5 FAT LOSS MYTHS
I’m here to warn you about 5 fat loss myths that most people fall for. This might come across as a soapbox rant, and for that I apologize, but trust me when I say that this is a message that needs to be spread.
Your fat loss and health depends on it.
Don’t waste your time on these:
This is a Myth: Diet pills will help you lose fat.
It’s so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don’t fall for it. The ‘magic pill’ has yet to be discovered (it has been discovered – exercise. It’s just not in pill form…). Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your pocketbook than to slim you down.
Don’t pop a pill—instead lose fat with proper nutrition and exercise.
This is a Myth: You should starve yourself to lose fat.
Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it’s also dangerous. It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you’ll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.
Don’t starve yourself—instead eat healthy meals throughout the day.
This is a Myth: Lots of crunches will flatten your abs.
Many of us want our midsection to look toned, but excessive crunches aren’t the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you’ll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs. That being said, it is important to strengthen your core to help prevent injury to make day to day tasks easier. Take 5-10 minutes each day to add in effective core training such as planks and lying leg lifts.
Don’t obsess about crunches—instead focus on fat burning along with effective ab training.
This is a Myth: Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.
It is amazing to see the kinds of foods that are packaged as ‘diet’ or ‘weight loss’ aids. More often than not these products are packed with refined sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn’t need.
Don’t eat packaged diet foods—instead stick with nutritious whole foods.
This is a Myth: You have to completely avoid carbs to lose fat.
Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with high fibre carb sources like vegetables, berries and high fibre fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars. Carbs are not the enemy, however eating too many carbs will make weight loss difficult. Your body breaks down carbs into glucose which gives your cells energy. Excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. In the absence of food, your body will produce glucagon which signals the liver to break down stored glycogen and turn it back into glucose. The problem comes in when you consume too many carbs. This elevates blood sugar levels & causes your body to make more insulin, which tells your cells to save the extra glucose as fat.
Don’t swear off all carbohydrates—instead stick with the right amount of wholesome high fibre carbs.
Now that you know what not to do, it’s time to go over a game plan.
Here’s what you need to know in 3 simple steps:
DO THIS FIRST: Cut out the junk.
The best way to do this is to start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed and saturated fat-filled foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don’t buy any more of it.
DO THIS SECOND: Focus on whole foods.
Replace the junk food in your life with plenty of the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, seeds and nuts, lean meats and even dark chocolate (not too much). Clean eating really is that simple.
DO THIS THIRD: Have an exercise plan.
This does not have to be a crazy plan. Just commit to moving daily. If your goal is to build lean muscle, commit to strength training at least 3-4 times per week. If your goal is also fat loss, you do not need to do hours of boring, torturous cardio. Add in 15-20 minutes of HIIT (Hight Intensity Interval Training) or going for a brisk 40 minute walk is sufficient. HIIT intervals can be done on a machine like a treadmill or with bodyweight exercises. As long as you are doing intervals is what matters. Here is an example of a body weight HIIT routine.
Warm up: Marching on the spot - 60 seconds
Jump squats - 30- 60 seconds
Recovery - Marching on the spot 60 seconds
Jumping lunges 30-60 seconds
Recovery - Marching on the spot 60 seconds
Burpees - 30-60 seconds
Recovery - Marching on the spot 60 seconds
Speed skater lateral lunges - 30-60 seconds
Recovery - Marching on the spot 60 seconds
Repeat the circuit for 15-20 minutes total. If you cannot do high impact moves like those above, remove the jumping to squats, stationary lunges, pushups, and lateral lunges.