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Losing weight is a common goal for many people, but the path to accomplishing it can be challenging and filled with misinformation. Countless diets, supplements, and weight loss products on the market make big promises, but not all of them actually work. Some of the most popular weight loss myths can harm your health and make it harder to lose weight in the long run.
To help you separate fact from fiction, we’ve compiled a list of the most common weight loss myths you should banish forever. By understanding the truth behind these myths, you can make informed decisions about your diet and lifestyle and achieve your weight loss goals healthily and sustainably. So, let’s look at the myths surrounding weight loss and why they should be avoided.
Trust fat-burning foods
Many people believe that cinnamon has thermogenic properties that can speed up metabolism or that drinking water with lemon juice can help one stay in shape, like models. However, experts repeatedly state that there is no one-size-fits-all weight loss recipe. “Although many insist miracle foods do not exist. No food can burn fat by itself. You should regulate the amount of calories you consume based on the physical activity you do daily.”
Drink coffee without breakfast
Replacing solid food with liquid is a common mistake. This stimulating drink is a popular breakfast substitute that can help save calories: “Coffee is a very popular drink to start the day, but its excessive consumption can have negative health effects. In high doses or in people sensitive to caffeine, it can increase stress levels, in addition to causing sleep problems, nervousness and gastrointestinal discomfort. You can drink 3 or 4 coffees a day, as long as caffeine is well tolerated and if not, alternatives such as infusions can be considered,” advise the experts from the Nutritienda portal.
Do sit-ups
It’s not a myth but a reality that exercise is linked to weight loss. However, Germaine Goya has reservations about one of the most well-known routines to achieve a flat stomach: It’s a common misconception that abdominal exercises alone can help you eliminate fat in your midsection. To achieve a toned tummy, you must follow a combination of high-intensity. These full-body exercise routines stimulate fat loss and target your core muscles to help tone the abdominal area. Additionally, it’s essential to maintain a balanced diet that neither exceeds nor falls short of your calorie requirements.
Healthy diets are boring
Many people believe they must eliminate certain food groups to maintain an ideal weight. However, nutrition experts suggest that moderation is the key to enjoying all types of food while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Take, for instance, the model Ariadne Artiles, who eats healthily by finding nutritious alternatives to her favorite foods. This is a myth that nutrition experts work to dispel.
“When they ask me what diet I follow, I answer, what I like is bread with butter, and this is not in any diet, so it is better for others to do the diet thing! Who can resist this? We neither can nor should we. One of my confessable vices, as you already know, is butter, and in ghee, I have found the perfect substitute for traditional butter. Ghee is a clarified butter that eliminates the solids from the milk: casein, lactose, and water. This makes it a very nutritious product that also improves digestion and is suitable for people who are lactose intolerant,” Artiles revealed.
Eat Less
“While calorie reduction is important for weight loss, simply eating less does not guarantee healthy weight loss. The quality of food and the balance of nutrients are also essential,” point out the expert nutritionists at the beauty center, according to ¡Hola! Spain. They also said we must know that “not all calories are equal. Calories from different foods can have different effects on the body due to their nutritional properties and ability to satisfy hunger.”
They mention another widespread belief related to the idea that eating less can lead to weight loss: “Feeling hungry is not necessarily an indicator that you are losing weight effectively. Extreme calorie restriction can slow the metabolism and cause loss of muscle mass instead of fat.”
Eliminate macronutrients such as fats or carbohydrates
This is a clear “no” from nutrition experts, who have already explained the consequences of eliminating macronutrients such as fats: “If we radically remove fat, our health will be more vulnerable. We will have more predisposition to suffer from cardiovascular diseases (dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome...) and even mental diseases (alterations in mood, humor, behavior, and cognitive deficit)”, warn Drs. Mar Mira and Sofía Ruíz del Cueto from the Mira+Cueto Clinic, as informed by our sister magazine ¡Hola!
The Germaine Goya Center has issued a warning regarding a matter unrelated to fats: “In no case is it necessary to restrict all foods such as carbohydrates. You should eliminate all those ultra-processed foods that contain a large amount of fats, refined flours, salt, and sugars”.
Aside from weight management, Dr. Pascual Sánchez, co-founder and medical director of Ginemed, highlights that following a balanced and complete diet can also aid fertility: “The prototype of a healthy diet could be the Mediterranean diet, since ”It is a dietary plan rich in complex carbohydrates (cereals, rice, legumes), fruit, vegetables, oily fish and unrefined oils.“
Skipping meals
It’s important not to confuse skipping meals with intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting involves lengthening the time between dinner and breakfast the next day and has many benefits besides losing weight. On the other hand, skipping meals is one of the biggest mistakes people make when losing weight. Our body requires a certain number of calories to carry out daily activities. If we skip breakfast, for instance, we’re not promoting weight loss but rather the opposite. The body ends up absorbing extra calories from other foods. This information comes from the nutrition team at the Germaine Goya Beauty and Aesthetic Center.