Common Myths to Avoid When Starting a Weight Loss Program
March 20, 2018 (No Comments) by Zuzanna Piasek

When you’re starting off on a new weight loss program, it’s important to stay away from all the negative practices and ideas. This is your time to improve yourself and it shouldn’t be made any more difficult because of silly opinions that can be found online.

common-myths-to-avoid-when-starting-a-weight-loss-program

Now, we are here to eliminate some of the weight loss myths so that you don’t have to woeey. Sit back, relax and get ready to learn what’s true and what’s not.

All Calories Are “Equal

Calories all have the same energy content. This is true but that does not mean that they all have the same effect on your weight. For example, a protein calorie has different effects to a fat calorie or a carb calorie. Replacing those fat calories with protein calories can boost your metabolism, reduce appetite and cravings while optimizing the function of weight regulating hormones. Calories from whole foods are also more satisfying than calories from refined food such as sweets.

So, don’t just cut out all those calories and start paying attention to what ones you should eat instead.

Calorie Counting is Effective

calorie-counting-is-not-effective

Your body does not work simply on how many calories you eat or how many calories you lose. Your body runs on biology and there could be many reasons you gain or lose weight. Counting calories also leads to failure 95.4% of the time. It leads to people gaining weight due to the fact that when you starve yourself, your body slows down it’s metabolism and burns muscle rather than fat. If you are eating healthy food then you won’t have to worry about calories because if you feed your body what it needs, everything should be OK.

Supplements Help you Lose Weight

Supplements are everywhere and claim to do all sorts of things. However, they are often not as great as the supplement industry would have you believe in terms of losing weight. The main reason they work for people is that they provide this placebo effect where people want the vitamins to make them lose weight so they begin to become more conscious of what they eat.

There are a few that are effective for example: Hydroxycut, Raspberry Ketones and Glucomannan. Overall, most of the supplements you see are not effective so, make sure to check with your GP if planning to use any. Sport and training supplements can be hard to find at an affordable price so you might want to learn more about How to Shop Smart for Supplements.

Fast Food is Always Bad for You

Not all Fast Food is as bad as people claim it is and many fast food chains do have healthier options. There will always be a decent choice at a restaurant or a takeaway if you do not have the energy or time to cook and it’s certainly better than starving yourself or feeling down. To give an example of this, next time you visit McDonald’s check out the nutritional values of the Artisan Grilled Chicken sandwich. It’s actually not the worst option and depending on what exactly you get in your Subway sandwich, there are ways to keep it healthy like swapping the sauce for some salad and taking out the cheese.

You Should Cut out Certain Foods to Lose Weight

Diets where you cut out certain foods like the Ketogenic diet can help people lose weight in the short term. However, there is no evidence that there is a long-term effect or practicality for low-carb eating weight loss. The same can be said for gluten free diets as there is no evidence that this helps you lose weight. The best thing to do is to eat a healthy balance of all food types and try to avoid dangerous fad diets.

Juicing and Detoxes Are Good Ways to Lose Weight

are-juice-detox-diets-actually-safe

Once again, these diets may make you lose weight in the short term but you will quickly gain back all the weight when you start eating normally again. You will also be missing out on important nutrients such as protein, fat and fibre. Juices contain just sugar, vitamins and minerals.

A cleanse can help to establish healthy eating habits but shouldn’t be used to lose weight. It is best not to rely on short term results when it comes to these diets. There are of course some benefits to a juice detox diet which we mentioned when asking the question, Are Juice Detox Diets Actually Safe?

You Just Need Willpower to Lose Weight

It is true that you need willpower to lose weight, however there may be other reasons that you cannot lose weight for example, hormones, genetics and stress. Instead of worrying about how much willpower you have to stay on your diet, make eating and exercising easier for yourself. Leave some healthy snacks on the kitchen counter so they are easy to reach instead of a pack of biscuits. Leave your running shoes beside the bed so you get some positive encouragement each morning to go for a run or long walk. You might also be interested to see some of the Best Fitness Classes and Activities Dublin Has To Offer.

You can Spot Reduce Weight in Certain Areas

you-can-spot-reduce-weight-in-certain-areas

It is not possible to lose fat in a certain area. The only way to make sure you are losing weight in a certain area is if you have a balanced diet and an exercise program. So, focus on the whole body instead of perhaps just getting abs you have wanted for a long time. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a techy, then check out these 6 Tech Tools to Help Kick-Start a Healthy Lifestyle.

You Will Have to go Hungry to Lose Weight

One of the worst myths out there is that if you are planning on losing weight you have to go hungry and skip meals. This is simply not true. If you do this you will go around hungry all day and feel frustrated making you likely to go off your diet quicker. It is a known rule in dieting that you should not skip meals. Instead, eat a healthy snack or a mini meal every three or four hours during the day. If you struggle with staying on top of your food planning, don’t worry there are lots of ways to Become a Master Meal Prepper.

Focus on lean protein and produce such as nuts, Greek yogurt with berries and carrots with hummus. If stuff like this doesn’t appeal to you then you aren’t hungry and you are simply craving a treat. My mother used to always say if you won’t eat an apple you aren’t hungry. Keep the hunger at bay to set yourself up for long term dieting success and a better mood too!

So now that you have heard all these myths, make sure you don’t fall into the trap of thinking they are real. Go out and enjoy a healthy, happy weight loss adventure.

