Joseph
In this article, we’ll look at 10 of the biggest diet and exercise myths of all time.
And don’t worry if you fall in love with one of these on your own – I’m not talking to you. It happens to the best of us.
Instead, I intend to dispel these diet and exercise myths so that you avoid future pitfalls, get the results you want, and have more confidence in the decisions you make to boost your health, fitness and body shape.
Myth 1: Eating carbohydrates means gaining weight
This may not be the first time you have been told or read that you should “avoid carbohydrates” if you want to lose weight. The internet is filled with articles stressing the importance of “avoiding carbs after 6 pm” and describing how “carbohydrates make you fat”.
Well, carbs have a bad reputation. Carbohydrates aren’t the enemy – here’s why.
First, let’s look at how to lose weight. All successful weight loss diets have one thing in common:
They are creating a “calorie deficit.”
If you eat fewer calories than your body needs, your body has no choice but to burn its stored energy for fuel, also known as fat. This leads to weight loss.
Most of the time, it doesn’t matter whether you are on a high-carb diet or a low-carb diet. As long as you create a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Fact.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind when eating carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates can lead to weight gain, but not necessarily fat. You will only gain fat if you eat a lot of calories. If you’re deficient in calories but notice scales rising, it’s probably water weight.
For every carbohydrate you eat, your body retains 2-3 grams of water. So the weight gain on the scale is water, not fat. Another cause of weight gain is usually excess glycogen, which is a stored carbohydrate in your muscles as fuel.
Weight fluctuations throughout the week are frequent, and just because you are overweight doesn’t mean that the weight you gained is body fat.
Instead of letting metrics define your mood, focus on factors you can control, such as creating a calorie deficit and consistency. If you follow this path, weight loss is guaranteed.
Side note: Low-carb diets and Cycling carbohydrates It can be helpful, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose, or are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, so there is nothing wrong with eating low-carb, but don’t think you can never eat carbs again as this is not true. .
Remember: carbs don’t make you fat, and eating a lot of calories does.
Myth 2: Gluten-free desserts are healthier
to me BBC News, It is estimated that 8.5 million people in the UK are now “gluten-free”. I remember going through a gluten-free dessert stage, where I would go to the “gluten-free” section of the supermarket and pick up a bunch of delicious desserts.
I remember once I bought some gluten-free cookies and angel slices. They taste great, but I was shocked to see that the calories were as high as a standard muffin.
The body cannot break down gluten efficiently 1-100 people suffer from celiac disease (An autoimmune disease) where the body has a severe reaction to gluten. So cutting out gluten isn’t a bad thing, but just because you’re eating gluten-free desserts, that doesn’t mean it’s healthier.
For example, from the perspective of losing weight (and assuming you don’t have celiac disease), what do you think would be most appropriate for achieving your weight loss goal.
A) Regular chocolate cake? That’s 320 calories.
B) Gluten-free chocolate cake? That’s 340 calories.
Hopefully, if you read the first point in this article, you’ll realize that calories are the most important when it comes to losing weight, and that a low-calorie cake would be a better option.
Although it is likely that no bun would be a little better.
I’m just kidding. Eat whatever you want, as long as you are low on calories.
There is nothing wrong with “gluten-free” desserts, but be sure to check the calories and ingredients before purchasing.
Myth 3: The power of foods that burn fat
Wouldn’t it be nice to go to the supermarket and pick up 20 fat-burning foods and then wake up the next day a stone lighter?
Spoiler: There’s no such thing as a fat-burning food.
As we learned at the beginning of this article, weight loss is due to calories as opposed to calories out.
However, some foods can be more beneficial when trying to lose weight. For example, foods rich in protein such as steak, chicken, and eggs are called “Refractory foods, Which means your body must burn extra calories to break it down. Other thermogenic foods include:
- Spices
- Green tea
- Coconut Oil
If you combine lack of calories with thermogenic foods, you are on your way to victory.
myth # 4: Weight gain means more body fat
You’ve eaten well all week, tracked your calories, work out in the gym for five days in a row and jump on the scale and feel hopeful. I’ve already imagined the numbers showing a net loss of 2-3 pounds.
But you’re looking down, and I’ve gained 2 lbs.
What what?
You’ve done everything you’re supposed to do but you’ve stepped back – how’s that fair? It can make you feel upset, frustrated, and tempted to throw in the towel.
The truth is, your weight will fluctuate. Weight gain does not mean more fat. Your body consists of three main components: fat, lean body mass (muscles, bones, and organs) and Water (60% of the body weight).
There will be days when your body retains more water, for example, through hormonal changes in your body, such as the menstrual cycle for women. Nicholas Skreton, Body Transformation Coach at Nice fitness, Says it is not uncommon for women to gain “up to 8-12 pounds during their menstrual cycle.” It is often just water weight and will disappear as quickly as it appears.
