Fact or Fiction?
8 Weight Loss Myths Revealed
Myth 1 “ Muscle is heavier than fat "
Sorry, 1 kilo of muscle weighs 1 kilo, so does 1 kilo of fat, what is true is that muscle takes up a lot less space on our body. Muscle is firmer and therefore smaller than fat, muscle is always toned, it’s the layer of fat on top that gives it a soft flabby look. Muscle is firm, you can flex it, it doesn’t hang off the back of your arms like fat does.
Myth 2 “Exercise will help turn my fat into muscle”
I wish it were true, however Fat and Muscle are two entirely different systems. Exercise will help strengthen or build muscle which in return will increase your metabolism, but fat will only disappear when your body uses it as an alternative fuel source. This means your energy output has to exceed your energy input, fat will then be used as energy. A safe permanent way to lose fat is to gradually lose 250g to 500g per week, this equates to an energy deficit of about 400-600 calories per day. This can easily be achieved by cutting down on high fat or energy dense foods and drinks and exercising daily.
Myth 3 “Eating Carbohydrates at night will make me fat”
Eating too much of anything at any time of the day will make you fat, and the night time carbohydrate rule is just a myth. When it comes to weight gain the total amount of food you eat in a day counts, not just what you eat at night. If you go to the gym in the evening, or jog after work, then complex carbohydrates are an important part of your post work out meal.
Myth 4 “Sit-ups and Crunches will give me abs”
If you can walk upright you’ve already got abs, its fat burning you need to do if you can’t see your abs. 100 sit ups a day will do you no good, you can flex muscle but you can’t flex fat. The best way to flatten your stomach is to watch what you eat, cut down on alcohol and walk daily. Save the intense abdominal work outs until you can see them.
Myth 5 “Lift light weights for toning”
You cannot tone a muscle, you can either build it or strengthen it but you cannot tone it, if your bum looks soft and saggy, it’s the fat on top that gives it that look and you may have lost muscle size in that area as well if there is not much firmness underneath. Doing high repetitions with light weights will only give you more muscle endurance it won’t change your appearance. If you are currently doing 20 or more reps with light weights, start lifting heavier and aim for anywhere between 6 and 15 repetitions. Your body will only respond by you placing higher demands on it, so if you can easily lift a weight 15 times, put the weight up and aim to get stronger. Your body will start changing when you aim to get stronger; it doesn’t matter if you only do it one or twice a week, just do it!
Myth 6 “Stop drinking coffee
This is a myth; coffee in moderation has no harmful effects on health. If you want to lose weight and you drink coffee don’t stop, the caffeine in coffee helps you body burn fat, that’s why endurance athletes use it, it helps save carbohydrate by using more fat as a fuel. Don’t add too many calories to your coffee, cut the sugar and use trim milk. A coffee prior to exercise is a great aid to weight loss, it stimulates you to work harder and may help you burn more fat.
Myth 7 “Go on a crash diet to lose weight faster”
Diets that promise quick results cause a loss of muscle and water, this reduces the amount of energy you expend daily which means that you will quickly regain the lost fat plus more. Most diets are designed to achieve a drop on the scales by restricting carbohydrate or being very low calorie, this causes the body to use up all its carbohydrate stores from the muscle, and on average we store about 500-700 grams of carbohydrate along with 3 times that much water. With out enough fuel from your food, your body will start to convert protein from your muscle into glucose for fuel. Even if you do weigh less, you will find that your body fat proportion is higher than when you started the diet, because now you have lost muscle and your metabolism has slowed down.
Myth 8 “Eating 99% fat free will help me lose weight”
Remember it’s the total amount of calories we eat in a day that really matters. While it is important to reduce the amounts of unhealthy fat we consume, we do need to be defensive shoppers when it comes to food. Fat free does not mean calorie free and many fat reduced foods contain just as many calories as the regular version. Lite can mean light in flavour, colour and texture, so read the label and check the calories per serve. Woman need about 30-40grams of fat daily for healthy fat loss, by consuming no fat you can actually stop your body from burning fat, especially through the hips and thighs.
