5 COMMON WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS
Table of Contents:
- How do I just lose the weight in my midsection, thighs, arms, etc.?
- If I do crunches and ab workouts it will give me a six pack.
- I have tried dieting and exercising in the past, I am just unable to lose weight.
- In order to lose weight you have to cut out carbs.
- I can go on a diet and once I achieve my weight loss goal I no longer have to continue to diet.
MYTH 1: How do I just lose the weight in my midsection, thighs, arms, etc.?
FACT: Losing fat in a specific area is known as “spot reduction”. As of today’s current technology, liposuction is about the closest thing to spot reduction available.
For supplements, there are some that can increase metabolism which will increase the rate at which we burn fat overall (many illegal in the US or requiring a prescription) but even so, any claim to reduce fat in a certain area is a scam.
In regards to exercising, there has not been any conclusive scientific data to suggest any effectiveness in reducing fat in a particular area through exercise alone.
Our bodies are like a lake, some parts are deeper (higher fat storage areas) and in order to drain the lake to see the bottom (lean body mass), those areas will take longer because it all drains at the same rate.
MYTH 2: If I do crunches and ab workouts it will give me a six pack.
FACT: Frequently you will people in the gym with a high body fat % doing ab exercises and most of which probably believe it is the way to lose fat in the midsection area. As simple as this would be, as we learned above, it is ineffective.
This is an example of a spot reduction exercise, with the goal of targeting fat loss in the abdominal region. This is not to say that there is no need to exercise your core, far from it, it’s just to point out that if your goal is to get a six pack, your time may be spent more efficiently doing other things like exercises that build muscle while strengthening the core at the same time (e.g. squats, deadlifts, overhead press, etc).
In order to see a six pack, ultimately you must be lean enough for you personally to be able to see them. This is determined by your genetics, just like some people are taller or shorter, everyone distributes their body fat differently. Two people may have the same overall body fat % but one may have a visible six pack and the other does not.
This is why at Aesthetically Fit we promote being aesthetic for our own individual genetics. For some people maintaining six pack abs may come with ease, while others it simply may not be optimal from a sustainability standpoint because of the calorie restriction required and the low hormonal levels sustained from being such a low body fat.
As appealing as six pack abs are, the majority of our lives are spent covering them up anyhow! It is better to maintain a healthy body fat percentage and strive for a balanced physique.
MYTH 3: I have tried dieting and exercising in the past, I am just unable to lose weight.
FACT: While some medical conditions such as: hypothyroidism, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), lymphedema, to name a few, can make it difficult to lose weight but not impossible.
The fact, that may seem like a slap in the face for those in the above category or who have struggled to lose weight in the past, is that it is a basic law of nature. Psychologically this may be hard to accept at first but, once you do, you can begin to use this as your biggest ally.
As you have probably heard at one point in time in your life “Energy cannot be created or destroyed…” known as the first law of thermodynamics. Simply put, it is physically impossible to either eat less calories or burn more through exercise than you take in and remain the same weight or gain.
This is commonly referred to as (CICO) Calories In – Calories Out = 0 And again, this is not up for debate. An easier way to frame this would be in terms of money. You wouldn’t, for example, place your money in a piggy bank and the next day reach your hand in to find your one dollar is now two (otherwise we would all be filthy rich!)
In the same way, you cannot logically expect to eat a particular amount of food and then burn as many or more calories than you consumed but somehow magically the scale shows you weigh more.
Now, some logical explanations that give you credibility to why you are not losing weight!
- Humans as individuals are bad at estimating. If you have ever tried a guessing game to win a prize, then you completely understand. Imagine trying to do that every day, for every piece of food you eat. More likely than not the issue is underestimating how many calories were consumed. This is easily fixed however with a food scale! By weighing out your food the accuracy will be much closer for an estimate, nothing will ever be perfect.
- You weighed at different times of the day! In science, consistency is required for accurate measurement of repeatable results. Weighing at different times of the day can show vastly different results, in the order of pounds.
- You drank more fluids. Water weighs just over 8 lb per gallon, that means roughly 1 lb per pint!
MYTH 4: In order to lose weight you have to cut out carbs.
FACT: Unless you have a gluten intolerance, there is no need to cut out carbs if you don’t want to. The three main sources of calories are know as macronutrients (macros) they are: Carbs, Fats and Proteins.
Carbs have 4 calories/gram, Proteins also have 4 calories/gram and Fats have 9 calories/gram.
As we discussed above, calories in- calories out is how weight gain or loss is determined. To maintain weight we just have to burn, from exercise and metabolism, the same amount of calories that we consume. No matter what. This means you can eat a diet of only Twinkies and still maintain the same weight.
From a nutritional standpoint, however, this is NOT recommended! While you may maintain the same weight, you will not retain the same body composition (Fat vs Muscle). Nor is it advised for our bodies to gain all of the essential macro and micronutrients we need to be optimal and survive.
As you can see above, for the same amount of calories you can eat just over twice as many calories from proteins or carbs as you can from fats (4 calories/gram vs 9)! From a satiation standpoint and feeling full this will allow us to be more satisfied with the quantity of food we eat.
So you can eat all the Twinkies you want (allowed by your calorie expenditure) but you probably aren’t going to feel very full or good about yourself, which can cause you to suffer or overeat.
MYTH 5: I can go on a diet and once I achieve my weight loss goal I no longer have to continue to diet.
FACT: This one is a tough one, unfortunately, this is one of those things in life that is about a constant journey not reaching a final destination.
As you look back and see where you started and where you currently are with your weight loss journey, it is easy to think that that chapter in life is closed and the pain and suffering is over.
The good news though, is that it is far easier to maintain than it took to get to where you are. Think about it like driving a car on the highway, once you reach your speed, cruising at that speed is far easier than the acceleration it took to reach it.
However, if you want to keep going at that speed, it does still take some effort to maintain. Otherwise, eventually you will slowly decelerate and end up right back where you started.
The reason why most diets fail is the simple fact that physically and, more importantly, mentally they are unsustainable. Either the calorie restriction/exercise was too much too fast or the fundamental concept was not sustainable ( e.g. you were forced to eat salads and you despise them).
There’s a saying that “the reason it’s called a diet is because it makes you want to DIE!” and I think it holds a lot of truth. It has also been said that instead of called it a “diet” call it a “live it” because it is something that you will have to live with in order to maintain your ideal body.
A diet, much like an exercise program, should consist of things that you enjoy because it’s far easier to do something that you enjoy than you despise. If you don’t enjoy your new healthy lifestyle, you will eventually slip back into old bad habits and on a path back to where you began.
With access to the internet, there is plenty of information available FOR FREE that there is no excuse other than laziness to achieve your goals. Most things in life that are worth having also require doing things that are challenging but the reward outweighs the challenges is requires.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article!
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Great information and is so helpful for people struggling to loose weight!