8 WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS YOU PROBABLY BELIEVE

With all of 2017’s ‘trendy diets’ and weight loss tips, it’s hard to keep track of what is true and what is not. Many diet plans to lose weight fast are being recommended but not many know the truth behind them. Here are a few weight loss myths debunked:

MYTH: Skipping meals will help me lose weight.
FACT: Generally, skipping a meal will make you more likely to binge on the next one. Studies have even found a link between obesity and skipping meals. It only results in a loss of energy, which eventually adversely affects health and wellbeing. With fasting and long gaps between meals, one tends to lose only muscle and water. A complete change of lifestyle is what is needed in order to keep the weight off permanently, not meal skipping!

MYTH: Lifting weights will make me bigger, not slimmer.
FACT: People often avoid lifting thinking they will “bulk up.” But lifting is one of the best ways to get slimmer. It helps you build muscles, an important part of burning more calories! What does make you bulkier is lifting extremely heavy weights.

MYTH: I have to work out for 45 minutes at a time to get anything out of exercise.
FACT: Even 30 minutes of walking helps you burn calories. Start with a 30 minutes stroll 5 times a day. Then increase the time and start a brisk walk. Set goals for yourself everyday and watch those calories burn away!

MYTH: Eating healthier is eating expensive.
FACT: Eating healthier doesn’t need to cost more. Canned and frozen veggies can sometimes offer the same nutrients as fresh produce. A healthier life means less healthcare costs in the long-run. Weight loss foods are not always expensive. One could opt for eggs, leafy greens, fish and other healthier as well as cheaper options.

MYTH: Calorie counting is the best strategy.
FACT: While it is helpful to track your calorie intake, you also need to pay attention to what makes up those calories. Consuming 500 calories of fruits and veggies is obviously better than consuming 500 calories of your favourite burger and fries.

MYTH: Weight loss diets always work.
FACT: People have always been made to believe that intense weight loss diets work. But this may not necessarily be true. Diet plans to lose weight have become a fad in today’s world. Some studies show that people who go on a diet are actually the ones most likely to gain weight in the future. Heavy Dieting and starving don’t usually work in the long run.

MYTH: Healthy food always tastes bad.
FACT: Foods prepared with less oil or fat can be as tasty as the standard preparation. By use of low-fat curd based spreads, interesting dips, low-fat milk instead of cream in gravies, paneer instead of butter, the addition of nuts to salads, use of various curry powders, spices, and condiments, food can be made tastier minus the load of fat. Once the health consciousness sets in one automatically becomes more creative with food modifications and is able to achieve perfect results in terms of nutrition and taste.

MYTH: Avoid Allcarbs
FACT: Not all carbs are bad. Complex carbohydrates (think whole grains) help you load up with nutrients and fiber and give you the much required energy for a tough workout. Try brown rice and whole grain bread for your next “quick weight loss diet plan”!.

Ignore the myths and embrace the facts, and move one step closer to wholesome, healthy lifestyle!

The Healthiest Ways to Lose Weight

Nearly one-third of the world’s population is obese or overweight. The number is approximately 2.1 billion people. This is nearly 30% of the world’s population! In developed and developing countries, the rise of obesity, over the past 3 decades, has been rapid, substantial and widespread. Obesity is a bane to our modern world. The causes of obesity are complex. There are many interrelated factors, such as genetics, lifestyle and how your body uses energy.The adverse health effects of obesity include:

High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Sleep Apnea
Joint Problems
Cancer
Psychological Effects (such as depression, anxiety)

The positive side of this is that we can make the correct changes in our lifestyle and combat it, unlike most other conditions. The most obvious solution to the problem is losing weight. When considering weight loss treatment one has to consider a lot of factors such as diet and nutritional, their body type, metabolism, daily physical activity and genetics. Any comprehensive weight loss program will cover all these bases. It is imperative to remember that every one of us has different body types. Our daily nutritional requirements and our metabolisms are different. So it is crucial to design our weight loss programs according to our requirements.

So how to lose weight fast?

1. Drink Enough Water – Most of us don’t consume enough water. The human body needs anywhere between 2.5-3 litres of water throughout the day. Sufficient water consumption can increase the metabolism by 20-30% thus helping in burning fat.
2. Cut down on added sugar and refined carbs – This is the best way to reduce weight. Added sugar and refined carbs are extremely harmful. They result in an increased level of blood sugar and cause cravings and increase our appetites.
3. High Protein Diet – Protein is the single most important nutrient when it comes to losing weight. Eating a high protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day while helping you feel so satiated that you eat up to 441 fewer calories per day.
4. Chew slowly and thoroughly – It can take a while for the brain to “register” that you’ve had enough to eat. Studies show that chewing more slowly can help you eat fewer calories and increase the production of hormones linked to weight loss.
5. Aerobic Exercises- Aerobics/Cardio as it is often termed nowadays, is the best way to burn calories and it is also said to improve your mental and physical health.
6. Lift Weights – One of the worst side effects of dieting, is that it tends to cause muscle loss and metabolic slowdown, often referred to as starvation mode. The best way to prevent this from happening is to do some sort of resistance exercise, like lifting weights. Studies show that weightlifting can help keep your metabolism high and prevent you from losing precious muscle mass.
7. Get Good Sleep – Sleep is highly underrated but it may be just as important as eating healthy and exercising. Studies show that poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.

Having said and done all that, we must not leave out the most crucial aspect to achieving your weight loss goals which are your will power. None of the above said things will be possible if you don’t set your heart on it.

When it’s all said and done, there’s a cliche that will always stand true – “It’s all in the mind”. Well, not all of it of course, but weight loss begins with an individual deciding that this is the path they wish to go down. Willpower and persistence goes a long way and none of the above will be possible if you don’t have the mindset to keep going even when staring in the face of difficulty.