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Common Myths to Avoid When Starting a Weight Loss Program
March 20, 2018 (No Comments) by Zuzanna Piasek

When you’re starting off on a new weight loss program, it’s important to stay away from all the negative practices and ideas. This is your time to improve yourself and it shouldn’t be made any more difficult because of silly opinions that can be found online.

common-myths-to-avoid-when-starting-a-weight-loss-program

Now, we are here to eliminate some of the weight loss myths so that you don’t have to woeey. Sit back, relax and get ready to learn what’s true and what’s not.

All Calories Are “Equal

Calories all have the same energy content. This is true but that does not mean that they all have the same effect on your weight. For example, a protein calorie has different effects to a fat calorie or a carb calorie. Replacing those fat calories with protein calories can boost your metabolism, reduce appetite and cravings while optimizing the function of weight regulating hormones. Calories from whole foods are also more satisfying than calories from refined food such as sweets.

So, don’t just cut out all those calories and start paying attention to what ones you should eat instead.

Calorie Counting is Effective

calorie-counting-is-not-effective

Your body does not work simply on how many calories you eat or how many calories you lose. Your body runs on biology and there could be many reasons you gain or lose weight. Counting calories also leads to failure 95.4% of the time. It leads to people gaining weight due to the fact that when you starve yourself, your body slows down it’s metabolism and burns muscle rather than fat. If you are eating healthy food then you won’t have to worry about calories because if you feed your body what it needs, everything should be OK.

Supplements Help you Lose Weight

Supplements are everywhere and claim to do all sorts of things. However, they are often not as great as the supplement industry would have you believe in terms of losing weight. The main reason they work for people is that they provide this placebo effect where people want the vitamins to make them lose weight so they begin to become more conscious of what they eat.

There are a few that are effective for example: Hydroxycut, Raspberry Ketones and Glucomannan. Overall, most of the supplements you see are not effective so, make sure to check with your GP if planning to use any. Sport and training supplements can be hard to find at an affordable price so you might want to learn more about How to Shop Smart for Supplements.

Fast Food is Always Bad for You

Not all Fast Food is as bad as people claim it is and many fast food chains do have healthier options. There will always be a decent choice at a restaurant or a takeaway if you do not have the energy or time to cook and it’s certainly better than starving yourself or feeling down. To give an example of this, next time you visit McDonald’s check out the nutritional values of the Artisan Grilled Chicken sandwich. It’s actually not the worst option and depending on what exactly you get in your Subway sandwich, there are ways to keep it healthy like swapping the sauce for some salad and taking out the cheese.

You Should Cut out Certain Foods to Lose Weight

Diets where you cut out certain foods like the Ketogenic diet can help people lose weight in the short term. However, there is no evidence that there is a long-term effect or practicality for low-carb eating weight loss. The same can be said for gluten free diets as there is no evidence that this helps you lose weight. The best thing to do is to eat a healthy balance of all food types and try to avoid dangerous fad diets.

Juicing and Detoxes Are Good Ways to Lose Weight

are-juice-detox-diets-actually-safe

Once again, these diets may make you lose weight in the short term but you will quickly gain back all the weight when you start eating normally again. You will also be missing out on important nutrients such as protein, fat and fibre. Juices contain just sugar, vitamins and minerals.

A cleanse can help to establish healthy eating habits but shouldn’t be used to lose weight. It is best not to rely on short term results when it comes to these diets. There are of course some benefits to a juice detox diet which we mentioned when asking the question, Are Juice Detox Diets Actually Safe?

You Just Need Willpower to Lose Weight

It is true that you need willpower to lose weight, however there may be other reasons that you cannot lose weight for example, hormones, genetics and stress. Instead of worrying about how much willpower you have to stay on your diet, make eating and exercising easier for yourself. Leave some healthy snacks on the kitchen counter so they are easy to reach instead of a pack of biscuits. Leave your running shoes beside the bed so you get some positive encouragement each morning to go for a run or long walk. You might also be interested to see some of the Best Fitness Classes and Activities Dublin Has To Offer.

You can Spot Reduce Weight in Certain Areas

you-can-spot-reduce-weight-in-certain-areas

It is not possible to lose fat in a certain area. The only way to make sure you are losing weight in a certain area is if you have a balanced diet and an exercise program. So, focus on the whole body instead of perhaps just getting abs you have wanted for a long time. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a techy, then check out these 6 Tech Tools to Help Kick-Start a Healthy Lifestyle.

You Will Have to go Hungry to Lose Weight

One of the worst myths out there is that if you are planning on losing weight you have to go hungry and skip meals. This is simply not true. If you do this you will go around hungry all day and feel frustrated making you likely to go off your diet quicker. It is a known rule in dieting that you should not skip meals. Instead, eat a healthy snack or a mini meal every three or four hours during the day. If you struggle with staying on top of your food planning, don’t worry there are lots of ways to Become a Master Meal Prepper.

Focus on lean protein and produce such as nuts, Greek yogurt with berries and carrots with hummus. If stuff like this doesn’t appeal to you then you aren’t hungry and you are simply craving a treat. My mother used to always say if you won’t eat an apple you aren’t hungry. Keep the hunger at bay to set yourself up for long term dieting success and a better mood too!

So now that you have heard all these myths, make sure you don’t fall into the trap of thinking they are real. Go out and enjoy a healthy, happy weight loss adventure.



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