Fitness Together Brecksville: Misconceptions About Weight Loss

Trainer Tuesdays

Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.

What are Some Common Misconceptions About Weight Loss?

Adam Teplitz: Weight loss can be a struggle and the last thing you need are some myths about

slimming down to hinder your progress.

Here are a few of the most common myths about losing weight:

Myth 1) All you have to do is count and reduce calories to lose weight.
This is only partially true. Healthy weight loss is more than just eating fewer calories. Where your calories come from is just as important. Your calories should come primarily from fresh, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, quinoa and other whole food carbohydrates.

Myth 2) Carbohydrates make you fat. This is probably one of the most common misconceptions. Carbs don't make you fat. Excess calories make you fat. You can cut all the carbs you want, but if you are still overeating, your body is taking in excess calories and storing them as fat.

Myth 3) snacking between meals is a bad idea.
Mindless snacking will sabotage your weight loss, but mindful snacking can be an excellent strategy to keep you feeling satisfied between meals. Keep healthy snacks around and don't be afraid to eat them.

Myth 4) losing more than 2 pounds per week is healthy weight loss.
Gradual weight loss in the range of 1 to 2 pounds per week is the healthiest way to lose weight. This will ensure that you're not losing precious muscle. When too much weight is lost at once, your body will use muscle tissue as fuel, which in turn , will lower your metabolism.

It's important to remember there are unhealthy ways to lose weight and there are healthy ones. Your body will thank you for the taking the healthy route.

Michael Roberto: There are many misconceptions about weight loss, but here are a few of them and what you can do to dispel these myths.

1. "skipping meals is a good way to lose weight"

Fasting does not speed up weight loss.

2."Don't weigh yourself"

Do the exact opposite. Weigh yourself daily. How else are you going to track your progress?

3. "Snacking between meals is a bad idea"

It is actually a good idea. Snacking between meals will not only keep your appetite satisfied until your next meal, but you will eat less of said meal as you will be less likely to overeat or binge.

Kelly Bailey: Weight loss is a hot topic, and for every good bit of information, there's handfuls of bad information. Americans spend an estimated 20+ billion dollars on weight loss supplements, books, and surgeries every year according to a report that aired on ABC in 2012. Yet Americans are still the fattest people on the planet.

I think one of the most common misconceptions surrounding weight loss and weight maintenance is that exercise is the number one thing you can do to lose weight. This is not so. While exercise is important to keep you healthy, it actually plays a pretty small role in weight loss. What you put into your mouth is far more important. You cannot out-exercise your fork. If you're looking to lose weight and regain your health, start by augmenting your nutrition. Specifically, eat foods your great grandparents would recognize as food. If it comes in a box, chances are good you shouldn't be eating it! For more specific information about weight loss and nutrition, schedule a Nutrition Together appointment with ourdietitian!

Justin Traft: Some of the misconception of weight loss---well, there are a lot! One being the question, “Do I just do cardio instead of weight training?” The answer is no! it should be an equal amount so when you lose the adipose tissue you are replacing it with muscle. Turning you into a lean mean muscle machine! Another question that comes up is “should I skip meals?” Once again, the answer is no you should not. Actually eating 6 meals a day helps keep your metabolism at a high level, giving you energy throughout the day and keeps the body burning more calories. I often also hear the question “Can you eat fats if you’re trying to lose weight?” This time, the answer is yes!! There are such things a healthy fats that the body needs on a daily bases to operate at a proper level. Examples being olive oil, coconut butter and almonds, just to name a few of them. Finally, sometimes people will ask “Do you have to stop eating meat to lose weight?” No, you still can enjoy meat, but I recommend sticking to lean protein meats like turkey lean ground, chicken lean ground or chicken breast and fish & other seafood.

Steven Madden: One common weight loss misconception is that if you work out, you can eat anything you want. This just isn't true. You may not put on weight if you are working out 5 days a week and eating junk, but you won't lose weight; and, you might even suffer from something like hypertension without realizing it. Next, you see people skipping meals altogether; but again, this tends to lead to overeating later….plus, it slows down your basil metabolic rate. There is also the trap of assuming that you are switching to something healthier. Read the labels, sometimes we replace an obviously unhealthy food, with one just as bad without realizing it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Misconceptions About Weight Loss

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