As you might imagine, when it comes to such a contentious subject as weight loss, the misinformation out in the wild is pretty unbelievable.
From the various fad diets that tend to permeate any discussion of shedding the pounds to starving yourself of the very vitamins and minerals your body needs to survive, they can range from innocuous to downright dangerous.
In this post, we are looking at a few of the biggest myths surrounding this topic that never seem to go away and, hopefully, give you the foundation you might need to begin your own weight loss journey without worrying about damaging your health or overspending in terms of money and effort on the wrong things.
Nutrition And Exercise Are The Only Ways Forward
Now, it might look like we are about to disparage the two main pillars of good weight loss practice, but we absolutely aren't. What we hope to point out in this section is that those who suffer from extreme body image issues and have been thus far unable to shift excess weight in the more conventional ways don't need to resign themselves to a life of low self-esteem and constant worry about their health. For some, it could be that taking medication or having surgery are the best steps to begin a new, healthier lifestyle. Recent breakthroughs in the world of pharmaceuticals have produced the world's first weight loss drugs, which have a proven track record of helping people lose weight by suppressing their appetites.
The most prominent of these medications is Wegovy, which Novo Nordisk has developed. In fact, it has proven so successful in both trials and real-world applications that stocks of Novo Nordisk have shot up over the past year to a point where its market cap far exceeds the GDP of its home country (Denmark). The reason we point that fact out is that whenever a product (in this case, a drug) shows such potential and is proven to be successful, people usually take notice and put their money where their mouth is. If you're still on the fence regarding whether or not this option might be best for you, you should research some more Wegovy details online and have a chat with your healthcare provider to see if it's a viable option for you and if your insurance will cover it. It's worth noting that there are other options on the market, notably Ozempic, meaning that you should do your due diligence and get some advice from a doctor regarding which course of action will fill your requirements.
The other non-food or fitness option you have at your disposal is surgery. Gastric bypass surgery actually used to be the only available option open to people who were unable to lose weight via diet and food intake alone, but with the advent of the aforementioned pharmaceuticals, it has dropped in popularity. This is partly due to the point that it is a pretty invasive surgery and, as such, has a significant cost attached to it. Nevertheless, it is still worth adding to your list of options as it can produce instant results in terms of appetite reduction and might be a better choice for those who are unable to take weight loss drugs for medical reasons. In any case, for those who have been struggling with their weight their entire lives and find no respite from other choices, these could be worth further investigation.
Fats Are Your Enemy
We have been told almost incessantly that fat is bad for the body and will cause you to gain weight more than any other food type. Just to be clever, there are nuances to this point, most prominently being that there are good fats and bad fats, and consuming too much of the bad variety can cause you not only to put on weight but significantly increase your chances of severe health conditions later in life. Nonetheless, adding healthy fats to your diet is a natural part of eating and getting the nutrients your body requires to function and thrive. If you're wondering, fats that come from whole foods tend to be fine, such as fish, vegetables, and even meats in the form of saturated fat 9although it's still worth lowering the latter for other reasons). Regarding the "bad fats," anything that contains trans fats or has to be fried in oil is generally considered to not be the best for your health and, over time, will cause you to gain weight. Instead of avoiding fats, it's better to focus your efforts on reducing certain carbohydrates like refined sugars and the like that have a proven track record of increasing your fat and wreaking havoc with your body's delicate systems.
Skipping Meals Helps You Lose
Just as with most of the other points in this article, there are nuances that you need to understand before we get into the weeds. When it comes to skipping meals, the reason we have included it as a myth is purely because of the way people go about it and believe that starving themselves will help them lose weight. While it is true that starving yourself will help you to lower the number on the scale, it is also incredibly unhealthy for you and can cause different issues with your health that you may not expect. Now comes the nuance bit…there is a school of thought that notes some success in opting for various intermittent fasting techniques. Although you could call this skipping meals, it is done in a more measured way, and as long as you choose a method that fits your lifestyle, it's absolutely possible to lose weight. The option you select will depend on how you want to proceed, but as with everything we mention, always speak with a doctor before embarking on any new method intended to affect your body.
Supplements Guarantee Weight Loss Success
If there is one industry that has mastered the art of making money from thin air, it is the supplement industry. Again, there are some examples of when supplements can be beneficial to specific health conditions, but for the average person, they are likely to produce no outward effects outside of a placebo effect. In most cases, all that happens is that they will pass through your body and end up getting expelled as waste in the form of urine. Now, the only real reason to use supplements is because your diet is so extreme that you're cutting out many vitamins and minerals you need to function correctly. Ubt if this is the case, then you're probably overdoing your diet and might need to take a closer look and change where necessary.
You Must Exercise Excessively
Exercise and nutrition are the two primary forms of natural weight loss performed by millions worldwide in their quest to improve their health and get their bodies into the kind of shape they can be happy with when looking into the mirror. However, it is easy to become obsessed with your workout routine when you are seeing results and end up pushing too hard to increase the speed at which you are losing mass. As with everything in life, moderation is your best bet, and by working out excessively, you risk harming yourself to the point you are unable to continue working out and will start seeing yourself regain all the weight you've previously lost. Instead, take it easy and ramp it up as and when you're comfortable doing so. Remember, the reason you're exercising is to lose weight, not to destroy your joints and muscles.
Only Cardio Helps Burn Fat
Following on from the previous point, there are plenty of folks who wholeheartedly believe that cardio is the only way to lose weight effectively. Cardio is absolutely a legitimate way to achieve this task, but focusing only on aerobic exercise will only cause you to extend your weight loss journey. Instead, try to combine it with other movements, particularly those in the anaerobic category. These include weight lifting and resistance training, which have been proven to keep your body burning fat long after the workout has concluded. If you're a woman and worried about gaining unhealthy muscles from resistance training… honestly, don't worry. It takes a serious amount of strenuous weight lifting to grow muscles, and in all likelihood, the only benefits you'll see regarding your muscles are from reduced body fat.
Weight Loss Is A Quick Fix
There is never any such thing as a quick fix, and anything worth doing will always take some time and dedication. This also applies to weight loss, and anyone thinking that all they need to do is lose weight and get back to eating whatever they want again is sorely mistaken. Weight loss is an ongoing process, and it will take a complete change of lifestyle to remain looking trim and feeling happy with yourself. This is why it's so crucial to stay away from fads and engage in the activities you enjoy. The more you enjoy the process, the more likely you are to stick with it, resulting in long-lasting gains that will utterly change your outlook on life.
Losing weight can be a monumental job for many, resulting in them opting for fast fixes they have seen online. However, choosing these options could result in failed dreams and possibly even damage to your overall health. Instead, a combination of the proper diet, exercise, and other non-conventional methods as prescribed by a doctor could be your road to feeling better about the way you look.
