10 myths about weight loss

Year after year, people don’t end up losing the weight they set out to lose.

It’s really discouraging when you’re trying to lose weight and nothing is happening. 

You step on the scale morning after morning and that number won’t budge.

In the beginning that was happening to me. 

 Misinformation was causing me to sabotage my progress. 

To be clear, these are 10 myths about weight loss that are seriously harmful:

 Myth #10: You should only weigh yourself once a week. 

 New studies show that weighing yourself daily and writing down the number greatly increases your chances of losing weight. It’s a psychology thing. The more data you have, the more likely you are to adjust your habits based on the trends you see. 

 It’s not a small difference either. Seriously, look it up. It’s surprising how much this one habit has been shown to increase weight loss.

Myth #9. Numbers on the scale are all that matters. 

With the above tip on your mind you should also know that how much you weigh is not the only thing that matters. So many people get distracted by that number on the scale without taking into account changes in how they look. Take measurements and photos of your body as you progress. I personally know a woman who dropped 4 inches around her waist without losing a single pound. 

 If you exercise, this is an important tip. You put on muscle when you exercise and muscle weighs more than fat. Who cares what you weigh when you are dropping pant sizes? 

 Scales are great for tracking progress but they should only be one piece of the puzzle.

 Myth #8. Long, drawn out jogs are the best exercise for weight loss. 

 Speaking of building muscle, you should add weight training to your exercise routine. There’s a cool thing that happens when you put on muscle — your body actually starts to burn more calories outside of the gym. That means by putting on more muscle, you will make your body a more efficient fat-burning machine. 

 Also, as you age, you lose muscle mass so the more muscle mass you can put on now, the easier it will be to hold onto a nice physique as things start to deteriorate with time. 

Jogging is great for your heart but if you really want to burn more fat, also try to lift weights 3 or more times per week. Pro tip: if you want to naturally burn more fat and build a more efficient metabolism you also need to optimize your nutrition. I’ll explain more in a moment but take a look at this report…

 These 3 superfoods push the gas pedal of your metabolism to the floor.

 They are great for you and the research and history behind each of them is incredible!

 Myth #7. You should work out on an empty stomach

 This one is sort of a myth depending on your gender because men and women burn and store fat differently. Women actually burn more fat if they eat a small snack or meal before performing exercise. One study found that eating before exercise boosted women's fat burn by 22%. If you are a man, however, you should work out on an empty stomach (preferably right when you wake up, after you've had some water). The same study found that men burn 8% more fat when they work out before eating.

 This new article goes into more detail about the best time to work out for your body.

 Myth #6. You have to go to the gym a lot.

 While going to the gym definitely helps, for most people, real weight loss progress happens in the kitchen. There’s an old rule called the 80/20 rule. 80% nutrition. 20% exercise. Now those numbers will change based on your body but one thing won’t change: 

 You need to focus on what kind of fuel you are putting into your body every day. 

 At the end of the day, your body is a machine and, just like a machine, it requires fuel (nutrition). The better the fuel, the more efficiently your body will run.

 Myth #5. You need to go on a diet.

 Most diets are unsustainable. They feel like work, they are boring and they make you feel restricted. You end up building an unhealthy relationship with food and binging. 

 Skip the diet and change your lifestyle. Don’t eat less, eat more — vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, PROTEIN and healthy oils. 

 Myth #4. Calories are all the same.

 Nope! there are certain high-calorie foods that in the long run will help you burn more fat and there are certain low-calorie foods that in the long run will make you gain more fat (diet foods are a great example — avoid them!)

Myth #3. Anything with sugar is bad.

 Sometimes I’ll hear people saying they’re going ‘sugar free’. This is very misleading. There is sugar in nearly everything, even healthy whole foods. What you actually want to avoid is processed, added sugars. Fruit has lots of sugar in it, but it also has lots of fiber which makes it easier for your body to digest and prevents blood sugar spikes. 

 You should cut back on the nonsense sugar, like candy and pop, but there’s nothing wrong with eating apples or other plant-based sources of sugar as long as you aren’t removing the fiber. 

Myth #2. Fat makes you fat.

 Not only is this a myth but, in fact, the opposite is true. You want to keep your intake of saturated fats low, but healthy fats like the kinds you’ll find in these oils can actually boost your metabolism. 

Myth #1. If you’re overweight, you must be unhealthy.

 Being overweight doesn’t always mean you are unhealthy and being thin doesn’t always mean that you are healthy. 

 The truth is, if you are unhealthy, you know it. 

 You can feel it. 

 Health is not a number on a scale or waistband. 

 It’s not a certain body type. 

 It’s a feeling. 

 To get that ‘healthy’ feeling you have to take care of your body and your mind. 

 You have to stay active and you have to nourish your body every day. 

 That’s the secret to weight loss.