For some reason misinformation about weight loss facts always seems to reach people the quickest. And sometimes that stuff will stick with people, causing a lot of conflicting theories about fitness or diet. Part of it might be outdated info since health science is always changing, but people tend to latch onto things that seem like it’ll get them to their weight loss goals the quickest. There’s nothing wrong with being eager to lose weight, but there are a lot of misconceptions out there. There’s a smart way to do it, and there’s a wrong way to do it. In fact, you probably see/hear these myths often; I know I do. I want to talk about a few of the more common weight loss misconceptions that come up when I talk to clients about adjusting their routines for their goals. Hopefully, it might clear some things up for you, too.
“Carbs are bad.”
I probably see this the most. What most people don’t realize is that healthy foods like vegetables, grains, and legumes have carbs. All healthy diets are centered around foods that are rich in carbs. But there’s a difference between complex carbs that come from whole foods vs carbs that are refined, like sugar or refined grains. You can definitely lose weight by reducing your carb intake, but carbs are not bad. You need carbs for energy, after all. I might do a breakdown of carbs at some point because there’s a lot more that you can learn about them, including how/when to implement them in your diet whether you’re trying to lose weight or bulk.
“Healthy food is more expensive.”
Technically, it is. But it’s not as expensive as most people think and there are ways to make it very affordable. It’s more about what your priorities are and what you’re okay with putting in your body. If you want to lose weight, spending a little more money on your groceries is a small sacrifice. The bigger challenge might be that you don’t want to spend time cooking. But there are ways to work around that, too; i.e. meal prepping so that all you have to do during the week is pop your meal in the microwave. A tip: frozen fruits and vegetables are often times more affordable and will last you longer. It can also save you time because a lot of them are pre-cut.
“Fruit is bad for you, it has sugar.”
Yeah, refined sugar is bad for you. But fruit contains natural sugars along with fiber and other useful nutrients that help your body metabolize sugar differently. Also, unless it’s a very sweet fruit like watermelon or mango, the sugar content found in fruit isn’t actually that high. I’m not saying go eat lots of fruit (like with everything, moderation is key), but you don’t have to think of it as off-limits if you’re trying to lose weight. Fruit is also good for you for a practical reason—if you’re the type to have a sweet tooth, having fruit instead of a box of chocolates is definitely the healthier option.
“Starving yourself and working out hard is the best way to lose weight.”
Diet is important in weight loss, obviously, and we all know about CICO (calories in should be less than calories out for weight loss). But starving yourself so that you can be at an extreme calorie deficit while working out hard isn’t maintainable for anyone. Trust me, I know. I’ve had to basically starve myself to lose weight in a short amount of time for a fight, but that’s a different type of weight loss that isn’t really meant for long-term goals. Not eating and working out really hard will likely hurt you in the long run. It often results in burning lean muscle mass (which you want to keep/make) instead of fat or messing up your metabolism.
I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to health myths, but we’ll save the rest for future blogs. If you’ve ever wondered if something is true or you’d like to have it explained, shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’ll be happy to help out!
