Weight Loss Myths

You only have to look at social media to see influencers and celebrities promoting the latest diet or weight loss gimmick. Here at Evolve, we believe that achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is as simple as eating a healthy, well-balanced diet and enjoying treats in moderation. With that in mind, we will address some of the more common weight loss myths.

You need to feel hungry/ starve yourself to lose weight.

This is so common. People set out to lose weight and think they need to feel hungry or they aren’t doing it right. Our bodies are designed to give us a signal when it needs food. This is hunger. It is important not to ignore it. Eating regularly and eating foods that are nutrient dense and full of fibre will help you to feel full for longer AND aid in weight loss overall. If you don’t let yourself get hungry, you are less likely to binge on sugary, high calorie foods. Honour your hunger and feed yourself. You’re much more likely to be successful in losing weight. ]

Cutting out major food groups will help you to lose weight

Whatever fad is being peddled, whether it be Vegan/gluten free/paleo they all have one thing in common- restriction of a major food or group of foods. This in and of itself will not help you to lose weight. Weight loss is a fairly simple concept, your calories expended needs to exceed calories taken in. This, again, should be done with the help of a healthy balanced diet and unless for medical reasons you need to go gluten free or for moral reasons you choose a vegan lifestyle, there is no need to cut these foods out of your diet.

Eating carbs will make me put on weight

Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient. They are found in bread, pasta, potatoes and fruit and vegetable. They are your body’s number one source of energy and are therefore vital to your overall wellbeing. Cutting out carbs will likely help you to lose weight (by putting you in a calorie deficit) but this will ultimately make you crabby, constipated and may even slow down your metabolism if you cut calories too severely.

No food past a certain time in the evening

Food is food and calories are calories. Restricting yourself to only eating at certain times in the day is pointless. There is no evidence to suggest that consuming carbs before 6pm or not eating after 8pm aids in weight loss.

Muscle weighs more than fat, therefore if I train in the gym I don’t need to worry about my weight as I’m likely gaining muscle

This one is a tricky concept but an important one to address. If you are overweight you need to address the issues that got you there- I.e your eating habits. Muscle is more dense than fat and therefore 1lb of muscle adds less bulk to the body than one pound of fat. However, if you are carrying extra weight you need to look into losing that body fat. The most efficient way of doing this is by ensuring that calories out exceeds calories consumed, Training in the gym will help you build muscle over time, it is not instantaneous. Therefore, you should see the scales move downwards especially in the initial stages of your weight loss journey.

If you want to optimise your weight and feel you need guidance, support and accountability, we can provide that. Here at Evolve, with our wide berth of knowledge and experience, we are here to provide you with the tools necessary to achieve your goals. If you want more information please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@evolvepilates.ie or log onto our webpage and read our blog detailing why diets don’t work.