11 Most Common Weight Loss Myth You Need to Pay Attention

You are probably following tips and strategies to lose your body weight. But you need to know that whatever you hear about weight loss is not that true! There are definitely some cheating and lying out there.

So, what to do or not is the question.

Okay, here on this post I am going to discuss some of the most common myths about body weight loss that you should be aware of.

Myth#1- To maintain good health you should be ultra-thin

Most of you have wrong perception about standard body weight. Models that you see on TV, Magazine, or other advertisement have the ideal body shape, right? No, studies showed that majority of the models are underweight.

So how you know what the ideal body weight is? You need to know the following

Measurement to avoid health risk:

Underweight = <18.5 BMI
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9 BMI 
Overweight = 25–29.9 BMI
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

How to calculate:

BMI = (Weight in pounds / (Height in inches * Height in inches)) * 703

Moreover, though Obesity causes many diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancers, tons of people with obesity live healthy.

Takeaway: you need to protect yourself from obesity as it causes many metabolic disorders. But don’t develop problems like anorexia and underweight taking actions to become ultra-thin quickly.

Myth#2- All carbs are same

Majority of you have a misperception that all carbs are same and they are fattening. But there is something you need to know. You should prefer some carbs over others.

To maintain a healthy weight as well as overall sound health, you can:

•  Choose whole grain carbs like brown rice and bread for effective brain
• Eat fruits that contain carbs like apples, pears, bananas, and grapes
•   Avoid candy and other artificially sweetened foods

And whole grain and fruits not only give you good carbs, but some essential nutrients to avoid deficiency. If you stop taking carbs totally, then you will face various problems like fatigue, vertigo, confusion, headache, etc. So, you should take at least 135 g carbs from good sources.

Takeaway: you cannot stop taking carbs totally. Take carbs in lower amount and from healthy sources as mentioned above.

Myth#3- The more calories you reduce, the more weight you lose

There is a word of mouth that you need to reduce calories intake to suspend your fat. But the question is “are all the calories equal?” or “which type of calorie should I reduce?”

We get calories from three sources:

1.    Carbohydrate foods

2.    Protein foods

3.    Fatty foods

Different types of calories have different effects on your body weight. And they can regulate your metabolism and nutrients differently.

For example, if you take high protein foods with low fats and low carbs instead of high fat and high carbs, you can lose body fat effectively.

Takeaway:  Replace calories from refined foods (e.g. sweets, candy) with calories from whole foods (e.g. fruits, vegetables). More importantly, prefer high protein low carbs and low fat foods over high fat or high carbs foods.

Myth#4- There is no alternative to supplement for weight loss

Today, we hear of super effective supplements here and there. But are they really effective in weight loss? Don’t they make any harm to your body? The answer is - yes and no.

Many herbal or natural weight loss products are dangerous for your overall body health. They are not only harmful, but ineffective too.

But there are a few supplements out there that can help you lose weight effectively
. I recommend you take the ones that work slowly.

Takeaway: when it comes to weight loss products, you need to be very much cautious.

Myth#5- Fast foods are bad for your health

Can you avoid fast foods? You cannot, neither can I. But you may have heard hundreds of times that fast foods are very bad for your health, especially for body weight.

Today, fast foods are much better than of past – there are better options. Change you fast food choices to take them almost safely. You can:

•           Choose salad and grilled chicken over fried chicken
•             Sip on water or milk instead of soda
•            Eat salad dressings
•            Prefer steamed items over fried ones

Takeaway: if you are a bit smarter in choosing fast foods, then fast foods are not unhealthy for you.

Myth#6- You should avoid dairy products to lose weight

To lose body fat you need to stop taking dairy products, right? No, guys. You can stop taking whole milk products to shed some weight. But you can absolutely take low fat cheese, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products. Fat free dairy products are essential for your overall health in many ways as:

•          Protein in dairy foods gives enough calcium that is essential for muscle mass.
•           Milk and other dairy foods offer you calcium and vitamin D which strengthen your bones, keep your teeth sound
•       They also contain many other nutrients like vitamin B_s to maintain good health.

Takeaway: make dairy products part of your everyday foods. But try to choose low fat dairy foods over whole milk.

Myth#7- Meat can prevent you from weight loss

Red meat, chicken, and fish contain some saturated fat and cholesterol. That is why you should not stop taking these foods totally to lose weight. They are essential for your health because they contain some vital nutrients for your body function – such as protein, calcium, iron, and zinc.

But when you try to lose body fat, you should choose meat that is lower in fat – such as beef round steak, sirloin tips, flank steak, and extra lean ground beef.

Takeaway: to control body weight as well as body health, eat low fat meat regularly.

Myth#8- Only heavy exercise is enough for belly fat loss

Whenever someone ask people to give tips on how to lose body fat, they suggest for heavy exercise like going to gym and lifting weights.

But what if you gain back the weight you have lost with crash diet and heavy exercise? This is the truth for those who do exercise for some days to lose weight in quickly. To lose fat for long-term you need to change your life style and food choices such a way that you can maintain long time with pleasure.

So prefer daily routine based exercise like walking and running over weight lifting and other hard-to-do exercises.

Takeaway: do some exercise and take nutritious foods that can be helpful for long-term weight loss as well as overall health.

Myth#9- Healthy foods are too costly

Nutritious and healthy foods are really cheaper than the high-fat, high-salt foods. You may think that fresh foods are healthier than the frozen or canned ones. This is not the case. Many frozen and canned foods contain as many nutrients as the fresh ones.

But avoid foods that are highly salted and choose the ones that contain nutrients like protein, calcium, and potassium.

Takeaway: whether you eat fresh foods or canned ones, always pay attention to nutritional value.

Myth#10- To lose body weight you need to stop eating most of your favorite foods

Eat your favorite foods but don’t forget of calorie intake. That is, when you try to lose body weight, you should lower the amount of foods you take. And you should choose free hand exercise to consume the calories that you get eating favorite foods.

Takeaway: eat your favorite foods in lower amount and engage in some physical activities.

Myth#11- Fad diets is great for weight loss

How long can you maintain fad diets? Not so long, right? Yes, it is so tough to lose body weight for long-term with fad diets, because no one can follow these diets for long. As soon as you give up taking fad diets, to gain the weight back.

Moreover, these foods lack many nutrients and consequently you can face various conditions.

Takeaway: eat nutritious and delicious foods in healthy amount. Prefer long-term plan over short and quick ones.

Conclusion

When it comes to life style, food choices, and weight loss, consume information from authority sources.

If you have any question or opinion, let me know in the comment.