There is certainly no shortage when it comes to weight loss advice. Just search the word “diet” or “weight loss” on the internet and you will discover a barrage of different methods. Not to mention a plethora of miracle pills, powders, potions and extracts being be push on us as well. And although nearly everyone wants that miracle quick fix, most of them are neither scientifically backed nor proven to work.
1. Weight Loss Supplements Produce Good Results
I am sure we are all well aware that the weight loss supplement industry is massive. In fact, the U.S. market alone is estimated at 3 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent. Within this market, there are all sorts of different supplements all claiming to have dramatic effects, yet when you look through the studies and research they fail to prove any effectiveness.
The main reason they seem to work for a small percentage of the population is due to the “placebo effect.” People who fall prey to their persuasive marketing tactics want the supplements to help them lose weight so badly that they actually become more conscious of what they are eating. So, in the end, it winds up being the shift in what they are eating rather than the supplement that causes the change in their weight.
2. Eating Fat Makes You Fat
Even with all the new research coming out about fat, many of us are still fat phobic. We all understand the concept that body fat is stored fat. So, it seems only logical that by eating more fat it would “theoretically” make us gain more.
However, as it turns out, things aren’t always as they seem. Scientifically, there is nothing uniquely fattening about fat, except that it’s often found in high calorie, nutrient deficient, junk foods.
In fact, as long as you’re eating healthy fats outside of the presence of processed carbohydrates eating it will NOT add to your waistline. In fact, diets that are high in fat (but low in carbs) have been shown to cause weight loss in numerous studies. (1)
While eating a diet high in fat along with highly processed carbs or junk food will definitely make you fat, eating fat along with unprocessed or minimally processed whole food will not. So, as you can see, the premise depends entirely on its context.
3. Losing Weight Is About Willpower, Not Biology
We hear this all the time, just resist the temptation of unhealthy food – make better choices and your weight issue will be a thing of the past. The problem is that weight gain is a lot more complex than just battling temptations.
In fact, the human body has numerous hormones and biological pathways that govern the regulation of body weight. If these hormones are dysfunctional it makes it extremely difficult for a person to lose weight and keep it off. (2)
For example, being leptin resistant is a major cause of weight gain. (3)
Leptin is a hormone that signals the brain that you have plenty of energy stores, especially body fat. When leptin isn’t properly managing the delivery of its signal, the brain thinks that you are in starvation mode.
So, trying to exert willpower over food in the face of a leptin hormone imbalance, signaling starvation, is as difficult as asking a cigarette smoker not to light their next cigarette, which we know is nearly impossible for the majority of people.
We now better understand that eating is, to a large degree, driven by behavioral factors, and behavior is driven by physiology and biochemistry. That is an absolute undeniable fact.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that people should just give up and accept that their hormone imbalance is genetic fate. Losing weight is still very much possible, it is just a little harder for some than others.
4. Diets Actually Work
The weight loss industry certainly wants you to believe that diets actually work, and why wouldn’t they? Their bottom-line depends on it! However, increased studies continue to confirm that diets almost never work in the long-term. In fact, there are 108 million Americans who try to diet every single year with an average success rate of just 4.6 percent. That’s less than 5 successes out of every 100 attempts. In fact, 85 percent of those who lose weight end up gaining it all back within one year, many times with added pounds to boot. (4)
Additionally, it is also well documented that people who go on a diet are actually at a much greater risk to gain weight in the future. So, in reality, dieting is a fairly consistent predictor of future weight gain – not weight loss. (5)
The truth is you probably shouldn’t approach weight loss with a dieting mindset. Instead, make a conscious effort to make permanent, manageable, lifestyle changes. If you manage to consciously eat healthier and increase your daily activity level, you should lose weight as a natural side effect. Going on a diet or trying to starve yourself may work for a small percentage, short term, but it’s proven not to work in the long-term.
5. Losing Weight Is Linear
This is the part that most people have a hard time accepting and probably the point where most folks throw in the towel. You must understand that losing weight is (for most) not a linear process, like some people think.
There are rare exceptions to this rule, but the majority of us will lose weight some days and weeks, while during others your weight loss will stagnate or may even go up slightly. The thing you need to understand is that it’s not a cause for concern. It’s totally normal for body weight to fluctuate by a few pounds, even within the same day.
For example, you may be carrying more food in your digestive system, or your body may be holding on to more water than usual. This is even more common in women, as water weight can fluctuate quite a bit during their cycle. (6)
So, as long as the general trend is going downwards, no matter how much your weight fluctuates, you will still succeed over the long term.
6. All Calories Are Equal
This has been discussed in length in the section titled (Our Calorie Obsession) but it’s definitely worth repeating. A calorie as we know it is a measure of energy. And according to the way “food calories” are measured they all have the same energy content.
However, when it comes to the biological processes of the body all calorie sources DO NOT have the same effects on our body weight. The fact is, different foods go through different metabolic pathways and can have vastly different effects on our hunger and satiety level and the hormones that govern body weight.
For example, protein calories have a higher thermogenic effect on our body than the calories from either carbohydrate or fat. So, what this means is, by reducing carbs and fat and increasing protein you can actually boost your metabolism. Increasing your protein calories will also reduce your appetite and help curb cravings by optimizing the function of some very important weight regulating hormones. (7, 8, 9)
7. The Eat Less, Move More Mantra Is Sound Advice
We all know that body fat is simply stored energy (calories). And “theoretically” in order to lose fat you need to burn more calories than you take in.
In other words, if “calories/out” surpass “calories/in”, fat loss occurs. For this reason, it seems only logical that “eating less and moving more” would cause weight loss. It works on both sides of the calorie equation- so we’re told.
However, this is some really bad advice, especially for those who may be struggling with a serious weight problem. Statistically, most people who follow this advice end up gaining more weight back than they originally started with. And there are several physiological and biochemical reasons for this including disturbances in the levels of circulating appetite related hormones and energy balance, as well as alterations in nutrient metabolism and subjective appetite. (10)
The truth is a major and sustained change in perspective and behavior is needed to lose weight with diet and exercise. Simply telling people to eat less and move more just isn’t enough.
Telling an extremely over-weight or obese person to just eat less and move more is like telling someone with depression to just cheer up, or someone with alcoholism to just drink less.
It’s ridiculous and highly ineffective, PERIOD!
