There’s a lot of weight loss advice on the internet.

Most of it is either unproven or proven not to work.

Listed below are the top 12 biggest lies, myths, and misconceptions regarding weight reduction.

1. All calories are equivalent

The calorie is a measurement of energy. Each of the calories possesses the exact same energy content.

But this does not indicate that all calorie resources have the very same effects on your weight.

Different foods undergo distinct metabolic pathways and can have vastly different effects on appetite as well as the hormones that regulate your body weight.

For example, a protein calorie isn’t the same as a fat or carb calorie.

Replacing fat and carbs with protein helps raise your metabolism and decrease appetite and cravings, all while maximizing the function of some weight-regulating hormones.

Additionally, calories from whole foods such as fruit are inclined to be far more satisfying than calories from processed foods, such as candy.

SUMMARY

Not all calorie sources have the same results on your health and weight-reduction. By way of example, protein can boost metabolism, decrease appetite, and improve the function of weight-regulating hormones.

2. Losing weight is a linear procedure

Losing weight is usually not a linear process, as some people think.

Some weeks and days you may eliminate weight, while during others you may gain a little bit.

This isn’t a cause for concern. It is normal for body fat to fluctuate up and down by a few pounds.

For example, you may be carrying more food in your digestive tract or holding on to more water than normal.

This can be much more pronounced in women, as water weight can differ substantially during the menstrual cycle.

As long as the overall tendency is moving downwards, no matter how much it fluctuates, you will still succeed in losing weight over the long term.

SUMMARY

Losing weight can take a long time. The process is generally not linear, as the weight will fluctuate up and down by little quantities.

3. Nutritional supplements can help you lose weight

The weight loss supplement business is massive.

Various companies claim their supplements have remarkable consequences, but they’re rarely very effective when studied.

The main reason that supplements work for some individuals is the placebo effect. People fall for the marketing tactics and want the supplements to help them lose weight so that they become more conscious of what they consume.

Nevertheless, a couple of supplements have a modest effect on weight loss. The best ones may help you shed a small amount of weight over a few months.

SUMMARY

Most nutritional supplements for weight reduction are unsuccessful. The best ones can help you drop a bit of fat, at most.

4. Obesity is all about willpower, not biology

It’s erroneous to say that your weight is all about nourishment.

Obesity is a really intricate illness with dozens — or even hundreds — of contributing factors.

Numerous genetic variables are connected with obesity, and various health conditions, such as hypothyroidism, PCOS, and melancholy, can increase your risk of weight reduction.

Your body also has numerous hormones and biological pathways that should regulate body weight. All these tend to be dysfunctional in people with obesity, making it much more difficult to eliminate weight and keep it off.

For example, being immune to the hormone leptin is a major cause of obesity.

The leptin signal is supposed to tell your mind that it has sufficient fat stored. Yet, if you are immune to leptin, your mind thinks that you’re starving.

Trying to exert willpower and consciously eating less on the surface of the leptin-driven starvation signal is incredibly difficult.

Of course, this does not mean that people should give up and accept their genetic fate. Losing weight is still possible — it’s just much more difficult for a lot of people.

SUMMARY

Obesity is a really complex disorder. There are lots of genetic, biological, and environmental factors that affect body weight. As such, losing weight is not just about willpower.

5. Eat less, move more

Body fat is simply stored energy.

To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in.

For this reason, it seems only logical that eating less and much more could cause weight loss.

While this information works in theory, especially in the event that you create a permanent lifestyle change, it’s a poor recommendation for those with a serious weight issue.

Many people who follow this advice wind up regaining any lost weight as a result of physiological and biochemical variables.

A significant and sustained change in perspective and behavior is needed to lose weight with diet and exercise. Restricting your food consumption and getting more physical activity isn’t enough.

Instructing someone with obesity to simply eat less and move more is like telling someone with depression to cheer up or someone with alcoholism to consume less.

SUMMARY

Telling people with weight problems to just eat less and move more is ineffective advice which rarely works in the long run.

6. Carbs make you fat

Low-carb diets can aid in weight loss.

Oftentimes, this occurs even without aware calorie restriction. So long as you keep carb intake low and protein intake high, you’ll lose weight.

Even so, this does not mean that carbs cause weight reduction. Even though the obesity epidemic started around 1980, humans have been eating carbohydrates for a lengthy time.

In fact, whole foods that are high in carbohydrates are very healthy.

On the other hand, refined carbohydrates like refined sugar and grains are definitely linked to weight reduction.

