20 Myths Related to Weight Loss

Model: Sagnika Mukherjee, Pic by Venkat Kuttua

Around half of the US population over the age of 20 are overweight or obese. Obesity is a severe condition which comes with multiple diseases and early death. Weight loss is a big priority, but most people fail to lose weight despite trying their best. Many times, the failure to lose weight is not about a lack of will power, but a lack of right information. Obesity research has progressed by leaps and bounds, but still, many myths related to weight loss persist, not only among laypersons but also among health professionals. Unfortunately, outdated ideas are yet purported by some experts and published in media, which not only hinders weight loss but may lead to weight gain. In this article, I will explain and address twenty common misinformation related to weight loss.

1.     Does eating fat makes you fat?

This is the most common and harmful myth. The body stores fat when insulin levels are high. Carbohydrates cause maximum insulin release, followed by protein. Dietary fat and fiber lower the insulin response after a meal. Make sure to have some saturated fat with every meal. Having saturated fat like coconut, avocado, butter, egg yolks, fish, and meat will bring quicker satiety and stabilize the blood sugar levels. Wild Animals living in nature, and hunter-gatherer human societies never became obese. The main culprit is processed carbohydrates and sugar in the civilized diet, which causes obesity.

2.     Can you lose belly fat by doing belly exercise?

For the last many decades, various forms of belly exercise and abdominal exercise machines have been marketed to lose fat. But unfortunately, exercising only a specific part of the body to lose fat from that part, also called spot reduction is not possible. When you are doing abdominal exercises like crunches, sit-ups, leg raise, planks- you are activating the core muscles. But the abdominal muscles and abdominal fat are not connected. Hormones mediate fat loss, and all parts of the body like arms, legs, face, back, thighs, buttocks will also trim down as the body lose belly fat. Core exercises are, however, functional, as they will tone and provide shape to your abdomen.

3.     Do afternoon naps cause weight gain?

Contrary to popular belief, afternoon naps do not make you lazy, nor does it make you obese. Naps and sleep, in general, help to lose weight. Sleep deprivation can cause obesity by making hormonal changes in the body- making you overeat, and lowering your metabolism. Naps can mitigate some of the harms of poor sleep at night. However, whenever you take a nap, make sure to get exercise in the evening following the rest. Otherwise, your metabolism will remain slow, and you may have a sleep trouble during the night.

4.     Do frequent snacks make you lose weight?

Many food companies tout the habit of eating throughout the day to keep your metabolism high and blood sugar stable. Nothing can be further from the truth. Frequent snacking between meals keeps your blood sugar high throughout the day. When blood glucose is high, blood insulin also remains high as glucose triggers insulin release from the pancreas. Elevated insulin levels cause fat deposition in the body, and over time leads to diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension.

5.     Is regular breakfast important for weight loss?

Breakfast can be good or bad for weight loss, depending on the other meals of the day. The body cannot have food throughout the day. There needs to be a minimum of 12-16 hours of fasting period when the body has no food. During this period of fasting, the insulin levels become low, and the body can burn the stored fat into ketones to produce energy. If you have early breakfast, then you also need to have an early dinner. Also, one has to listen to their body, some people do not feel hungry in the morning, and their digestive system is not read for food. They will do better skipping breakfast and having an early lunch.

6.     Is fasting good for weight loss?

Fasting is the best way to lose weight. Body stores fat to use it in the future during the time of famine and food shortage. When we fast voluntarily, we tap into the most ancient and most effective fat burning pathway. During fast, as blood sugar levels drop, and insulin level lowers. The low glucose triggers the release of fat-burning hormones like glucagon, thyroxine, adrenaline, cortisol, and growth hormone. There are many safe ways to fast, but the most doable one is to eat one time a day till you have reached your weight loss goals.

7.     Can I lose fat by doing exercise only?

Exercise increases the metabolism level and helps the body burn more calories. Exercise only can cause some weight loss in the beginning, but without dieting, it will not be sustained. But exercise also increases hunger, and unless you control your diet, exercise will also induce overeating to compensate for the calories burnt during exercise.

8.     Will lifting heavy weights cause weight loss?

Many women are afraid of weightlifting exercises as they are afraid of getting bulk by weights. Weightlifting exercises are an excellent way to lose weight if combined with dieting. Resistance training over time increases muscle mass in the body. When the body has more muscle, it burns more calories even during rest. Also, weightlifting releases growth hormone, which counters the effect of insulin and stimulates fat loss.

9.     Can mental stress cause weight gain?

Mental stress and other challenges like depression, worry, fear, trauma, anger, resentment, guilt- all can produce hormonal changes in the body. The body, when exposed to chronic stress, can have an elevated level of stress hormones. Cortisol, in the long run, will cause an increase in the carbohydrate cravings, insulin release, and weight gain. Have you wondered, whenever we feel stressed, the body craves comfort foods in the forms of sweets, cookies, candies, chocolate, and pies? It is vital to reduce stress through problem-solving, acceptance, mindfulness, yoga, and rest- which will lower the cortisol levels and maintain a stable weight.

10.  Is getting old a part of getting fat?

No. In a natural world, getting old does not make you fat. Wild animals, as they get old, do not become overweight. Also, in many hunter-gatherer tribes, humans get thin as they are old.  In our civilized world, people are more obese as they are required to move less, and do less physical work as they age. Besides, as we age, the metabolism slows down, so we need to stay more physically active and eat less to keep the same younger weight.

