Five Fat Loss Myths DEBUNKED
It is important to recognize myth from fact when embarking on a weight loss journey for overall effectiveness and sustainable progress.
If your goal is to lose fat, you may have stumbled across information that might be doing more harm than good to your health! It is important to recognize myth from fact when embarking on a weight loss journey for overall effectiveness and sustainable progress.
You can target fat loss.
You may have heard of targeting weight loss, or spot reduction. This is the idea that one can exercise a certain part of the body to lose weight there, specifically. This is not necessarily the case. Our muscles cannot directly access local fat stores when we exercise. Instead, fat is released from varied locations all throughout the body for energy. One will tap into these fat stores when they are in a calorie deficit, meaning they are consuming less calories than they are expending. The fat stores that will be utilized first can vary by gender, age, and genetics. Rather than aiming for spot reduction, work on overall fat loss through a combination of effective exercise (cardio and resistance training) and eating in a caloric deficit, keeping in mind that by strength training specific areas of the body while losing fat via diet, you may accentuate the muscle in those areas. For example, core-focused strength training may show greater toning as fat is lost.
Cortisol is bad, so you should avoid HIIT and cardio exercises.
Cortisol is a hormone that plays an essential role in regulating the body’s response to stress, metabolism, and sleep. Oftentimes, it is associated with negative experiences, such as stress or trauma. You may have also heard that cortisol is raised in high-intensity cardio exercises or HIIT. Yes, when we put our body and muscles under stress, a cortisol spike occurs after exercise. However, this spike is essential for the body to adapt to the stress of exercise and for performance to improve. It also decreases naturally during recovery. Contrary to this myth, aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, and HIIT elicits a higher calorie burn than lower intensity exercise, so it can often be a great tool to aid in fat loss.
Fruit is too high in sugar and should be avoided.
Fruit contains a naturally-occurring sugar called fructose. Fruit also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants – therefore, we should not cut it out of the diet! Carbohydrates, including both glucose & fructose, are essential for energy production in the body. Eliminating specific sources of carbohydrates is not necessary for effective fat loss or health in general. Instead, monitoring ‘added sugar’ intakes, such as from sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts is a better practice. The recommended allowance for added sugars is <36 grams for men, and <25 grams for women per day.
Weight loss is linear.
One of the greatest barriers to achieving weight loss goals is seeing the number on the scale go up instead of down after so much hard work. Do not be discouraged! Body weight can fluctuate relatively drastically day-to-day due to a multitude of factors such as water retention, sodium intake, hormonal changes, medications, stress, and more. Moreover, it is not uncommon to experience a weight loss plateau after losing a significant amount of weight. This usually occurs after about 15 pounds lost for females and 20 pounds lost for males! Don’t be discouraged by either occurrence. Simply stay consistent with diet and exercise, and if needed, work with your dietitian to make appropriate adjustments to overcome weight loss plateaus.
Training fasted leads to fat loss.
Though training fasted increases the reliance on fat for energy, increased long-term fat loss has not been proven successful, and it can also often lead to a more significant depletion of glycogen stores. Fat loss is most influenced by following a caloric deficit. No matter what your training looks like, focusing on how many total calories you consume in a day is the primary goal. If you train better fasted, great! If you need some food beforehand, also great! Do what makes you feel best during exercise, while following a diet that also supports your goals.
These are just five of the MANY myths circulating about weight loss. Always remember to proceed with caution when gathering information from the media. Weight loss is dependent on a multitude of factors, and the rate of fat loss varies person to person. By following evidence-based approaches in diet and exercise, managing stress levels, understanding how your body responds to different stimuli, and maintaining accountability, you will be well equipped to reach your fat loss and physique goals!