Everyday I wake up, get my breakfast together, and eat while scrolling through social media and news sites. Nine times out of ten I am bombarded with countless ads and articles on weight loss, what Kim Kardashian is doing to lose weight and keep it off, and what the next fitness craze is. Did you know that 90% of those articles you read have no real scientific facts to back them up? Yes, that means the article promising that you can drink your 20 pounds off in a month probably isn’t true, and the “lose fifteen pounds in fifteen days” one probably isn’t either. That’s not to say that it can’t happen, I’m sure for some people it can, but unfortunately for most of us, it drags us into an infinite spiral of diet trends and crazes to lose the weight we can never seem to shake.
I’m here to give you some true and false facts when it comes to weight loss, so when you stumble upon these types of articles, you know fact from fiction while you read:
1. You can lose a pound a day: False
I would LOVE this to be true, but unfortunately those articles promising a pound drop a day just isn’t accurate. Now for some people who carry a lot of water weight, once you start a new workout or meal plan routine, you will see significant weight drop in the first few weeks, and then eventually you will reach a plateau for weight loss. So don’t get discouraged if you seem to be losing less weight than when you started! It is completely normal!
2. A Healthy Weight Loss is About 1-3 Pounds a Week: True
This is true! There are unhealthy ways you can lose weight also like starvation, not eating your proper intake of nutrients, over exercising etc. Healthy weight loss means a good amount of physical activity per day with a healthy diet.
3. Drinking a Specific Tea can Make you Lose Weight: False
This is another one I wish to be entirely true. There are a lot of articles surrounding the fact that “Skinny Teas” and green tea are a weight loss miracle. Now only part of that is true. When it comes to green tea, it is well-known for its antioxidant properties as well as countless other health benefits (and a healthier alternative to coffee for our morning caffeine boost), but one thing that the articles leave out is that green tea alone does not cause weight loss. Having 1-2 cups a day is great for maintaining your overall health, but only when coupled with a healthy active lifestyle. So no, I regret to tell you that you can’t go eat some McDonald’s and hope your green tea will burn the calories for you, that’s just not how it works.
4. All Calories are the Same: False
Now this one may shock some of you. Calories are important, and we all know we need to eat fewer calories than what we expend through exercise in order to obtain weight loss. What is also important is what types of foods we choose to fuel our body with. Eating 1000 calories in cakes and desserts is not the same as eating 1000 calories from healthy proteins, carbs, and fats. Not ALL calories are created equally and our body will use them for different processes. Besides counting calories, we also need to ensure we are watching the types of nutrients we are putting into our bodies through the foods we eat. Different nutrients are used by the body differently and some may get stored as extra fat that you aren’t looking to keep.
5. When You’ve Lost all the Weight You’re Going to be Happier with Yourself and Your Body: False
This is one I am too familiar with. Lots of people who are unhappy with their bodies in one way or another tend to lean in the direction that weight loss will solve all their problems. But what happens when you’ve lost the weight and still see yourself as you always have? This, my friends, is one issue I have struggled with for many years. You have to love yourself and your body as it is before embarking on a weight loss journey. Weight loss is simply an added benefit to getting healthier and more fit, and shouldn’t be used as a tool to find self-love. Self love is found inside of you through your mental state and attitude. You have to be positive and happy about the person and the body you’re in. You’re only given one. So I ditched the scale and started working on bettering my mind and body, and I encourage you to do the same. The scale just gives you a number, but you can’t put a number on a good personality and a beautiful woman, which you are.
All in all weight loss is the benefit to adequate nutrition and exercise, but don’t get hung up on the statistics of it. Do what makes you and your body feel good. Focus on working on your health, fitness, and wellbeing rather than a number on the scale.
Featured image via cottonbro on Pexels
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