Important Myths About Weight Loss

  By Iain Anthony  

Do you really know what it takes to lose weight? Do you really know what is fact and what is hype?     

Certain types of people cannot lose weight.  
We are all born with a genetically pre-determined number of fat cells. Some people naturally have more fat cells than others and women have more than men. The number of fat cells increase the older we get. It was once believed that the number of fat cells could not increase after adulthood, only the size of the fat cells could increase. We now know that fat cells can indeed increase both in size and in number and that they are more likely to increase in number at certain times and under certain cir****tances. Existing fat cells increase in size when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure and the excess is stored in the fat cell. An overweight person's fat cells can be up to three times larger than a person with ideal body composition.    

High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are a healthy way to lose weight.  
The long-term health effects of a high-protein/low- carbohydrate diet are not yet known. Additionally, getting most of your daily calories from high- protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is not a balanced eating plan. You may be eating too much fat and cholesterol, which can cause heart disease. You may be eating too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which may lead to constipation due to lack of dietary fiber and cause a lack of essential vitamins and minerals. By following a balanced eating plan, you will not have to stop eating whole classes of foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and miss the key nutrients they contain.  

The "set point" theory determines what we all should weigh.  
The set-point theory holds that we all have an internal weight regulator, like a thermostat, that adjusts our metabolic rate up or down whenever we gain or shed pounds in order to return our body to its predetermined weight. Undoubtedly, some controls do exist or we would all be obese, or,alternately, wasting away. Studies show that when we lose weight, our metabolism actually shifts to a normal rate for that new weight, independent of individual differences. It is important ,however, that the weight loss is gradual, 1/2 to 2lbs per week is ideal. The body does not like rapid change as it tends to have emergency responses to something that it doesn't like. For instance, by losing weight rapidly, through diet, our bodies will go into "starvation mode" where it will slow our metabolism to preserve our fat reserves and thus make it very difficult to lose weight. It will also tend to make weight gain much more likely when the diet ends because our metabolism has been slowed down so much.    

Carbohydrates make you fat.  
Carbohydrates do not make you fat. Calories make you fat. Often it's the sugar and fat contained in carbohydrates that make you fat. Also a lot of carbohydrates are processed, so you don't get the advantage of feeling full from fiber found in unprocessed carbs. What you want to do is eat carbs in moderation.
 
Counting calories is not important.  
You definitely need to count calories in one way or other in order to lose weight. Most people tend to overestimate their physical activity and underestimate their calories. Don't guess or try to estimate your caloric intake. You cannot be accurate enough. There are many good computer programs out there that do most of the work for you. If weight gain is caused by your caloric intake (food) being greater than your caloric output (living and exercise), how can you possibly know where you are and what needs to be done?
 
 
You can lose weight from a specific part of your body.  
It is, absolutely, physically impossible to lose weight just from a specific part of your body. You cannot control where fat is removed from your body. Any machine or specific exercise which claims to specifically lose belly fat or thigh fat is lying. Certainly, a specific exercise will improve muscle tone in that group of muscles being trained, giving the illusion that fat is being lost. Fat will only disappear from your body in a predetermined order. Unfortunately for men that tends to be the belly area and the thighs and hips for women. Tom Venuto, author of the internet's best selling book on fat loss gives us a very good analogy. "You cannot empty the shallow end of the swimming pool before you empty the deep end first."  

You don't need to exercise to lose weight.  
You certainly don't need to exercise to lose weight but it is very, very difficult if you don't. Most diets fail because they are too difficult to maintain. Severely cutting down on calories means we have to deprive ourselves of too many things we enjoy. This leads to cravings which leads to cheating which leads to failure. It is also unhealthy. We can also burn off calories by exercising. By incorporating exercise into our daily regime, we immediately make weight loss more attainable. Simply by walking 30 minutes every day at a pace which raises our heart rate enough can help our weight loss tremendously. However, the more we exercise the more calories we burn. Additionally, exercise gives us many other health benefits, like a healthier heart, lower blood pressure, a greater feeling of well-being etc. The benefits are too many to mention.
 
Don't weigh yourself  
It's another misconception that you shouldn't step on a scale while attempting to lose weight. It is a good motivational tool to check your weight on a regular basis, say once a week. It is an obvious way to gauge your progress and alter your diet accordingly. However, only using scales is a bad idea. Use your eyes to see body changes. Use a tape measure to keep track of tummy and thigh inches. However, what you must keep in mind is that what you are, ultimately, trying to do is lose fat and not just weight. Measuring fat loss is more difficult to do but it is a far better indicator of your progress. Body fat analysis is best done by a professional and can be done at most local gyms or health clubs.