Understanding Weight Loss Myths
Did you know that your habits and your thoughts play a role in keeping weight on your body? It may be a foreign concept, but the primary thing keeping you overweight may be your own mistaken beliefs in certain weight loss myths. If you want to know if it’s your beliefs that are stopping weight loss, check the following statements and see which ones you consider to be true.
1.) If I skip a meal I will lose weight more quickly
Believe it or not, skipping meals can actually increase body fat and lead to weight gain. There was a study that showed individuals who skip breakfast have a 5% lower metabolism than those who don’t. Your metabolic rate and how fast your body burns calories is important to maintaining your body’s vital functions when you sleep. Skipping meals signals your body to hoard calories, slowing the metabolic rate. You can actually lose weight more quickly if you eat many small meals throughout the day as opposed to only one or two large meals. It is imperativce that you keep in mind that skipping any meal, especially breakfast, will only do
a lot more harm to your health and weight loss than good.
2.) If it’s a fat-free food I can eat as much of it as I like without any weight gain One of the greatest sources of all calories in any diet is fat: one gram of fat equal nine calories, while one gram of protein or carbohydrate equals only four calories. So choosing to cut down the total amount of fat you’re eating is an excellent way for lowering your total calorie intake. But keep in mind that just because a good is fat-free doesn’t mean it has a lower number of calories.
Actually, when a company removes fat from a food product they often replace it with large amounts of sugar, because of this a fat-free version of a product can actually contain more calories than the original. Weight is gained when too many calories are consumed, the origin of the calories does not matter when it comes to weight gain. Cutting down on dietary fat can be good for you and can help to cut down on excess calories, you’ll also want to keep track of how many calories you consume in a day.
* I really want to lose this weight, but if it’s not going to happen quickly and have the results showing right away, I probably won’t stick to that program.
Losing weight rapidly, say at a rate of one or two pounds a week, you’re likely to lose muscle mass as well. Your muscles are what keep your body moving. The bigger that engine is, the more gas it’s going to burn. If you find yourself losing too much muscle, that engine gets smaller and you’ll find you don’t need as much “gas,” or calories, to keep it going. However, you will probably be eating the same amount of calories as you were before you unknowingly lost muscle mass. Obviously, this becomes a vicious cycle that results in your gaining the weight right back. Take this into consideration when you find yourself tempted to hop on a fad diet bandwagon that promises rapid weight loss in a short amount of time, or if you feel the urge to abandon a plan because you don’t see immediate results.
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* The only thing that will make me feel successful is if I can achieve my weight goal.
Successful dieting can mean more things than overall weight. Success is part of an ongoing journey that gives you a reward every time you’re able to make a totally positive change in your life. So don’t fret over the numbers on your scale. Put your attention, time, and efforts into what’s really important: having accurate daily records of your daily progress and becoming more physical active. The habits you are able to create will be what determine how your reach your goals and how long you are able to maintain your goals.
5. If I don’t feel the pain and work out for hours on end when I exercise, then it’s not effective.
Experts in the field will tell you that the most important ways to maintain a healthy weight is to try and replace sedentary habits, like watching TV or sitting at the computer, with active habits. Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day can stave off disease but if you’re looking to manage your weight you’ll need to work your way up to 60 minutes of exercise a day for most days of the week. However, that 60 minutes doesn’t have to be one straight run. It can be spread out throughout the day so you can walk before work, take the stairs at lunch and work out some more after dinner.
