Diets dont work! Exercise can actually make you gain weight! You can take supplements that will melt fat away while you sleep! Claims like these should make you wonder if someone is trying to fool you. Since April Fools Day just past, it is worth learning the truth about these common weight loss myths.
Considering that most people who lose weight end up gaining it back, this belief is understandable. The fact is that diets do work that is how people lost weight in the first place! The problem is that many diets simply arent sustainable and dont teach healthy eating habits necessary to keep the weight off. The result is that after the diet ends, a return to old eating patterns leads to gaining the weight back. The solution is to find a diet that you can stick with even after you have lost weight, one that teaches you how to make healthy choices and adapt your lifestyle.
The traditional advice for losing weight is to eat less and exercise more. But some research suggests that exercise itself doesnt lead to significant weight loss. In fact, exercise alone results in lower weight loss compared to diet only or diet plus exercise. While this is true, concluding that exercise isnt important is a mistake.
First, even if exercise only leads to a small amount of weight loss (about a half pound per week in my research) it does add up over time and can help someone achieve their weight loss goal more quickly.
Second, research involving individuals who have succeeded at long-term weight loss in The National Weight Control Registry shows that exercise is important. It is noteworthy that 94 percent of these successful losers increased their physical activity in order to lose weight and 90 percent said that they maintain their weight by exercising an average of 60 minutes every day.
Losing weight really does require making changes to your eating and exercise behaviors. Many of these changes can be difficult, so it is no surprise that people look for shortcuts. And there is no shortcut more appealing than a supplement that will increase your metabolism and burn fat while you sleep.
Keep in mind that there are no dietary supplements that have been shown to be effective for promoting long-term weight loss, despite what the manufacturers claim. In fact, some could even be dangerous. The only way to make a meaningful change in your metabolism is to exercise and significant weight loss simply wont happen unless you change your diet.
Be especially skeptical when you see words like flush and cleanse, which are meaningless and have nothing to do with weight loss. There are a few prescription medications and one over-the-counter drug (Orlistat) that has been shown to promote weight loss but only when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.
Hopefully this advice will help you make healthy decisions and avoid becoming an April Fool when it comes to weight loss claims. The good news is that you can start losing weight today by making some simple changes including reducing your portion sizes at meals, choosing water or other calorie-free beverages when you are thirsty, and making it a point to be active every day. These modifications can lead to weight loss now and are exactly the type of changes you need to make to keep the weight off in the long run.
Brian Parr, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at USC Aiken where he teaches courses in exercise physiology, nutrition and health behavior. You can learn more about this and other health and fitness topics at http://drparrsays.com or on Twitter @drparrsays.
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HEALTH AND FITNESS: Don't be fooled by weight loss claims - Aiken Standard
