Have you ever run into different ads or people advertising losing weight in days or that there's a magic pill that they're selling to be able to lose weight fast? Unfortunately, sorry to tell you, but these things you hear are only myths used to bring in people willing to take the easy route to get out of doing all the work. These myths will only lead you to do things that will lead you far away from your weight loss goals or from maintaining them. These simple myths aren't the only ones out there. Let's look into more of the myths that cloud up our minds, making us believe in false information.
Debunking Calorie Myths
Myth one is that people believe all calories are the same, whether from whole or processed foods. This is a false myth. While some items may have the same calories, you must consider how they get broken down in your body and how they are processed. Take, for example, your favorite piece of candy with 150 calories compared to an apple with the same amount of calories. Though they have the same amount of calories, they are broken down differently. Your processed foods like candy or chips break down faster, but it takes your body a lot of energy to break down fruits and veggies. Next time when eat your favorite unhealthy snack, think about how fast it's being processed, causing you not to burn energy, and think about making a healthier choice, from a bag of chips to apple slices or oranges. Our bodies expend more energy breaking down unprocessed foods than processed. This allows us to maintain that weight loss goal and that dieting habit or strategy.
Biological Factors in Weight Loss
This next myth is surprising to most of us who are putting in the strength to lose weight, and it's that losing weight is all about willpower. This is a false statement that many may not know about because so many humans are on social media comparing our lives to others, thinking that if we only put in the willpower, we can drop this weight and become healthier. We all do this, but studies say many of us weigh so much for a reason. It's a biological factor that's in our DNA to survive. People struggling to lose weight doesn't mean it's impossible; it's just your chemistry, not because you don't have the willpower or you're not trying hard enough. Some people may have a fast metabolism that helps them shed pounds faster, but even though it's a blessing as you get older, this metabolism starts to slow down more, making it harder to break down foods more quickly. So, the battle against your fat could just be a battle against biology, so becoming overweight may just be normal in your family's genes, but it doesn't mean you aren't doing enough. It's just something that will be a little difficult to do because of your family's historical background.
Portion Control Myth
Myth three is that eating smaller portions of meals can help you overcome that appetite. This myth is a stereotype when it comes to people trying to lose weight. They would try to eat less to overcome that huge appetite that they had before. This is a huge amount of false information because studies show that eating small portions of meals can cause a spike in hunger, causing you to want to go back to consuming those big portions of food. Though this doesn't mean eating 3 big heavy meals a day is a must, there are many ways to eat large portions without it becoming overwhelming.
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Low-Carb Conundrum
Myth four is that a low-carb diet will help you lose the most weight. Low carbohydrate diets have been held in the highest esteem, with people taking on many diets, such as the keto diet. Some believe that the loss of carbohydrates causes hormonal changes that allow body fat loss more so than dietary fat restriction.
Effective Weight Loss
Though this is a false statement, this may help for some, but for it to impact your weight loss, it may depend on your current and past medical conditions or your dietary quality beyond just the number of carbs to impact your weight loss. Being on a low-carb diet may cause a more rapid initial weight loss for some people's bodies. Still, for others, the diets overall weight loss may be similar to just going on other diets, so, in conclusion, to go on a diet, research to know what's right for your body so that you won't waste your time thinking you are speeding up your weight loss process.
Caloric Balance for Weight Loss
Final weight loss myth: Late-night binge snacking can cause weight gain. This is a completely false statement that many people think is true, but it isn't. Let me explain. Eating late at night isn't a direct way to gain weight, but that's only if you aren't over your calorie intake for that day. Most people who sit around and watch TV or scroll on their phones often find themselves on a food binge that may cause them to exceed their calorie intake, resulting in overconsumption of your calories. This myth is only true for most who don't track their daily calorie intake. If you are to track your intake, this myth isn't true. To conclude my statement, weight loss isn't the easiest thing to do, but it doesn't have to be difficult or unappetizing either. Just make sure as a human in this generation that's motivated to do better health-wise that you do your research and ask your doctors what's your best course of action to getting to your weight loss goal.
