There are many myths about fat loss out there that could derail you before you even begin. Recognizing what they are can go a long way toward helping you reach your own fat loss goals. Here are 5 myths about losing fat you need to ignore.
1. Diets Don’t Work
Sure they do! Practically all diets work, at least in the short term. And diets should only be for the short term. You can take off the excess weight pretty quickly with an effective diet. But you KEEP the weight off with a LIFESTYLE change! People go on a diet, lose weight, and go back to what they were doing before, which is how they added all that extra fat in the first place. Worse than that, they blame the diet for not working. It’s not the diet, it’s the lifestyle!
2. Going Extremely Low-Calorie is Bad
Going very low calorie, and even outright fasting, can be an extremely effective way to lose weight quickly, as you get a bigger calorie deficit and force the body to burn fat for energy.
But it has to be done the right way. You should never go extremely low-calorie for a long stretch at a time, unless under doctor’s supervision, for reasons such as post-recovery from surgery OR try decrease those calories just a few days here and there to kick-start the metabolism. Again, very low calories for a long period of time will do more harm than good.
3. I Just Want To Tone Up
Getting toned is technically not a fitness option. Yes, we professionals use the word loosely but in essence, you are building muscle and burning fat; that’s it. What most people call toning up is burning away fat while preserving lean muscle. You don’t want to lose muscle along with the fat or you’ll just be a smaller version of exactly how you look right now – we call this ‘skinny fat’ and most people hate this look.
4. Light-Weight High-Rep Training Is The Best Way To Burn Fat
It can be effective, if done correctly. But if you don’t work hard, you won’t see results. The BEST training style for fat loss is a mix of heavier training, to preserve mass and strength, and lighter, high-rep training. Both of these methods contribute to lactate accumulation.
When lactate accumulates in the body, this changes the acidity (the pH) in the bloodstream keeping you from having mechanical failure. Lactate serve as a buffer, research also indicates that our bodies reuse lactate as a source of energy for our muscles, heart and brain. During moderate and hard exercise, it can be shuttled back into the mitrochondria of muscle cells (the energy compartments in your cells) and converted into energy. Per Jeremy McCormick, PhD candidate in Exercise Science, “Some lactate also goes to the liver and forms more glucose. It’s a continuous cycle”. What does this all mean? That you want to exercise at or above threshold levels to help your body become better at using the lactate it produces.
5. You Can Never Eat Your Favorite Foods Again
Not true. Though you can’t eat whatever you want, whenever you want, that doesn’t mean you can never have ice cream, or pizza, or potato chips again. For example, avid bodybuilders and figure competitors follow a strenuous aggressive diet for 12,16 and maybe 24 weeks yet after their competition, many will eat a blend of healthier and not so healthy foods. Does this mean they blow up? Most of the time, no. They eat in moderation and exercise portion control. With some diligence and practice, you can do this, too.
Keep these five fat loss myths in mind when beginning your weight loss journey and you can get better results from your training and nutrition programs. Now we’ve busted those common myths, it’s time for figuring out a game plan of just exactly how you’re going to start living a healthier life.
Not sure where or how to start. Contact me for a 15-minute strategy session and I’ll help you out.
In good health,
Diva Coach Cass
DEMA Health 