Are you trying to lose weight? If you want to lose those extra pounds, you can rely on the advice of friends and family. Some of them can be useful, while others are harmful. The cheat sheet reached out to health and fitness experts to find out the worst weight loss advice they've ever received or heard.
1. Eat less fat
I tried many different ways to lose weight and diet before becoming a graduate. The worst advice I have ever received was to eat less fat. Fat makes you fat, right? Not properly.
There is a misconception that eating less fat (of any kind) will make you a healthier, leaner person, but this is far from the truth. I discovered this the hard way: reduced my fat intake for several weeks, and here's what happened:
- Constipation appeared;
- Poorly thought;
- I had inconsistent energy levels;
- He was capricious;
- Overeat carbohydrates;
- Didn't lose weight.
It should be borne in mind that I did not need to lose many kilograms, and this was more an experiment than anything else. I would never ask anyone to repeat this. Instead, persuade people to reduce their intake of refined carbohydrates, which are found in foods such as hard candy, confectionery, breads, spreads, juices, crackers, honey, agave nectar, and syrups. Also take a look at the article 10 Unknown Facts About Fats.
Alex Hashen, Certified Personal Trainer
2. Don't eat fruit
The worst weight loss advice I've heard is not to eat fruits, especially in the evening, because they contain sugar, which makes you fat. This is a myth that I, unfortunately, must often refute in front of clients. I focus on teaching them that although fruits and sugars are composed of the same sugar, fructose and glucose, they have additional benefits that table sugar does not and never will.
On the one hand, fruits contain vitamins, minerals, water, and antioxidants - things you won't find in sugar. Fruits also contain fiber, which slows down the processing of glucose. Fruits will not raise your insulin levels, unlike eating foods such as hard candy, muffins, and ice cream. A slower digestive process also means the body has more time to use the glucose from fruits for energy before storing it in fat. It goes without saying that it is almost impossible to eat so many fruits that will lead to weight gain.
I tell all my clients not to be afraid to eat fruit, especially if they want something sweet at night - fruits can help satisfy their cravings for sweets, while giving the body additional substances before bedtime. You might be interested in the article 10 Reasons Why You Can't Lose Weight.
Gisela Bouvier, Founder, B Nutrition and Wellness
3. Train in the "fat burning" zone
One of the worst weight loss advice that I hear over and over again, even from many professional trainers, is that people looking to lose weight should train in the zone “burning fat”.
If someone can devote a lot of time to training, which is very rare, then the fat burning zone can be effective enough to help them lose weight. But when time is limited, as is most of the time, the most effective way to lose fat is to exercise using high-intensity interval training, which takes less time, about 30 minutes, and burns almost twice as many calories.
I advocate high-intensity interval training in most of my books because, in addition to burning more calories in less time, it helps lower cortisol levels, which reduces both appetite and carbohydrate cravings.
The high-intensity interval walking workout I use covers a total of 28 minutes (see below) and burns an average of 408 calories, while the same 28 minutes of walking in the fat burning zone burns only 189 calories.
- 5-minute warm-up
- 1 minute of light walking (you can talk) - 1 minute of heavy walking (holding your breath)
- 2 minutes easy - 2 minutes hard
- 3 minutes easy - 3 minutes hard
- 2 minutes easy - 2 minutes hard
- 1 minute easy - 1 minute hard
- 5 minutes - recovery
Sean M. Talbott, Ph.D., food biochemist and writer
4. Take supplements
Worst Weight Loss Advice? Easy. Supplements, especially the wrong kind of supplements that make your heart beat faster and your skin itchy. Supplements assuring that “remove fat”, In reality can cause great harm to the body.
Did I follow this advice? Once, several years ago. Am I following now? No way. Am I still being offered? Certainly. But I cringe at the idea of taking extraneous things inward.
The best advice I can give to anyone is to work hard, be consistent, eat balanced, at least 80% of the diet should be healthy foods, not be too strict on yourself, and understand that goals take a long time to achieve. You haven't gained weight overnight, so why do you expect to get thin overnight?
First of all, understand that this isn't just about weight. And also about achieving a healthy, correct lifestyle.
Jennifer Oh, founder of Do You Bake? and Crave It
5. Cleansing the body
Usually "cleaningBody, which includes only drinking fluids, is not a good way to lose weight. Does water cleanse? Or apple juice? This is all bullshit, and it’s best for your health to eat wholesome foods that cater to your macronutrient needs and calories. I didn’t follow the advice given to me because such advice, of which there are so many, is just quirks, not scientific facts.
The best method is to determine your goals, the number of calories and macronutrients your body needs to reach your goals and improve your diet. Dieting takes time and you have to be patient.
Losing weight is a lifestyle change and not one of the fastest things to do. If you think that you are going to diet until you lose a few pounds, then you will quickly gain them again, because weight loss occurs due to the difference between the calories received and expended. If you go back to the food that you usually eat, then you will return to the original weight. Rapid changes can cause harm in the future, so you shouldn't risk your health over something as simple as a few pounds.
Remi Silva, founder of the Sunday Meal Prepper
6. Eat less and do more cardio
The worst advice I've ever heard is to eat less and do a lot of cardio. I think this is wrong, because when you eat less, the body thinks that hunger is coming, so it slows down the metabolism, and as a result, you burn fewer calories. Plus, when you put in a lot of cardio, your body becomes fit with less calorie loss. When doing cardio, the body releases a lot of the hormone cortisol, which breaks down muscle tissue.
It is much better to do some strength training and high-intensity exercise that increase your metabolism. It will also help build muscle and burn more calories. At the same time, you should eat a balanced and healthy diet.
Robert S. Herbst, personal trainer, powerlifter; 18-time World Champion and Member of the AAU Strength Sports Hall of Fame
7.There are dietary, low-fat, or low-fat food variations
One of the worst pieces of advice I've come across is to diet with low-fat or low-fat variations (like diet soda). I am not an advocate of this kind of food and I try to keep people away from it. The advice I want to share is to always eat regular foods. Because instead of calories or fat, diet foods offer something different — and most likely — sugar and / or chemicals.
Robin Lanchy, Health Consultant
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