How to Identify Weight Loss Myths
Weight loss myths are created to justify bogus weight loss programs. Lose twenty pounds in a week! Get the body of your dreams before the beach season! Be the envy of all your friends! And just to show you that they’re serious, the information is presented by a human Barbie or Ken doll. It’s gotta work, right
Popular weight loss programs come and go quicker than the turning of seasons, but people are still pulled in by weight loss myths like moths to a flame. Despite what the best-selling books and peppy infomercials will tell you, the sad truth is that in almost every case these fad programs eventually result in additional weight gained. It’s inevitable because these programs are unsustainable long-term.
When your body rebounds from one of these starvation or manufactured food type weight loss programs you gain more weight than you started with. This is called the “rebound effect” of yo-yo dieting and the people who design these bogus programs count on it. They also count on the fact that you won’t blame them for the failure; you will blame yourself for not “sticking with the program.” The truth is that it’s not your fault, you never had a chance to succeed and trust me they know it.
There are just too many weight loss myths and bad weight loss programs to list. So, I have listed the most common types by category. If a weight loss program falls into one of these categories don’t go for it!
Promise of rapid weight loss
This is one of the most believed weight loss myths. It would be great if you could safely lose twenty pounds in a week, but that just isn’t realistic. Safe, effective and healthy weight loss is at the rate of 1 – 3 pounds each week (the one exception is the 1st couple of weeks where you can make more drastic initial weight losses of 4 – 8 pounds a week) Anything faster than this is extremely unhealthy, it will cause your metabolism to slow and your body to lose muscle mass. Both of these conditions makes it easier for you to regain weight after you return to your normal eating pattern.
Does it ask that you purchase special products?
The idea that we can’t maintain a healthy weight by eating normal foods is a common weight loss myth. There are no chemically enhanced food items or gimmicks needed for weight loss; nature has provided everything we need. Any program that expects you to give up healthy and nutritious whole foods in exchange for highly processed ‘diet’ products are simply playing on this weight loss myth. These programs are not healthy and will not work long-term.
Does it eliminate certain foods or whole food groups?
Programs that say certain basic food groups like carbohydrates are bad for you are based on weight loss myths. It will set you up for failure and possibly even risk your health. Your body requires a proper amount and mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to be healthy and strong. Eliminating important food groups causes you to lose out on nutrients that you need and can be dangerous to your health. You may lose some weight initially, but at what cost?
Does it include a strict plan to follow?
Another one of the common weight loss myths is that you must follow a strict restrictive diet to lose weight. Come on, we are humans, not robots. Who can really stick with a drastic diet schedule? If a program cannot be customized to fit your personal likes and dislikes as well as your schedule then you won’t stick with it.
Weight loss myths are perpetuated by the billion dollar weight loss industry to get you to buy their programs. These programs are all designed to produce short term success, sometimes even drastic early weight loss, and then fail in the long term. They fail because all weight loss programs based on weight loss myths are unsustainable. They count on your failure and self blame for the failure to set you up for their next “miracle” weight loss program.
Don’t keep falling for the weight loss myths pushed by these companies. If you are tired of the lies and deception and don’t know where to get real information on weight loss go to the Lose Weight Help Site.

Quite often, the extra calories that put on weight are consumed after dinner and before bed. Resist the urge to eat foods late at night as these are the extra calories you don’t need. Try having dinner a little later than you normally do so that you don’t get hungry before bed. This will also shorten the time between dinner and breakfast shortening your starvation period. If you must have something after dinner, keep some low calorie/low fat pre-packaged deserts in the fridge or freezer. This will help you control the amount you eat and your calories consumed.
What is the cause of obesity? On the surface, this seems to be a very simple question. The vast majority of people gain weight because they eat more calories than they burn, and they become obese when they do this over a long period of time. It’s a fact that less than 1% of people have a genetic issue that goes against this science. It’s really very simple math, 3500 calories = 1 pound. If you eat 3500 more calories than you burn over a period of time you gain 1 pound. If you burn 3500 more calories than you eat over a period of time you lose 1 pound. Simple right? Of course it is, however, the question of why people consume more calories than they burn is much more complex.
How many times have you been told you need to eat less or eat foods you don’t like to lose weight? You try fad diet after fad diet or tons of exercise and just keep on adding weight. So, can you learn how to eat and lose weight? There is a solution that will work for you without drastically changing the foods you eat, starving yourself, or increasing your activity. In fact, you may find you are eating more than before and you are still losing weight. It requires a certain amount of discipline, but by following the program you will learn