SUMMARY

Low-carb diets are very effective for weight loss. However, carbs aren’t what causes obesity in the first place. Whole, single-ingredient carb-based foods are amazingly healthy.

7. Fat makes you fat

Fat provides around 9 calories per gram, compared with only 4 calories per gram of carbs or protein.

Fat is very calorie-dense and commonplace in junk foods. However, as long as your calorie consumption is within a healthy selection, fat doesn’t make you fat.

Additionally, diets that are high in fat but low in carbs have been shown to induce weight loss in many studies.

While packing your diet plan unhealthy, high-calorie junk foods packed with fat will definitely make you fat, this specific macronutrient is not the sole culprit.

In fact, your body requires healthy fats to operate properly.

SUMMARY

Fat has often been blamed for the obesity epidemic. While it results in overall calorie intake, fat does not cause weight gain.

8. Eating breakfast is necessary to lose weight

Studies indicate that breakfast skippers often weigh greater than breakfast eaters.

Nonetheless, this is most likely because those who eat breakfast are more likely to get other healthy lifestyle habits.

In fact, a 4-month study in 309 adults in comparison breakfast customs and found no effect on weight whether the participants ate or skipped breakfast.

It is also a myth that breakfast promotes metabolism and eating multiple small meals makes you burn more calories during the day.

It’s best to eat when you are hungry and stop when you’re full. Eat breakfast if you’d like to, but do not expect it to have a major impact on your weight loss.

SUMMARY

While it’s true that breakfast skippers often weigh more than breakfast eaters, controlled studies demonstrate that whether you eat or skip breakfast doesn’t matter for weight loss.

9. Fast food is always fattening

Not all fast food is unhealthy.

Due to people’s improved health awareness, many fast-food chains have begun offering healthier choices.

Some, for example, Chipotle, even concentrate exclusively on serving healthful foods.

It is likely to find something relatively healthy at most restaurants. Most cheap, fast food restaurants often provide healthier alternatives to their main offerings.

These foods might not meet the demands of every health-conscious person, but they’re still a good option if you don’t have time or energy to cook a healthy meal.

SUMMARY

Fast food does not need to be unhealthy or fattening. Most fast-food chains offer some healthier alternatives for their main offerings.

10. Weight loss diets work

The weight loss industry wants you to believe that diets do the job.

But, studies show that dieting rarely works in the long-term. Notably, 85 percent of dieters end up gaining the weight back within a year.

Furthermore, studies suggest that people who diet are likely to gain weight in the future.

Therefore, dieting is a consistent predictor of future weight gain — not reduction.

The simple truth is that you likely should not approach weight loss with a dieting mindset. Rather, make it a wish to change the way you live permanently and become a healthier, happier, and fitter person.

If you figure out how to increase your activity levels, eat healthier, and sleep better, you need to lose weight as a normal side effect. Dieting probably won’t work in the long term.

SUMMARY

Despite what the weight loss industry would have you believe, dieting usually does not work. It’s better to change your lifestyle compared to jump from diet to diet in the hope of shedding weight.

11. Individuals with obesity are unhealthy and thin people are healthy

It is true that obesity increases your risk of several chronic ailments, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

But, plenty of people with obesity are healthy — and plenty of thin people have these exact same chronic ailments.

It appears to matter where your fat builds up. If you have a great deal of fat in your abdominal area, you are at a greater risk of metabolic disorder.

SUMMARY

Obesity is linked to several chronic diseases, such as type two diabetes. However, many individuals with obesity are metabolically healthy, while some thin people aren’t.

12. Diet foods can help you lose weight

A whole lot of junk food is marketed as healthy.

Examples include low-fat, fat-free, and processed gluten-free foods, as well as high-sugar beverages.

You ought to be skeptical of any health claims on food packaging, especially on processed items. These labels normally exist to deceive — not inform.

Some crap food marketers will motivate you to get their own fattening junk food. Actually, if the packaging of the food tells you that it is healthy, there’s a chance it’s the exact opposite.

SUMMARY

Oftentimes, products marketed as diet foods are junk foods in disguise, as they’re heavily processed and might harbor hidden ingredients.

The bottom line

If you’re attempting to lose weight, you may have heard lots of the same myths. You may have even believed some of them, as they’re hard to avoid in Western culture.

Notably, the majority of these myths are false.

Instead, the relationship between meals, the human body, and your weight is quite complex.

If you’re considering weight loss, consider learning about evidence-based changes you can make to your diet and way of life.