutes of Health’s Weight Control Information Network reports that skipping meals-particularly breakfast- and eating fewer meals in the day is linked to heavier weight than people who eat small meals four or five times a day including breakfast.

Water Will Help You Lose Weight. One of the most common weight loss myths has to do with drinking water. While drinking adequate water is a healthy habit, and provides for your body, it will not take place of nutrients in food or help you to lose fat. Drinking water doesn’t boost your metabolism, since it doesn’t have any calories. It is not wise to try to lose weight by drinking lots of water without eating food. Your body will still need energy that it gets from food and you will likely be very hungry.

Never Eat After 8P.M. There are lots of different versions of this myth, each giving different times in the evening. Many people believe that calories that are consumed in the evening will turn into fat while you are sleeping. It isn’t when you eat but what you eat and how much you eat that causes you to gain weight.

Fat Burning Foods. Many people believe that if you consume fat burning foods in large amounts you will be able to burn more fat. Many fad diets are based off of this idea of fat burning foods, such as grapefruit, celery, cabbage soup, etc. While these foods do contain essential vitamins and minerals, they can’t speed up your metabolism or cause you to burn more fat.

Eat High-protein, Low-carb. Many fad diets such as the Adkins diet, tell us that we should be eating high-protein, and low-carb diets. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, a diet that focuses on high-protein foods and strictly reduces the number of grains, fruits, and vegetables consumed provide unbalanced nutrition that result in weight loss only short termed because of restriction.  In the long term this kind of diet can result in a number of health conditions including high cholesterol, increased heart disease risk, and kidney disease. Also, it is reported that when compared to low-fat dieters, low carb dieters lose weight quicker but will also gain it back in six months and end up heavier than they were before they started the diet.

Go Vegetarian to Lose Weight. It is also very common for those who are trying to lose weight to hear that if they eat a vegetarian diet then they will lose weight. While vegetarians overall do tend to consume fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians, it is not true that switching to a vegetarian diet will cause you to lose the weight. There are many ways to eat high-calorie and high fat foods while being a vegetarian. As with every aspect of weight loss it is important to focus on what you are eating, how much of it you eat and that you engage in regular physical activity.

Be aware that what you hear may not always be true about weight loss. Do your research before changing your lifestyle to fit these types of myths. Not everything that you read or see is true; make sure you can find credible sources for the information before you apply it to your life.