Top 10 Weight Loss Misconceptions

Weight loss is a more complicated process than many realize. There are numerous hormones, genetic factors, and psychological issues at play—most fitness seekers would benefit the most from training that is tailored to their individual needs. As a former personal trainer, I helped people achieve their fitness goals after a lengthy process of getting to know their personality, medical history, and general level of motivation.

As I worked to not only train, but to educate, a few weight loss misconceptions surfaced over and over—myths that consistently held fitness seekers back from their weight loss goals. As with many complex issues, misconceptions can often give us, at best, an oversimplified answer, or, at worst, are simply fantasies that we wish were true.

To help you begin working toward your weight loss goals the right way, I’m going to take you through the top 10 weight loss misconceptions that I’ve heard as a personal trainer.

"I want to only lose fat from a specific area."

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This is the myth I’ve heard more than any other.

“I’d like to just work on my belly,” or “I’d like to only lose weight in my arms,” are some of the most common types of phrases fitness trainers hear, and these expectations are often what lead to the most disappointment for fitness seekers. This myth stems from two sources. The first is that when a part of the body is exercised, the muscle often grows, leading the area to feel more firm until the skin adapts and loosens. The second source is the myriad fitness products which are advertised as targeting a specific body area. After all, if these infomercials are advertising products that claim to reduce fat on specific parts of the body—otherwise known as spot reduction—then it must be possible, right?

The truth is that your body will take fat from wherever it pleases, and it’s all based on burning more calories than you take in. This means that, rather than just using that ab roller every evening, get out and jog. Jogging is an aerobic exercise—an exercise that gets your heart rate up for a sustained period of time— and uses several muscles groups to keep you upright, balanced, and moving forward, and burns many more calories than your ab roller. Do this, and you’ll lose that belly much more quickly.

Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by thinking that you can get rid of fat on a specific part of your body. While no one exercise can blast fat from a specific area of your body, you can still lose that fat with compound aerobic exercises which engage several muscle groups.

"I only need aerobic exercise to lose weight."

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When developing a weight loss plan, strength training is absolutely helpful. One of the common complaints I’ve heard, particularly from women, is that they don’t want to get “too bulky.” They’re afraid that weight training will distort the slim physique they have planned for themselves. This simply isn’t true. In fact, weight training is vital for the maintenance of your body’s shape.

Penn State researchers performed a study in which dieters were put into three groups—those who did not exercise, who only engaged in aerobic activity, and those who engaged in aerobic and weight training activity. They all lost similar amounts of weight, but the subjects who lifted weights lost six more pounds of actual fat—the other groups lost both fat and muscle.

If aesthetic improvement is your desire, preserving muscle mass through weight training is vital. While muscle loss may cause a numerical drop in weight, the loss of fat is what’s going to make your clothes fit better—you’ll also be more prone to regaining weight if you lose muscle, because muscle burns calories.

Fitness seekers who perform moderate weight training as part of an overall weight loss program won’t gain significant muscle mass. This is particularly true for women, who lack the hormones necessary to put on muscle mass quickly. So don’t be afraid of including weight training in your aerobic fat-burning workout! You’ll lose weight faster, be more likely to keep it off, and you’ll look better in the end. More than that, you’ll be healthier, have stronger bones, and be more physically capable.

"Skipping meals is a great way to lose weight."

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Many fitness seekers have come to me after failing to lose weight on their own. Their most commonly used method? Randomly skipping meals.

The unplanned skipping of meals is one of the great saboteurs of weight-loss programs. Doing this makes it much more likely that you’ll overeat at the end of the day. Do this often, and you’ll end up being more likely to skip exercise, as you’ll feel tired and lethargic, worn out from periods of little nutrition and periods of binging on unhealthy snack foods.

I’ve described the wrong way to skip meals, but this particular myth is more complicated that mere refutation can account for. There is, in fact, a right way to skip meals in support of your health goals. But it’s not easy.

After consulting with your doctor to make sure you’re physically ready, planned fasts are a great way to not only stimulate weight loss, but to better your overall health. Two popular approaches are the 24 hour fast, in which you don’t eat for two non-consecutive 24-hour periods in each week, and the 16/8 fast, which involves shortening your “eating window” every day so that you are fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8. An example of this would be eating breakfast at noon, and having lunch and dinner no later than 8 at night.

The keys to this are consistency and self-control. Plan your fasts. Go through them on the same days of the week, and try to have consistent eating times in order to establish habits. Don’t binge after a fast—eat no more than you normally would, and ensure that what you eat is nutrient-dense.

Research indicates that planned fasting has other benefits, as well, such as reducing insulin resistance, reducing inflammation, and stimulating cellular repair processes in the body, so do your research, consult your doctor, and try it!

"Some foods actually burn calories."

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We’ve all seen the ads. They usually read something like “This one weird veggie DESTROYS stomach fat,” or “She’s found the ultimate cabbage soup recipe for burning fat! Doctors hate her!”

The only thing doctors hate are these ads. They’re lies and marketing. No food burns fat. Some foods contain stimulants, like caffeine, which may speed up your metabolism for a short time, but they do not cause significant weight loss.

Tim Garvey, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, states that “In actuality, there are no negative-calorie foods.” In other words, no food takes calories away—even foods like celery, which contain few calories, but have a very high fiber content and take some work to chew.

