By: Scott Spencer

Not scientifically reviewed by Dr. Eeks

Health misinformation has been getting in the headlines more and more, as of late, but if you’ve been paying attention to the kinds of diet and weight-loss advice that have been peddled on the internet from day one, then you know it has always been a problem. It continues to be a problem, too, and here we’re going to look at some of the weight loss myths and misconceptions that you should ensure that you don’t fall into.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-sportswoman-exercising-with-gymnastic-hula-hoop-4498154/

You should never cut your calories too low

Although it has somewhat fallen out of favor lately, there was a big craze of “cleanses” going around, where people would “detoxify” and lose weight by eating nothing and drinking only lemon juice, or some other similar meal replacement. However, going under your recommended minimum calorie count per day is never a good idea. Not only can you end up dealing with malnutrition, but it can work against you by forcing your body to hold on more tightly to fat stores. Intermittent fasting is a different story, as you still get the food that you need, you just time it to better stimulate your metabolism.

It’s not all about how you look

The visual appearance of fat is a pretty easy indicator of when you might have put on a little too much. However, just because you are not outwardly overweight does not mean that you don’t have issues of fat percentage in the body. Visceral, or hidden, fat is not as easily visible from the outside but can be more dangerous, given that it usually surrounds the internal organs. Aside from eating well and working out, there are visceral fat surgery options to help you reduce visceral fat in the body. You should check with the doctor to see if you might have an issue with visceral fat.

You can’t work your way out of a bad diet

There are plenty of people who are able to get themselves motivated and geared up to work out on a regular basis but when it comes to changes to the diet, they can seem so much harder to manage over long periods of time. However, for a healthy life, it’s essential to gain control of your eating habits. The saying that 90% of weight loss is diet is very true. Exercise is always good, but it won’t tip the scales at all if you’re eating enough calories to replace what you have burned.

You can eat foods that burn fat

There has been a lot of time and energy given to promoting foods and teas that are going to help you burn fat. These foods are not all useless, as many of them can help to boost your metabolism. However, they’re not going to burn the fat for you. You still need to exercise and make sure that you’re eating fewer calories than you’re taking on. Nothing is going to help you get around this.

Hopefully, the tips above give you a good idea of what you shouldn’t do in your strive towards a healthier weight, as well as some alternatives that might work a lot better for you.