On the surface, weight gain and weight loss seem like pretty obvious results of certain behaviors. Those who eat more than they burn gain weight; so they should eat less to lose it. Is that so simple? As any struggling dieter will agree, the truth is much more complicated than that. Many of you misunderstand the science behind weight gain and loss. Read through to find out some of the myths about weight loss and gain.
Being over weighted means being unhealthy
Have you packed on a few pounds? Do not necessarily send yourself to an early grave. Despite what many of you believe if someone is fat, he/she is not automatically unhealthy. There are several healthy fat people and unhealthy thin people or vice versa. Taken on its own, your weight has nothing to do with how healthy you are.
Eating spicy boosts metabolism
Do not believe this hype. Spicy foods dose not really boost metabolism in any meaningful, measurable way. This is not to say that eating well does not boost metabolism, however, healthy, balanced diets with plenty of protein certainly does.
Eating an extra 3,000 calories gains one pound of fat
Nutritionists have long touted the idea that 3,000 calories equals 1 pound of body fat. So, in order to lose a pound of fat in one week, you need to eat 400 fewer calories per day. Keep doing that for 1 year, and you will drop over 40 pounds. It sounds too god to be true, does not it? If only your body was that simple. For one, the human body is hardwired to protect itself against famine, so it is going to do everything in its nature to prevent weight loss. Your weight also fluctuates considerably based on the time of the day, how much water you have drunk, where you are in your hormones, menstrual cycle and others.
Weight lifting makes you heavier
Strength training can, for many people, deceive their weight loss plans but only if they are measuring success by the numbers on the scale. Muscles do not weigh more than fat, but muscles are denser than fat. So you can very well lose inches off your waist without seeing the scale budge at all.
You won’t gain weight as long as you workout
You can eat a huge slice of chocolate cake for every meal as long you exercise, right? Of course not! If you are not a professional athlete or trainer, you will never burn enough calories to make up for all that cake. You can’t just rely on workouts for your weight loss.
Fat is fat, and it is always bad
People who get fat around their midsection are at greater risk for illness than their counterparts, who carry weight in the hips, butts or thighs. Belly fat in men is linked to a greater risk of erectile dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease and in both sex diabetes. Go deeper. Some people with extra pounds tend to accumulate fat in their liver; others of the same size do not. In reality, extra fat is bad for everyone, but it is clearly worse for some ones than others. So can you be fit and fat at the same time? If you are only slightly overweight but very active, you are less likely to experience health problems like high cholesterol or heart attack. If you have hit a stubborn weight plateau, keep exercising anyway because you are doing your lungs and heart a favor.
