The thing about weight loss is that there are so many websites, forums, and online communities dedicated to it that sometimes the information that passes from person to person isn’t always true and correct. In a similar fashion, there are whispers that travel from ear to ear that result in lots of rumours about the process that aren’t even true, but have the potential to put someone off trying! To help you separate fact from fiction, here are six misconceptions about weight loss.
Though a calorie deficit is certainly the thing that is needed to lose weight, there is so much more to the process than that. You need to have a full mental willingness in order to achieve good results, a motivation to actually do these things, because if you are tempted to cheat and take short cuts, you are never going to reach that goal weight.
Fat gene, ‘big boned’, naturally curvy, all of these are just terms to give you an excuse not to try to lose weight. There is no such thing as big boned, and your genetics have very little to do with how much weight you are carrying around in your body. Even the largest woman can become thin if she puts in the work.
Whilst you should definitely be avoiding white carbs, refined sugars, and saturated fats, there are plenty of fats that are essential to a good diet, the healthy fats that you find in things like nuts, avocado, oily fish etc. Don’t disregard foods just because they have those words attached to them.
If you know you are sticking to a good diet, you don’t have to count the calories. A much more effective way to keep track of your success is to do a two weekly weigh in combined with an inch measurement in all the important areas. You might find that you are losing inches but not losing much weight because your body is building slimming muscle and burning fat.
Everything in moderation! Weight loss needs to be a permanent lifestyle change, so cutting out all of your most beloved foods is going to make you miserable. It is just a case of having them as rare treats rather than every day indulgences.
Don’t be fooled in to thinking that you need to tick off every different kind of diet and workout on the list in order to lose weight. You will be much better off when you find a system that works for you and you stick to it. Our bodies enjoy routine and familiarity, so you don’t want to do any unnecessary damage by switching things up too often.