Common Weight Loss Myths Debunked

Like any industry, the weight loss industry has its fair share of myths. Over time, they’ve become so popular that it’s almost impossible to distinguish them from facts. So today, we’d be listing some of the common weight loss myths you’ve heard and debunking them straight away. Here we go.

Carbs/Rice are/is bad for you

If we had a dollar for every time we heard this, we’d be richer than good old Bezos himself. No kidding. This myth has been regurgitated so many times that it’s now taken as a fitness gospel. However, carbs are NOT your enemy. RICE is DEFINITELY NOT the enemy in your weight-loss journey. We’d explain why.

Carbohydrates provide the energy we need for our daily activities. This energy is used for physical as well as for “brain work.” This means then that going on a zero, or excessively low carb diet is NEVER a good idea. You deprive yourself of the strength you need for productive physical and mental activities. You also tend to suffer constant headaches, fatigue, weakness, difficulty concentrating, and nausea.

Also, studies show that cutting carbs from your diet reduces your blood sugar to very low levels. This is dangerous as it can lead to hypoglycemia.

Whatever you heard about carbs (especially rice) is a complete myth. Carbs are good for you. While you may need to watch the portions you eat, they are a delicious source of nutrients, and they should always be a part of your diet.

Also, studies show that cutting carbs from your diet reduces your blood sugar to very low levels. This is dangerous as it can lead to hypoglycemia.

Running is the best way to lose weight

Running is an inefficient way to lose weight. The real secret to losing weight is proper dieting + strength/weight training. Proper dieting involves eating fewer calories and eating healthier foods. Strength training involves performing resistance exercises with weights or your body weight. And it has been proven to burn more calories OVERALL than running.

Don’t eat after 6 pm

This is another weight loss myth that has no single iota of truth. Weight gains come when you consume more calories than you burn. The time of the day you consume the calories doesn’t matter one bit.

You need to eat 5 -6 meals a day to lose weight

This myth is related to the one above. You do not need to eat 5 or 6 small meals a day to lose weight. We gather that the reason for this is that it supposedly speeds up your metabolism, but studies have shown that this isn’t the case.

There’s no direct link between the number of times you eat and the number of calories you lose. There’s also no truth in the claims that this method is better because you get hungrier (and overeat) if you space your meals to only three times a day. Why? Breaking your meals into six portions means you’re never full at any single sitting.

This means you’re likely to snack (and overeat) immediately after one of such small meals. This practice is, thus, nothing other than a fancy fad diet. You’d be better off eating 2 or 3 regular-sized meals a day

Conclusion

We’ve covered the more popular weight loss myths in this article, but there are still hundreds more out there. We understand it may be difficult for you to separate from fiction at this early stage. However, if you remember the following, you’d be fine.

First, Long-term weight loss plans should always be your only focus. Second, weight loss can only come from proper dieting and exercise. There are no fad diets or shortcuts for this. Third, fad diets and weight loss shortcuts will ALWAYS do more harm than good to you in the end.

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