Ignoring These Obesity Myths Will Sabotage Your Weight Loss SuccessAre You Buying Into These Weight Loss Myths? These obesity myths were not known to me at 140 pounds over my normal weight. Lack of understanding and knowledge about weight loss resulted in over 25 years of wasted time and money in trying to lose my weight.
Obesity Myth or Truth?
Willpower is All you Need to Lose Weight.
Myth! Does this sound familiar? You start a diet Monday morning because something recently happened (you noticed over the weekend your favorite jeans are too tight, someone asked you if you were pregnant, you couldn’t catch your breath walking from the car to your house, etc.). Your motivation is high. You vow never to weigh this much again. What happens around 3 pm after your day fills up with stress and tasks you’d rather not do? Like many overweight and obese persons, you probably turned to food and your willpower went right out the door along with your diet!
Feeling like a failure, you vow to start over the next day. Becoming obesity free has nothing to do with willpower!
Obesity Myth or Truth? Extreme Weight Loss is Safe. Myth! In order to stay healthy, you must eat a balanced diet that gives your body the nutrients needed for your age, sex and height. To keep your motivation to continue to lose weight, you have to feel good and gain some benefits. Energy, restful sleep and lack of hunger are the benefits of a healthy weight loss plan. Any diet below 1200 calories is unhealthy and is discouraged by dieticians without direct supervision by a medical professional. From personal experience, I tried an extreme calorie reduction diet with very poor results when I was young. Because the diet was so strict and I felt hungry all the time, once I stopped the diet, I gained the weight back very quickly and added extra pounds. Safe weight loss is described as receiving the necessary nutrients for your body while losing 1 to 2 pounds with no more than 10 pounds per month. A safe calorie reduction diet consists of at least 1200 calories combined with exercise for optimal long term health and weight management.
Obesity Myth or Truth?
Myth! Calories fuel the body just as gas fuels your car. Regardless of which form you take in, Protein, Carbohydrate or Fat, these macronutrients are essential to provide the energy you need to live. Your body has a set resting metabolic rate (RMR). The RMR determines the least amount of calories your body needs to carry out essential functions at rest. Your heart rate, breathing and cellular function make up your RMR. As long as you are fueling your body with the minimum amount of calories to support your RMR, where the calories come from matters little. What does matter is that each of the macronutrients gives you necessary items that your body must have in order to function properly. Maintaining a balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat will ensure proper nutrition and energy. When you feel good on your weight loss plan, you will feel like sticking to it longer and that means long term success!
Obesity Myth or Truth? Some Weight Loss Products and Food Will Burn Calories and Speed Up Weight Loss. Myth! These are false claims by advertisers to sell more products. The last time I bought into one of these claims, I became extremely ill and had to stop taking the product. While caffeine in coffee has been known to minimally raise metabolism temporarily, no foods or supplements can speed up your metabolism enough for significant weight loss. Obesity Myth or Truth? Low Fat or No Fat Foods are the Best Way to Lose Weight. Myth! Many low fat foods are processed with high amounts of sugar to replace the taste lost by removing the fat. This replaces or adds calories to the food. If you overeat on this low fat or no fat food, you will gain weight. Obesity Myth or Truth? Eating One Meal Per Day is Best. Myth! Skipping meals actually slows down your metabolism because your body is trying to reserve its energy stores for daily function. Best practices show that successful weight loss stories include eating meals especially breakfast. In the 25 years before I finally lost my weight, I tried skipping meals frequently. I found myself feeling hungry and deprived all day. When I finally sat down to eat, I felt so deprived, I overate. Set yourself up for success. Divide your calories over several meals daily and include snacks. Obesity Myth or Truth? Nighttime Eating Leads to Weight Gain. Myth! The time of day you eat your daily requirement of calories does not matter. Going over your calorie allowance is what causes you to gain weight.
Obesity Myth or Truth? Exercise Alone is the Best Way to Lose Weight. Myth! Besides burning excess calories stored as fat, exercise is good for many things. Examples include toning and strengthening muscles and bones, improving circulation to prevent diseases and an overall feeling of well being.
However, exercise used alone to lose weight could require a significant amount of activity to achieve your goal. Because 3500 calories equals one pound, you would need to decide how much activity you could do daily multiplied by the amount of pounds you want to lose. Here is an example. When I weighed 280 pounds, I set my weight loss goal at 120 pounds to weigh 160. To lose 120 pounds, I burned 420,000 calories stored as fat (120 x 3500). If I walked 1 hour daily at 3 miles per hour at 280 pounds, I burned 554 calories. If I did this every day, it would have taken me 758 days or over 2 years to lose 120 pounds. That sounds pretty boring!!! What’s worse is as you lose weight, it takes more activity or an increase in intensity to get the same results as when you started your exercise plan at a heavier weight. Instead, I lost 120 pounds in 13 months and an additional 24 pounds learning how to maintain my new weight! Experts recommend a combination of calorie reduction and increased activity through a variety of exercises for long term weight loss success. This is the formula I used and one that I continue to use to maintain my weight loss.
Obesity Myth or Truth? Medications for Weight Loss Work Best Myth! In fact, some medications can be harmful to your overall health. Prescription medications for weight loss are available but many have side effects that cause patients to stop taking them and regain their weight. Also, when you read the information on the studies, you’ll see that the patients were on a calorie restricted diet along with an exercise program. Your doctor can help you decide if medications for weight loss are right for you. Also, only your doctor should prescribe and monitor the medication. Avoid purchasing medications over the Internet without a prescription. This can be dangerous to your health. Use caution when considering over the counter medications and supplements for weight loss also. While over the counter medications do pass the U S Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines, many supplements do not have to as long as this is mentioned on the label. Because many supplements are not FDA approved, manufacturers can add any ingredient they want to. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns Americans of the dangers of using these products. Read labels closely and speak with a healthcare professional about medications for weight loss.
Obesity Myth or Truth? Creams, Patches and Wraps Will Lead to Weight Loss Myth! Using these products for weight loss is a waste of your money! While we all want instant results and want to believe the promises of get thin quick plans, the truth is that anything applied to your body will not make you successful at weight loss. Your body requires a certain amount of calories daily to function. No external product or device will replace that! While some devices may help you lose pounds through sweating, this is short lived and can be dangerous. Once you take the device off and begin drinking fluids again, you’ll regain the weight. With all these weight loss myths, what’s the real TRUTH?
Experts agree, a combination of calorie reduction and exercise is the best plan to achieve long term weight loss! This is the combination I used to become obesity free and you can too!
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