11.  Can sauna help with weight loss?

The weight in your body is due to the water, fat, muscles, bones, and organs. Sauna helps to lose the water weight but does not impact the fat stores in the body. A sauna will help to lose some weight, but trying to lose too much weight through prolonged sauna can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. A sauna can also help in detoxification as the body can excrete water through the skin through sweat. The Red and infra-red sauna, albeit expensive, can also help some weight loss by boosting cellular metabolism.

12.  Can meditation and mindfulness cause weight Loss?

Meditation is good for the brain and improves mood, focus, and energy, as well as alleviates worries, stress, and depression. But meditation, by itself, cannot cause weight loss. However, there is one exception. If the weight gain is due to stress, then mindfulness exercises can help weight loss by stress reduction. 

13.   Can yoga cause weight loss?

Yoga makes the body supple and toned. Yoga also helps with muscle and joint pain and the best natural remedy for back pain. But yoga alone done in a conventional way will not cause weight loss. Modern Yoga is a combination of eastern and western thoughts, where the yoga movements are combined with other exercises, which results in a higher intensity workout. One example is Power Yoga, where yoga asanas are done using small dumbbell weights. Another one is Cardio-Yoga- where the yoga movements are done at a fast pace like aerobics.  Another trendy one is Bikram Hot yoga, where yoga is done in the sweltering heat, and participants sweat profusely. These combined yoga movements burn more calories and assist in weight loss.

14.  What’s the best exercise for weight loss?

All exercises will help in weight loss as long as they involve most of the body like cycling, running, swimming, and dancing. Weight training involving large muscle groups like squats, deadlifts, bench press will help weight loss by increasing muscle mass. However, the best way to work out is to combine all different exercises, thus challenging the body differently. If you do the same workout regularly, then the body gets used to it, and after some time the results plateau. There is one exception. That will be swimming in cold water on an empty stomach- it will cause three times more fat burn as the body will have to burn fat for energy to swim, and also burn fat for warmth.

15.  Will a pure vegetarian or a vegan diet cause more weight loss?

It depends. Many Hollywood celebrities flaunt their weight loss to a vegan diet. But they have their chef who cooks custom meals low in sugar, salt, and high in fruits and vegetables. But many Indian vegetarians, I have seen, consume too much sugar, salt, and fill their plate with processed carbohydrates like rice, wheat, and overcooked potatoes. These cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels and insulin spike, causing fat deposition. A well-balanced vegan or vegetarian diet high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, lentils, and low in carbs can maintain a healthy weight.

16.   What’s the best food for weight loss?

There is nothing called the best food or the best diet. All cultures have their food habits, and people everywhere have been able to stay fit, live longer, and produce healthy children. But things changed over the last hundred years as cheap processed industrial food replaced traditional home-cooked meals prepared from scratch. The best diet for overall health is local organic minimally processed freshly cooked with the right balance of healthy fat, protein, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables.

17.  What is the best weight-loss diet?

Some diets have been researched and shown to assist in weight loss, and have become popular. Chief among them are the Mediterranean diet, Nordic diet, Ornish diet, South Beach diet, Ketogenic diet, and Atkins diet. All diets work in the beginning but fail as the majority quit. It is more important to understand the underlying principle behind these diets than following a single one blindly.  All healthy weight loss diets have one thing in common-they keep insulin levels low. Insulin is a hormone that causes fat deposition. Fat and fiber blunt the insulin response. Make sure to have salad and vegetables with each meal along with saturated fat. Carbohydrates should be consumed in moderation. It's essential to have one-third of your food as raw as cooking reduces the fiber and digestive enzymes, and leads to overeating.

18.  What is the best way to lose post-pregnancy weight?

 The body stores fat during pregnancy for a purpose. The excess fat is to feed the growing fetus in the womb through the placenta and feed the baby after delivery through breast milk. Many mothers do not realize that breastfeeding is the most effective way to lose pregnancy fat. Mother's milk is high in fat, and half of which is saturated fat.  Women who cannot breastfeed (for whatever reason) struggle to lose the stubborn pregnancy fat. However, weight loss is possible but will require more time and effort.

19.   Is childhood and adult obesity the same?

Childhood obesity is more dangerous than adult obesity. When adults gain weight, their fat cells grow in size, which is called hypertrophic obesity. However, when children become obese, not only their fat cells increase in size (hypertrophy), but fat cells also grow in a number called hypercellular obesity. People who gain weight as a child and suffer from childhood obesity are more at risk of struggling with weight throughout their life. It is easy to reduce the size of fat cells, but nearly impossible to reduce the number of fat cells. Caregivers should take extreme caution to guard their children against the perils of fast food and obesity.

20.  Is there a magic pill for weight loss?

Unfortunately, there is no magic pill nor any easy way to lose and maintain weight. There are weight loss medications in the market which work in the short term but have long term side effects and should only be taken under a physician's supervision. Other options are liposuction and tummy tucking, which are relatively safe. In most extreme cases, when obesity becomes life-threatening, bariatric surgery is an option where a portion of the stomach is removed. Irrespective of whether you lose weight through medications or surgery, the body will try to gain back the lost weight. Following a healthy lifestyle through dieting, exercise, stress reduction, and good sleep is the only way to maintain a healthy weight in the long run.