Myth 5: You should eat protein right after exercise
You finished your weight training exercise and chatted with your friend for 10 minutes. But then you panic because you didn’t have your protein shake.
There is a legend, still circulating around gyms today, that you need a protein shake right after a workout. It is bogus.
No doubt about it Protein is a crucial component To change your body shape and speed up recovery between workouts. Don’t worry too much about the post-workout window, however, but rather the bigger picture, i.e. what you eat over 24 hours.
And for the record, if you love a post-workout protein shake, there’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t stress the rare occasions when you leave your shake at home, or you run out of protein powder.
Myth 6: Lifting weights makes you huge
Fortunately, there has been a major shift in the health and fitness industry over the past ten years. It used to be common for men to lift heavy weights, and women to jump around with lycra, side leg raises, and lighter weights for high reps.
What a BS load.
We know that weightlifting doesn’t mean you’ll have massive muscles. Yes, lifting heavy weights can have this effect, but 99.9% of people don’t need to worry about it. Building massive muscle doesn’t happen overnight – you have to train for a long time (often for years), and eat a lot of food.
Don’t be afraid that lifting weights will make you bulky. Usually the opposite – you will become leaner and more toned. Weight training is one of the best (and arguably the “ best ”) things you can do to transform your body and improve all components of fitness, from muscle strength, endurance, and mobility.
Myth 7: Cardio is best for losing weight
Yes, cardio is a great thing to do. A good cardio session can burn a huge number of calories, improve your fitness, and make you feel euphoric from the endorphins you get after a workout.
Cardio is important, but the statement that “cardio is best for losing weight” is not accurate.
Let’s get back to weight training.
You may not burn as many calories in weight training sessions, but the more muscle you can build, the more calories you burn over 24 hours.
For best results, it is a good idea to combine a combination of resistance training and cardio training. For example:
Monday: Weights
Tuesday: the heart
Wednesday: Weights
Thursday: the heart
Friday: Weights
Saturday: the heart
Sunday: Comfort
The above is just an example. You can do fewer days a week or incorporate cardio at the start or end of your workouts.
Myth 8: Abdominal exercises can cause torn abdominal muscles
Imagine if you could do 100 sit-ups a day for the next 30 days and notice a bunch of stomach strains disappear – wouldn’t that be cool?
But the truth is, you can do 1,000 crunches a day for the next year (not recommended!) And still have a flat midsection.
Ab exercises are essential. A strong core will support your lower back and prevent injury.
However, most people spend a long time training their abdominal muscles thinking that they will only lose fat from their stomach. I am afraid that following the celebrity trainings from magazines will not give you the most out of your profit.
Instead of doing thirty different types of board exercises and hundreds of abdominal exercises, you would be better off focusing on compound exercises that burn lots of calories and build large muscle groups. For example:
Deadlifts
Seat press
Squatting
Stabs
Squat split
Pull ups
Rows
The exercises listed above (done correctly) will naturally work on your core and have the greatest effect on helping you get a less fit mid-body.
If you like, you can still do some specific core exercise either at the start or end of the exercise, but spending more than 5-10 minutes on a specific tummy tuck is often not the ideal way to spend your time in the gym.
Myth 9: You should be losing weight
You see her in the gyms all the time:
People hit grinders, sweat buckets, and make all kinds of grunting noises. There is a popular saying “No pain, no gain” – often interpreted as pushing yourself to the extreme during every exercise.
No need to struggle to lose weight.
If all you have to do is create a calorie deficit and increase your daily steps, and do so for the next three months, you will lose a lot of weight. Yes, really – you can lose weight without vomiting.
The more aggressive you are with your diet and exercise, the more you will struggle. For example, most people will transition from doing zero or little exercise to doing 5-7 exercises per week.
They will also switch from eating and drinking anything they like (and usually in large quantities) to living on chicken salad with less than half of their regular daily calories.
This is a recipe for failure and suffering, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You can still create a calorie deficit, but a smaller and more sustainable deficit (100-200 calories) per day and do so over a longer period.
The faster you want results, the more struggling you will be, and the more likely you are to fall off the right track. If you starve your body and become too aggressive with your diet and exercise, you are likely to run into trouble. How many times have you tried an extreme diet, only to later dump the cart and indulge in binge eating?
Remember, losing weight is a marathon, not a sprint.
Myth # 10: The more you train, the better the outcome will be
More equals better isn’t it? Will practice make perfect?
This is not entirely true when it comes to exercising. Your training results and progress will depend on how quickly you recover. Trying to train with 100% effort every day is a recipe for disaster, fatigue, and injury.
Instead of looking at frequency alone, it is important to assess:
Recovery: Are you new to every exercise, or are you going through every tired, sore, and stressful session? If so, read this one Seven easy tips that will speed up your recovery.
Performance: Are your actors, speed, and time getting stronger, more fit, and better?
It is not about the quantity but rather the quality. Once these things are evaluated, you can then make the right decisions about how often to train.
