Weight Loss Myths Revisited
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I am sure I have discussed some of these exercise myths along the way but I can't remember how far back. I just want to revisit them again because even in this day & age when all the information is so readily available & we see news stories on our regular nightly news about his.... well, I still get asked these same questions!!!! I should not be surprised but I am!
1. Can You Spot Reduce?:
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This very old myth that people still tend to believe.... You can't target reduce specific areas of fat. I still have people ask me how to get rid of the fat around their knees... well, lose weight & get lipo if it does not go away!! Just kidding about the lipo but I know people that have done that! Now,for example, if you want to lose the fat around your hips, there is no way to target reducing the excess weight from that area or any particular area. When a person loses weight, it will come off all over. For women, unfortunately, we tend to lose it in the face & breasts first and it works its way down from there & normally the hips and thighs are the last places to lose the excess weight. Now, saying that, you can target specific areas to strengthen & tone with weights or resistance training. That is a known but there is no exercise that burns fat in a specific area. Do a routine the combines the cardio of your choice along with resistance training for best results. Round that out with stretching & as always, food plays a huge factor in weight loss... nothing new there!
2. I Don't want to lift weights until I lose weight because I don't want my fat to turn into muscle:
Yes, people still believe this! One pound of muscle takes up only 1/3 the space of 1 pound of body fat. That is why if you have more muscle & therefore a lower percentage of body fat, you may weigh more than another person that looks heavier than you. Muscle weights more than fat & is condensed into a smaller package. So, for those of you with a good muscular frame, be careful of those generic BMI tests. A person like myself that is 5'1'' and weighs 115-119 pounds depending on the time of month and other things may come out with a score that says I am not in a good BMI range even though I am a size 2 or 4 or 6 depending on the clothes & maker. You can weigh yourself & keep a check on that BUT do pay attention to how your clothes fit too. They can be a much better indicator of how well your fitness program or weight loss program is working for you!
I am sure I have discussed some of these exercise myths along the way but I can't remember how far back. I just want to revisit them again because even in this day & age when all the information is so readily available & we see news stories on our regular nightly news about his.... well, I still get asked these same questions!!!! I should not be surprised but I am!
1. Can You Spot Reduce?:
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This very old myth that people still tend to believe.... You can't target reduce specific areas of fat. I still have people ask me how to get rid of the fat around their knees... well, lose weight & get lipo if it does not go away!! Just kidding about the lipo but I know people that have done that! Now,for example, if you want to lose the fat around your hips, there is no way to target reducing the excess weight from that area or any particular area. When a person loses weight, it will come off all over. For women, unfortunately, we tend to lose it in the face & breasts first and it works its way down from there & normally the hips and thighs are the last places to lose the excess weight. Now, saying that, you can target specific areas to strengthen & tone with weights or resistance training. That is a known but there is no exercise that burns fat in a specific area. Do a routine the combines the cardio of your choice along with resistance training for best results. Round that out with stretching & as always, food plays a huge factor in weight loss... nothing new there!
2. I Don't want to lift weights until I lose weight because I don't want my fat to turn into muscle:
Yes, people still believe this! One pound of muscle takes up only 1/3 the space of 1 pound of body fat. That is why if you have more muscle & therefore a lower percentage of body fat, you may weigh more than another person that looks heavier than you. Muscle weights more than fat & is condensed into a smaller package. So, for those of you with a good muscular frame, be careful of those generic BMI tests. A person like myself that is 5'1'' and weighs 115-119 pounds depending on the time of month and other things may come out with a score that says I am not in a good BMI range even though I am a size 2 or 4 or 6 depending on the clothes & maker. You can weigh yourself & keep a check on that BUT do pay attention to how your clothes fit too. They can be a much better indicator of how well your fitness program or weight loss program is working for you!
Don't fall into the trap of telling yourself that you can't start resistance training until you lose some weight because you don't want the fat to turn to muscle & still be big. It just does not work that way!!! Muscle & fat are two totally different things! By gaining muscle, it will help you burn more calories & also help you reduce the % body fat on your body. Muscle burns more calories at rest so it is much more efficient at helping you not only in your weight loss goals but also maintaining them too! A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories a day versus a pound of fat which burns only 2 calories in a day. Well, this is debated by experts about how much difference BUT muscle does burn more calories at rest. As long as you are physically able to start a resistance program, do so.... it is definitely an important factor in terms of not only losing body fat but also maintaining a strong & healthy body.
