The Most Common Myths About Weight Loss: Debunked!

When looking for the best diet or strategy for losing weight, consultation from a weight loss clinic can be beneficial to your weight loss goal. But it is never an easy task when it comes to weight loss. This is especially true if you’re following some bad advice or believing some of the biggest myths about weight loss. This ends up making the entire process of losing weight even more difficult.

These days, we can find all the answers to our questions on Google. Many people use Google to look for “tips to lose weight” or “weight loss diet.” But not every information that you find on Google is correct. There are many terrible weight-loss strategies and diets that do not help with weight loss but instead can cause harm to your health. Today, we are going to debunk some of the most common myths and learn the truth behind them. This will help you understand better what you need to do and what not. So, let’s get into it!

Myth 1. All Calories Are Equal

Different foods have different amounts of calories in them. And when you are trying to lose weight, you need to pay attention to it. While it is true that all calories have the same energy content, the source of the calorie defines how it is going to affect your body. This means all calories are not equal. 

Different foods follow different metabolic ways. Their effects on hunger, hormones (responsible for regulating your body weight), and metabolism are also different from each other. For instance, a protein calorie is different from a fat or carb calorie. If you replace carbs and fat with protein, you can boost your metabolism while reducing appetite and cravings. All this happens while optimizing the function of some weight-related hormones.

You should understand that you need to take care of your fitness while you are consuming more protein calories. Your body will not burn those calories on its own. With workouts, you will build muscle mass and hence raise your metabolism. Remember that you need to focus on good quality calories. The calories that you get from fruit-like whole foods are way more filling than the calories you get from candy-like refined foods.

Myth 2. It is All About Your Willpower And Not Biology

The truth is your weight is not all about your willpower. The research shows that relying on willpower alone for losing weight works only for the short term. When it comes to obesity, most people fail to understand that it is a very complex disorder. And this disorder comes with a lot of contributing factors. These may include some genetic variables as well. Some conditions are – hypothyroidism, depression, and PCOS. All these conditions can increase the risk of gaining weight. 

There are numerous biological pathways and hormones that are responsible for regulating body weight. And these are often dysfunctional in obese people, which makes it even harder for them to lose weight. For instance, one major cause of obesity is being resistant to a hormone called leptin. The brains of people who are resistant to leptin think that the person is starving. This happens because the brain does not receive the signal from leptin that it has enough fat stored.

So, people should not beat themselves up over “lack” of willpower. That does not mean, you should just give up. It is possible to lose weight, it is just a bit more difficult for some people.

Myth 3. You Should Never Skip Breakfast if You Are Looking to Lose Weight

Well, studies show that people who skip breakfast tend to weigh more than people who eat their breakfast. But, the probable reason behind this is that breakfast eaters are more likely to follow healthy lifestyle habits. But it has nothing to do with metabolism. It is a myth that eating breakfast can boost metabolism.  

If you get out of your bed and consume a bunch of pancakes with a muffin, you are definitely going to gain weight. One study even showed that your breakfast meal has no remarkable effect on your weight gain. It all comes down to your lifestyle habits. So, consuming breakfast with a lot of sugar in it is only going to increase the risk of gaining weight.

If you eat breakfast, the key is to do it right. Go for a balanced diet that contains carbs, fat, and protein. Having a good breakfast can be beneficial for you in setting a good tone for the day. You can establish healthy eating habits that help you in your journey of losing weight.

Myth 4. Fast Food Always Increases The Fat

Let’s start by saying that not all fast food is bad or unhealthy. Due to the increasing health problems people have all around the world, a lot of fast-food chains are choosing to offer healthier options as well. There are various famous food chains that have shifted their focus on serving healthy fast foods.

In fact, many restaurants also offer many healthier or at least less unhealthy fast foods such as chicken salad. If you are a health-conscious person, these foods may still not be able to satisfy your needs. But these alternatives can surely be healthy meals if you do not know or have time to cook a healthy meal for yourself.

Myth 5. Eat Less, Exercise More

To debunk this one, you first need to understand what body fat is. In simple words, body fat is stored energy. And in order to lose your fat, you are required to burn more calories than you take in. This is why people usually think that they need to start eating less and doing exercise more. They tend to believe that this helps them in losing weight. In theory, this advice may work, but it is a very bad recommendation for people with serious weight issues, especially if they make it a permanent lifestyle change.

Soon these people will end up regaining the weight they lost because of physiological and biochemical factors. There is more to it. You also need to make major, sustained changes in perspective and behavior along with diet and exercise. You need to keep in mind other factors as well. These are genetics, emotional state, and the environment. But doing more exercise and not restraining yourself from eating enough is not going to help you much. Instead, you should focus on eating healthier foods and maintaining a healthy diet.

Final Thoughts on Debunking The Common Myths About Weight Loss

You must have heard about some of these myths when trying to lose weight. Many people believe them as they are hard to avoid in today’s world. But all these myths are false and it is important to learn the truth behind these myths. It will help you achieve your goal of losing weight in a better way.