Weight loss is extremely challenging by itself, so the huge amount of various advice and myths is not helping. Actually, these can discourage the slimmer to continue and he gives up. Because of all the conflicting suggestions, you may get lost and make a bad decision.
Here are 7 common weight loss myths you are hearing over and over. Discover the truth to avoid the mistakes.
1 – Diet food never tastes good
Diet foods taste extremely bad and you will always get a small portion followed by food cravings.
The truth: You have so many options available that you can make your meal as tasty as you want. There is basically no difference between the unhealthy junk food and healthy one that will help you to lose weight. Even your home-made burger made of low-fat ingredients can be extremely tasty. You can mix up a countless number of spices or sauces that will satisfy even the pickiest eater’ needs.
2 – Six meals a day is a must to succeed
You should eat 5-6 smaller meals a day if you want to burn the stored fat.
The truth: Even though having six meals a day is considered better, it doesn’t give you any significant weight loss boost. There is close to zero difference between 3 and 6 meals per day, so you should adjust the frequency of your lifestyle. Instead of focusing on the number of daily meals, you should focus on calories, micronutrients and minerals these foods contain. The quality of the food you eat is the key, not the frequency.
3 – Fats are your enemy while losing weight
To burn the stored fat you have to reduce those fatty foods to a minimum.
The truth: When trying to lower the calorie intake, skipping fats is by far the easiest approach as fats contain more calories per gram than any other micronutrient. However, fats are very important for your body and skipping them completely will do more harm than good. Because the human body can’t produce them, you have to intake it from your diet. Fats are crucial for lubricating the joints, balancing the hormones levels and many other medical purposes.
4 – Diet has to be absolutely perfect to reach satisfying results
To lose weight and get the results you want, you have to give up all your favorite foods without any exceptions.
The truth: Junk foods high in calories aren’t diet friendly, no doubt about that. But just because you are trying to shed some pounds it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite burger from time to time. As long you can create a calorie deficit, control the portions and eat whole foods with the necessary amount of micronutrients, you’ll be good.
5 – You have to have 55% – 70% of your max heart rate while exercising to burn fat
In order to burn the fat, you should measure your heart rate to make sure you are in the fat burning zone while exercising.
The truth: The fat burning zone is very tricky, so is many times misunderstood. Your body is really able to burn the calories more effectively while in the fat burning zone, but once the cardio workout is over, the amount of calories burned for the rest of the day steeply decreases. On the other hand, strength or any other anaerobic training helps the body to cope with calories even when the fitness regimen is over.
6 – Minimum 500 calorie deficit is needed to lose some weight
You need to create 500 calorie deficit per day in order to lose around 1 pound a week. Double that to lose 2 lbs.
The truth: Calorie deficit is a must, but trying to cut it by 1000 per day is usually impossible for most dieters. Moreover, such a high deficit can result in muscle mass loss and other associated side effects. 100-200 calorie deficit is enough to naturally and safely reach your weight loss goals.
7 – If your body weight doesn’t change every day you’re doing it wrong
If the scale doesn’t change while measuring your weight, you’re doing something wrong and not burning that stored fat.
The truth: While on the weight loss journey, there are always good and bad days (or even weeks). Therefore, if the scale doesn’t move much you can’t get discouraged. The whole process is not linear as it depends on many factors like stress, rest, hormonal balance and other. As long you are sticking to basic rules and having some physical activity, you’re doing good.
So, these were a few Weight loss myths compiled for you. For more information: check out this blog https://fitverge.com/