6 Common Weight Loss Myths

Jason Shiers

6 Common Weight Loss Myths

Most people come to an online weight loss coach with a desire to lose weight AND at a loss as to why they haven’t succeeded so far. After all if what they knew worked, they wouldn’t need to seek someone out to help them. The journey for many can be overly frustrating on why they can’t lose weight and getting some support can be massively beneficial, when you journey together things just feel a lot lighter, and you can learn so much quicker. Accountability can also help you, stick to your plan.

Myth 1 – Weight Loss is as simple as cutting the calories

There are 100s if not 1000s of experts online who just frustrate you more, saying the only thing you need to know is, your body is a machine and the calories you put in have to be less than the energy you expend, well, it is not that simple. You’ll probably be glad to know, because if you have tried that, and it hasn’t worked, then that probably brought you to a weight loss coach here. The body is not a simple energy burner, the body can burn energy in all sorts of ways to suit your environment, based on your hormones and what you are eating when you are eating. Also if you are highly stressed this can all have effects on how your body burns fuel, not to mention the types of foods you eat, what times you eat and many more factors. There is so much more to it. I often have people do blood tests, and measuring, sure it doesn’t have to be so complicated, but if it is not straightforward for you, then we have to have some measuring points. These often get rid of the confusion if you have struggled for a while anyway.

Myth 2 – Anyone who has a Fit Body Knows about Weight Loss

There is so much bro science online, where people run forums or groups and then become fixed in ‘a way’ they become the expert etc, most of those groups are missing an important variable that weight loss coaching helps with, and that is YOU! because the typical misunderstanding in the human experience is founded in the egoic desire to be famous and well known for something, people become adamant in fighting for what they believe, they mis the part that we are all different. Those online forums and groups are often a breeding ground for dysfunction especially if you learn a thing or two and want to have educated discussions with people. What is true is you need to give your body a chance in whatever way makes sense to you and be consistent in whatever way you choose, until you can ascertain if it is helping you move in the right direction. Learn from others for sure, but know what you know about yourself, it is important.

Myth 3 – Your body can only absorb 30g of Protein per Meal

More bro science debunked, I have no idea where this one originated but it has been going a long time, I do remember it used to be about 40 but these days wherever I read I notice people say 30g per meal. Pretty sure when our ancestors killed a buffalo or some animal they didn’t portion out their protein into 30g meals, they just gorged on meat. There is no reason to limit your protein, these days there are many ways of eating that include a lot of meat and protein, which could be the OMAD approach where you absorb all your Kals in one meal, or the Carnivore where all your nutrients come from meat, or Keto where a large percentage is a protein/meat-based. Once again trust your own body, your own knowing, if something is wrong you will have an instinctive knowing, weight loss coaching can help you get some mental clarity around making decisions.

Myth 4 – Losing Weight is a Linear Process

For some people (often the ones that find it simple and straightforward) they just make a few macro adjustments, and the weight drops off, you see before and after photos 6 weeks apart and its like a different person! yet for others, in 6 weeks, they have gained and lost the same 1lb, and then in 7 weeks 2 more lbs drop off. Weight loss is individual, there are no weight loss goals like this that consider your individuality. It is when we get into listening to the 2lb per week nonsense that is suggested as a ‘healthy’ weight loss that we start to get disheartened when the scale doesn’t move! What does happen is the level of cortisol in our body increases daily and that will raise our blood sugar and slow our weight loss. Working with an online weight loss coach can help you be more accepting of what is, make solid changes, and then stick to them over a period of time, then adjust.

Myth 5 – Fat Makes you Fat

We are big advocates of the high-fat lifestyle and its benefits of this. Many years ago Ancel Keys came up with these false conclusions about fat intake. Since then the food industry capitalised on the myth of low-fat food and forced it into our societal beliefs, you can still ask many of your friends now and they will buy low-fat foods and think fat or saturated fat is bad for you, this is categorically not the case (unless you are eating a standard American diet of course) in which case it is worth considering a completely different approach. Many people are fuelled purely by fat these days. In fact not only that the high-fat diet has been the cure to diabetes, and many other autoimmune diseases caused by the genetically modified foods that people have consumed over time. Always prioritise whole foods, 1 ingredient and know what you are eating, don’t eat anything with a long list of ingredients.

Myth 6 – Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day

This is another myth that came about the time that breakfast cereal became a thing, eating a high sugar genetically modified grain was apparently a good thing to do in the mornings, but what has been proven in recent years is that Intermittent Fasting over a longer period of times and skipping breakfast can help with so many health-related benefits. It is easier to practice IF if you are fuelled by fat as a source of fuel and not carbs because you don’t go through the sugar withdrawal and craving for foods, people who are fuelled by fat last a lot longer without food and or any feelings of hunger.

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