The Truth About Weight Loss Myths

Lets face it every regime has its own supply of useless folklore
and half-truths that get passed on down the line from person to
person. But I'd put weight loss up against any of them for what
has to be the most time wasting and even the most dangerous
myths out there.

There is a ton of free advice seen in the media these days and if
it is taken seriously, can really set you back on your weight loss
endeavours. This can lead to the kind of frustration that makes
people think they are "destined to remain fat for the rest of their
life".

This in not true, Have a look at the Weight loss myths below and
draw your own conclusions.

Exercise on an empty stomach and burn more fat.

Effective weight loss is the total amount of calories burned
during the day, not how or why they were burned. It doesn't
matter if it is night or morning, so exercise early in the day has
no advantage to exercise later in the day.

Studies show that increased metabolism induced by anaerobic
exercise is actually less after a large meal. Which probably
means that more energy is being used for digestion than what is
being used to repair muscle.

More exercise is better.

Every exercise session is beneficial to each individual, however
more is not always better. It depends on what is trying to be
achieved. There is a level and frequency
required to achieve results.

After this level is reached, additional exercise can have the
opposite effect, not allowing the body to recuperate and adapt to
the stress induced by the exercise, which can be detrimental to
your results.

After stopping exercise muscle will turn to fat.

This in not possible, Muscle and fat are two different types of
tissues in the body and you cannot convert one into the other.
This is like trying to turn water into oil.

If you stop training, the muscles will shrink in size but they will
not disappear. The more calories taken in that are not burned off
will be deposited as fat.

If you're not sweating, you're not working hard enough.

Sweating is the body's way of cooling itself down. Many factors
contribute to body temperature, including room temperature,
types of exercise done, body-fat levels, clothing, and exercise
intensity.

The intensity for exercise can't be judged by the amount you
sweat. A well-trained person will often sweat a lot because their
body can more efficiently regulate heat.

Taking sugar before exercise raises energy levels.

Ingestion of sugar will lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
This rapid rise stimulates a release of insulin, which quickly
removes the excess sugar from the blood system, often causing
your blood sugar levels to drop, sometimes below the level that
it started at, leading to faster exhaustion.

Gaining weight is just a part of getting older.

Getting older is not an excuse for gaining weight! As we age and
begin a more sedentary lifestyle we start to lose muscle mass.

The efficiency of your metabolism is directly linked to how much
muscle you have on your body. The most efficient way of
maintaining your body's muscle mass and keeping your
metabolism from dropping is by doing a high intensity strength-
training workout once a week.

If it's fat free I can have as much as I want.

Unfortunately fat free doesn't mean calorie free. The word fat
free is misleading because if you overeat on anything, even fat
free foods and you don't burn off those calories; your body will
store the excess as fat.

Don't drink water when you exercise or you will get cramps.

By drinking litres of icy cold water in one go while exercising you
will probably suffer from cramps. This is why it is important to
drink water continuously before, during and after exercising to
replace the fluid you've lost and avoid any discomfort.

By not having a personal trainer I wont make gains.

Hiring a personal trainer is one way you can use to reach your
goals, but you are an adult capable of making decisions and
setting your own goals once you have the knowledge of how to
go about it.

Following a good exercise program and eating
plan does not require someone standing over you and telling
you how to do it.

By exercising my abs I will lose my potbelly.

Exercising your abdominals will help to tone and firm the
abdominal region, but it will not reduce fat deposits that are
responsible for a potbelly. Fat reduction comes from burning
more calories than you take in. Fat is reduced uniformly
throughout the body there is no such thing as spot reduction.

Your next step? To take what you have just learned and the next
time you hear a weight loss myth evaluate it scientifically.

 
 

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