You have set a goal to lose a few kilos during the lockdown, that’s a great start. All the best! If you’re searching for tips on weight loss, you will find hundreds of workout plans and diet trends, each one claiming to be the best way to lose weight. But many of these tips don’t work at all, they can even end up doing more harm than good. So, you must learn to identify what is true and what is false before you start charting your weight loss plan. To help you make the best weight loss plan, we have listed some popular myths and facts about weight loss.
Myth #1: You must control your appetite to lose weight
This is not true. Depriving your body of food can actually make you eat more at your next meal or give in to a craving. It can make the exercise counterproductive. Also, when your body is subjected to food deprivation, it starts storing reserves, which results in gaining more weight. So, don’t suppress your appetite, and eat until you are satisfied. Serve yourself smaller portions and eat healthy snacks.
Myth #2: If you’re exercise a lot, you eat what you want
No, you should not belief this claim. If you want to lose weight, you should reduce your calorie intake and increase your physical activity. If you keep on feeding your body with unhealthy foods like sweats, it won’t be able to burn off all of the calories, and they will start accumulating as fat in your body. Exercise regularly and follow a balanced diet to bring down your weight.
Myth #3: Fasting is effective for weight loss
While fasting can help lose weight, it can have harmful effects such as fatigue, dizziness, nausea, muscle loss, low blood pressure, etc. When you fast regularly, your body will go into conservation mode, and burn calories more slowly. Fasting is not effective strategy to maintain weight loss in the long-term.
Fact #1: Drink plenty of water to lose weight
Yes, water really helps weight loss. Water helps boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste, and acts as an appetite suppressant. If you drink more water, your body will also stop retaining water, and thus you lose those extra pounds of water weight. Since water contains zero calories, replacing your usual drinks like milk, soft drinks, juice, etc. with water will help reduce your daily calorie intake. Drinking water can also keep your body hydrated.
Fact #2: Fibre-rich foods can aid weight loss
Dietary fibre slows digestion and keeps you feeling full for longer. Therefore, adding fibre-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grain cereal, etc. in the diet help in weight loss. These also contain fewer calories.
Fact #3: Alcohol contributes to weight gain
As alcoholic beverages usually come loaded with calories, excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to weight gain. Here are a few alcoholic drinks and calories they contain:
- 12 ounces of regular beer = 140 calories
- A 150-ml glass of white wine = 120 calories
- A 250-ml glass of pina colada cocktail = 450 calories