Misconceptions About Weight Loss

Although its been more than a month since New Year's Eve and this post is late, most of you would have already jumped onto the weight loss wagon, but by its very nature losing weight or rather becoming fitter, stronger and leaner especially from the mid section, has never really been sustainable for some of us. With this post, we bring to you some of the most common misconceptions that people have about weight loss and how making some minor adjustments or little tweaks here and there can make this fitness journey of yours more simple, realistic and achievable this year.

1. Weight Loss is not linear: Well thats not entirely true, since there have been people following a weight loss diet who have managed to keep the needle of their weighing scale linearly move downwards each week, but these are certainly the exceptions rather than the majority. For most people, you're going to see some sort of a zig-zag trend with weight loss where the weight fluctuates over the short term. This does not mean that you're not going to lose weight, but rather that it may take you slightly more time and you're weight loss graph would certainly move downwards over the long term depending on the starting weight, diet and exercise. In other words, while on a weight loss diet, make realistic goals and stick to the weight loss program (if it is a good one) keeping in mind that on some days the needle on the weight scale may actually go up instead to down. When this happens, don't panic or lose motivation, just stick to your program and be consistent. 
2. Weight Loss can be achieved by dieting alone:  Form a purely weight loss perspective, this statement is true. However, what makes it misleading is that when we stand on a weight scale and see a number on it, this number giver us the overall picture of lean body mass, fat mass, bone mass, organs and blood volume mass, etc. all combined. Now if you were to follow a weight loss diet without exercising (strength/resistance training), you may well lose weight. But you would be unaware of weather the weight lost was from lean body mass or fat mass. Since most of us are looking forward to reducing the fat mass (or so I assume), without hampering our health, following a weight loss diet along with a well planned exercise program having room for both strength training and cardio can help in managing, preserving and even increasing the lean body mass. Another point worth mentioning here is that, tracking the body fat percentage every few weeks while on a weight loss plan can also help as it would make you aware of where the weight loss is coming from. 
3. Taking Supplements a.k.a pills for weight loss: Ah! Well if isn't the one "magic pill" most of us are eagerly waiting to try out so that we can shed off those extra kilos while sitting on the couch, sipping on our favourite beverage while watching the enlightening soaps. To start debunking this myth, let me clarify one point first, if you're eating more than what you require as per your fitness goals and are not doing any exercise, taking a pill to lose fat is not going to make any different in your waist line. It may however end up buying a hole in the wallet. Maybe for someone whose a professional athlete as in body building or physique sports, who's been on a disciplined fat loss diet for a couple of months and struggling to get rid of that last layer of fat, a fat burner supplements may help. However, for the rest, bringing our focus on our food intake and exercise selection, thereby forming a healthy habit is going to be far more superior and rewarding than a pill. 
4.  Ignoring Water Intake: So the diets done and planned for, the exercises are making me sweat in the gym. Now I'm going to see some realistic changes with weight loss. If this is what came to your attention last month and you still did not get to see any significant weight loss over the course of the month, you're probably ignoring water intake. Lets start this section by getting to know what water does for weight loss. If water intake is inadequate, kidneys will not have enough water for proper functioning and this forces the liver to take a hit and detoxify toxins. This makes the liver less effective in doing the work it was originally assigned such as food metabolism, fat oxidation, etc. This is not all what water does, if the intake is monitored. Water also helps in temperature regulation, avoiding dehydration during workouts, lubricating joints, aiding in digestion, transporting nutrients within the body, etc. So the next time you notice a halt in your weight loss, monitor your water intake and adjust accordingly. 
5. Reducing Food Intake Too Fast: It is already a well known fact that to lose weight, you will have to reduce food intake or in other words maintain a "calorie deficit". What ends up happening is that, most people reduce calories by a huge amount too soon in their weight loss phase which results in them hitting a plateau early on during a weight loss diet. Lets assume here than an individual with a daily intake of 2500 calories for weight loss, reduces his/her calories to 1500 calories/day within the first week itself. A step like this would eventually end up stopping the weight loss within the first month and if continued can eventually make the individual not only nutritionally and hormonally deficient but lead to a feeling of fatigue, tiredness, irritable, etc. if this calorie reduction is carried on for a long time. While on a weight loss plan, the calories should be reduced step wise every few weeks so that the above mentioned outcomes can be better managed. 

There are just five of the many misconceptions that people have about weight loss. If you've faced a similar situation or are tired of not seeing any weight loss when you step on your weighing scale, feel free to mention your thoughts and experiences in the comments. 

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Note:Before starting/changing an exercise, dietary and supplementation program consult a qualified doctor/health care professional.