Fat Loss Misconceptions: #4

Cardio Is the Way to Go!

According to a recent University of Southern Maine study, half an hour of weight training will burn as many calories as running at a 6-minute-per-mile pace for the same duration. Pumping iron has two other benefits that cardio does not afford. First, it provides the added benefit of helping build muscle, which in turn burns more calories per day. What’s more, unlike aerobic exercise, lifting has been shown to boost metabolism for as long as 39 hours after the last repetition.

Fat Loss Misconceptions: #3

All I need Is a Diet Pill.

Nearly all slimming aids are bogus and the only thing they will actually lighten is your wallet! Most of these supplements contain the following disclaimer: “for best results use in conjunction with a regular exercise program and a reduced calorie diet.” This is an age-old marketing technique: sell a pill with a promising outcome, but in order achieve desired results, require behavior modifications. Any thinking person would ask themselves, “If the regimen works, do I really need the pills?”

Fat Loss Misconceptions: #2

I Inherited a Fat Body and Am Therefore a Permanent Victim.

Sadly, we live in a society where it is easier to blame someone else than take responsibility for our lives. One of the easiest places to lay the blame is at the feet of our parents. However, science has shown us that our fitness is only about 35% genetic and 65% daily habits. This means that you can recondition your mind to learn new healthy habits that will help you compensate for your genes. While there is a small portion of our population with metabolic issues related to their genetic make-up (only about 1% of us—that’s right, 1%, as in 1 of 100), the vast majority of obesity is due to learned compulsive behaviors resulting in poor eating and sedentary lifestyle habits.

Fat Loss Misconceptions: #1

We’ve all heard the saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time; you can fool all of the people some of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” When it comes to weight loss, it seems that most of us have been fooled most of the time. Look around your work place, or even your local health club for that matter, and you’ll find frustrated people struggling to find the elusive secret to losing weight. What these people need to realize is that there is no secret, there is truth and misinformation. Fat loss misconceptions abound, and space will not allow us to consider all of them, but here are a few of the more prevalent ones.

#1 Overweight People Eat Too Much. The truth is usually the opposite! In consultations with weight loss clients, the vast majority have shared with me that they only eat one or two meals per day, and those meals are meager. At one time, I thought that most overweight people were in denial of their eating habits; but, research has shown that when a person eats only once or twice a day, their metabolism will slow down and the result will be weight gain. Overweight people have maladapted to their reduced activity level and frequently eat less than their lean counterparts.