Weight-Loss Myths to Ignore

Losing weight can be a challenge but seeing it as such is precisely what sets us on the path of failure, health experts and nutritionists have often told us. If that’s not enough of a deterrent for us, then there’s the countless myths that restrict our diet and make it very hard for us to be able to stick with it for longer periods of time, as the girls from AllWomenStalk point out.

The idea to a healthy, efficient diet plus workout combo is to keep it as natural as possible and do whatever it takes not to feel it as something that is imposed on us against our will. This is precisely why we should ignore all those diet myths that have been making the rounds for years, despite being repeatedly refuted by specialists and thorough studies. Such is the case of the “not all activity counts as exercise” myth, the aforementioned women’s publication says.

The obesity problem we’re currently facing is partly attributed to our sedentary lifestyle, doctors say. In this context, but not only, all activity really does count as exercise because, as long as we get up and are moving, we’re exercising our muscles and taking active steps to leading a healthier life. We don’t really have to hit the gym to work out and lose weight – suffice it to take long, daily walks at a brisker pace to get almost the same results, research has shown.

Cutting out all fats, carbs or rewards is again a bad idea because it would only make our diet even more restrictive, thus, us more prone to fall off the wagon the first chance we get. Adopting instead a more lenient diet, which would also include the occasional (but not too frequent) treat and all foods in appropriate quantities, would make us feel better about dieting in the first place, experts point out, therefore decrease the odds of failing.

Starting a weight-loss program with a crash diet is yet another myth that is enjoying great popularity, despite verging on the absurd. The same goes for magical pills or other weight-loss products, both of them promising awesome results in just a couple of days and with the least effort on our part. This is not really so: losing weight requires discipline, compromise and plenty of will from us, and the moment we acknowledge this, we’re set to shed the pounds, experts say.