DEBUNKING THE WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS
TIPS FROM PERSONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE
Anyone who is starting the weight loss journey will most likely go to the internet to read about what this journey entails, which is a good start. However the internet is littered with thousands of articles to do with weight loss, some with good information and others with lots and lots of myths. For a beginner all this might be overwhelming and they might choose to follow some of these myths and eventually not reach their goals. These myths may have been traded long enough and most of them might appear as the reality but this is not so. In this article we are going to debunk some of these myths while giving the facts.
while there are thousands of myths sorrounding the weight loss journey, we are going to tackle 5 of the most common ones and hopefully they'll help someone who has been fed with misleading information.
1. Starving yourself and skipping meals will help you loose weight
False.
skipping meals is not only unhealthy but it also slows down your metabolism, leading to storage of fat, hence weight gain. The best way to keep your metabolism up is eating all your meals in small, healthy portions, that way your body will not go in to starvation mode. Reducing the amount of calories you put in your body and exercising to burn more calories than you eat, will keep your weight in check.
From my personal training experience, crash diets are not sustainable in the long haul. This because this kind of diet is not easy to follow through for the rest of your life, hence hard to maintain. furthermore, most diets focus on some types of foods while leaving out others and could limit or leave out some essential nutrients in some foods. This can lead to cravings and result to over eating which means more calories and eventual, weight gain.
2. Snacking makes you gain weight.
False.
On the contrary, snacking is very good for you. what matters is what you are snacking on and in what quantities. For instance, if you want to snack a few hours after breakfast , you can reach for an apple as opposed to a cookie. Over time, your snack choice is what will determine if you will gain weight or not.
3. Aerobic exercises are better than weight lifting
False.
when most people want to loose weight, the first method of exercising they go for is jogging, brisk/walking. This is because it's the easiest way of working out without use of any equipment, going to the gym or needing any assistance. However, what most people don't know is that, once you stop the jogging, skipping or walking, the body stops burning energy. This means that the body can only burn energy during aerobic exercises, when performing them.
on the flip-side, strength training can burn twice the calories that aerobics can. This is because after strength training, the body keeps the metabolism on the peak, hours after the workout. Furthermore, strength training has an added advantage, it helps the body to gain muscle.
4. Sit ups and crunches will help you loose belly fat
False.
Everyone on the weight loss or fitness journey wants to have a flat belly. The quest to have abs is the most chased after fitness goal, probably because most people see it as the first indicator of one's fitness levels. This probably the reason why most people will rush to do countless sit ups and crunches on a quest to eliminate this belly fat. However, that's not the case. The body decides on how it distributes fat cells and we have no control over that. This means that when the body is forced to use up the stored fat by increasing it's metabolism through exercise, it decides where to start taking the fat deposits from. If the body decides where to take the fats from first, this means we have to stick to a fat loss exercise program long enough till the body starts taking the fats from the areas we desire. Bottom line is, spot-reduction is not possible and sit ups and crunches will only make your core stronger but not burn fat. stick to a full body exercise program.5. Weight loss happens in one smooth linear process
False.
Weight loss is not one smooth/straight process unlike what we may think. It is a process that involves fluctuations from time to time. you may loose weight but add a kilogram or two in the and this should not cause anyone to feel frustrated or discouraged when going through the weight loss journey.
This may happen because of various reasons but mostly its caused by the increase in water weight in the body especially during the menstrual cycle for women or you might be holding on to more food in the digestive system. This should not cause alarm because if you maintain a comprehensive workout program, you will see results.
Bottom line is, there is so much information both published and and/or shared by the people around that is very misleading of half true. Before you start your fitness journey, do your research in the right places, read reliable material and consult a fitness professional. That way, you will be assured of getting the right information.