3. Not a myth but some weight loss help:
3. Not a myth but some weight loss help:
Eat consciously! This means pay attention to what you are eating!!! Try to turn off the TV or computer or put down the book. Try to do nothing but concentrate on what you are eating at that time. Take a bite, put down the fork & knife.. chewing consciously & take notice of the food, the smell, the taste. This basically means.. SLOW DOWN! Give yourself time to enjoy it & also this will give your stomach time to register when it is really full. Stop When You are Full! It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to register fullness. If you eat consciously, slow down, pay attention & eliminate distractions, you will actually be full eating less than you normally would... your stomach will have time to register that it is full because you are giving the food time to get there! You are not mindlessly shoveling it down. It may take a few days to figure out when you are actually full but when you are.. STOP EATING. You will find that you are eating less because you give yourself time to enjoy the food & understand when you are really full.
Tests have been done on this when people are actually blind folded or have their eyes closed while eating, They ate 1/3 to 1/2 less than they normally would previously! Put this to the test. If you do it right & give it a chance, I promise you that you will find out that you are actually full long before you thought you would be & will be eating less.
Tests have been done on this when people are actually blind folded or have their eyes closed while eating, They ate 1/3 to 1/2 less than they normally would previously! Put this to the test. If you do it right & give it a chance, I promise you that you will find out that you are actually full long before you thought you would be & will be eating less.
So, let me know if you know people that still believe in the myths outlined in this post. You don't, do you??? And, have you tried this conscious eating plan. It really does work! Even when I was fit, there was a time I did not do this. Once I did, it was amazing what a difference it made in my eating habits AND understanding my body!
I used to believe the first one, that you could spot reduce. Especially back in the Jane Fonda video days, where she worked you hard on the floor exercises. I still remember the songs she used.
I do try and eat consciously. Sometimes I slip, but I do try and stay aware of what I am eating, and how healthy it is.
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I remember Jane Fonda days too! I hear you on slipping up but staying aware is key!
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excellent post! I did know all of the info but so good to be reminded! I would love to know what you eat for a week...
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Sian, check out this older post of mine:
http://truth2beingfit.com/2009/04/07/what-fit-at-51-eats-and-my-accomplishment-for-the-day.aspx
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the first myth IS totally just that... a myth. all the rock hard ab commercials... please. no offense to ANYONE, but how many overweight people have you seen with a six pack? this is totally false.. you have to do overall body and fat reduction.
myth 2 - i hear you on that!! only way you are going to "bulk up" is if you actually train to do so. otherwise, most weight training will just give you an overall lean, defined figure
myth 3 - not only should we eat consciously, but consistantly. dont' starve yourself, and be aware of the value of your food.
great tips!
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"Can You Spot Reduce?" Jody, I got some upto date info on spot reduction. As far as 99% of the population is concerned, it's true that you can't, because they are looking to make changes in their workouts. You can't EXERCISE your way to spot reduction.
However... there is something called Biosignature Modulation, something invented by Charles Poliquin (fucking brilliant man by the way) and it's the closest thing to spot reduction. It relies on hormonal changes through diet and supplementation based on immense data taken from high caliber athletes.
Instead of me trying to explain this shit, everyone needs to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60hqzlSfv_4
Bio Modulation hasn't gotten much market popularity but once it does, it's is (without a doubt) going to be THE biggest thing. Oh and hell yes, it works. If you can afford it...
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I checked this out & still unsure of it.. would have to look more into it. Yes, when I cut back on certain carbs & all that, my body fat went dropped along with eating other healthy food & my exercise routine helped that.
Now I have major hormone issues due to age so I know about that but I will have to look at this stuff a bit further. That lady ahd pretty low body fat & then he wanted it lower...
I did find the various places he meausured body fat interesting.
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I have to admit...I need to be a more conscious eater. I love food and I don't know why sometimes I just shovel it in my mouth like its a race! I have been trying to slow down more, chew more, but the ravenous in me finds its way back sometimes! I must.slow.down!
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That #3 didn't work so well for me. I struggled with it for a while and finally worked out the conscious *selection* of what I'm eating. I used to just grab chips or a sweet snack on my way through the kitchen (or sometimes I'd keep the snacks in a basket on a bookshelf in my office.) No thought, no consideration, just grab and go. Now I go to the kitchen and *think* about what I want and how it fits into that day's nutrition...and then I stick my nose back in a book.
That's as close as I can get for now.
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Cammy, great comment. I do what you do as well. Always thinking thru how things & food fit into the program for the day or week. That works too. We are all different. I do that & I try to conscious eat too because I learned early to stuff food down so for me, it was a learning process not to do that.
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It's those late night AbBuster type infomercials that keep the spot reduction myth going. Those ads are so frustrating to watch because you know the models are doing SO much more than 'just a few minutes a day' of some ridiculous machine.
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