There is no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss, and there is no mutant veggie or special cabbage concoction that will blast fat away. The bottom line in fat burning is good nutrition, and burning more calories than you eat.

"I'm not able to lose weight."

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It’s understandable why many feel this way. I’ve encountered more than one tearful fitness-seeker who, after trying for months, was simply ready to give up and admit that they “can’t lose weight.”

The truth is that everyone can lose weight. The problem is that there are so many factors that influence how quickly and easily weight is lost—everything from genetic predispositions, to depression, to a hectic work schedule, to poverty can make weight loss goals seem impossible to reach. But keep to hope. You can achieve your goals.

I always recommend finding a good personal trainer. They’re trained and ready to evaluate you as a whole person, flaws, strengths, and all, and to put you on the best fitness program for you, personally. But I also know that this can be expensive, so in lieu of hiring a trainer, I recommend a bit of self-examination if you feel that you absolutely cannot lose weight.

Do this by keeping a nutrition journal. Write down what you eat, and the calorie content. Include everything. Every bite. Add up those calories at the end of the day.

More than you thought, huh?

That’s where most people go wrong—underestimating how much they eat in a day. Medical issues aside, even if you cannot control any other aspect of your day, you can control how much you eat. Pay attention to it. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Our bodies burn about 1,500 to 2,500—depending on age, gender, height, and weight—of those calories just by being alive. Keep yourself in a calorie deficit, and you’ll lose weight.

If you still have problems, consult your doctor, and collaborate to find out what is making your weight loss so difficult—I guarantee it’s a problem that can be overcome.

"I don't need to be fit."

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This myth often grows from the “I can’t lose weight” misconception, and it’s dangerous for those who suffer from obesity. The acceptance or denial of dangerous health conditions contributes to the long-term health degradation of many.

Someone is considered obese when they weigh at least 20% more than what is considered a normal weight for their height, and is strongly associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, breathing problems, and diabetes. It’s also associated with a general loss of well-being, as everyday tasks become more difficult. It also has a negative effect on self-image.

I always stressed to clients that they, as people, are perfect. There is nothing wrong with them, and they should never be bullied, insulted, or looked down upon because of their weight. The reason for losing weight is personal—they want to feel better. They want to minimize health risks. They want to live longer, healthier lives. Those are the right reasons for losing weight. And they’re good reasons. Controversial as it may be, obesity is a health hazard.

If you’re facing obesity-related health concerns, don’t put off the pursuit of fitness because you feel that you’ll be “giving in” to societal pressure. You are perfect the way you are, and no one should ever bully, discriminate, or insult you for your weight. Pursue physical fitness for your own personal happiness, and you’ll find that your body soon feels as good as your spirit. Body positivity should always include health.

"I only have to diet until I reach my target weight."

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This is the habit that brings all of the regulars back to the gym every January. While it may be good for the gym’s bottom line, it’s bad for the rest of us.

Many fitness seekers diet and exercise only until they reach their weight loss goal, and then they simply revert back to whatever lifestyle is most comfortable to them—the same lifestyle that packed on the weight in the first place. This leads to the regaining of weight, and these “yo-yo” dieters often end up heaver than when they first began.

This is a mindset issue. When you begin your weight loss journey, think of your lifestyle changes as permanent. You won’t be going back. Ever. Your meals will remain healthy, and your exercise will remain consistent. You’ll adjust according to your goals, but the idea is to always be purposeful in everything you do rather than simply letting go of self-control as soon as you achieve your goals.

Keep at it, and realize that fitness is a lifestyle, not a temporary diet.

"If I'm skinny, I'm healthy."

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This is a major cultural assumption that needs to be challenged. Most of us associate obesity with illness, and slenderness with health. But that’s not a correct assumption.

Someone who is an average weight, but who never exercises, is at risk for many of the same conditions as someone who is obese. The key here is overall fitness, and weight, for all of the attention that it gets, is merely a marker of a larger problem.

Exercise is one of the greatest keys to health, even beyond weight, and it should be the ultimate goal. This is why consistency is important in weight loss—eating healthy meals in reasonable portions and getting enough exercise and sleep shouldn’t end when you reach that perfect dress size. It should carry on throughout life.

Even if you’re starting from a place of obesity and the pounds are being slow to come off, you’re benefiting more from exercise and lifestyle changes than you might know. A metabolically fit obese person is actually in better shape than a sedentary person of average weight. Realize that your skinny, couch-potato neighbor may not be quite as enviable as you thought.

Exercise, no matter your body mass index, is life-saving.

"Fad diets area great way to drop pounds."

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Again, we’re given the possibility of an easy road, and we leap at the chance. It’s human nature. Fad diets are often short-term, ultra-low calorie ways of dropping a little weight—usually water weight. They are, however, dangerous if followed in the long term, and many lead to malnutrition or even weight gain when you come off a diet of toast, ravenous for doughnuts and clad in the false assurance that you’ve just done something good for your body.

These short-term fad diets also do nothing to address overall fitness, and, again, promote a false sense of self-assurance. They can also often be strict and complicated, which leads to psychological feelings of discouragement and despair.

Instead, simply take a look at the Government's dietary guidelines. There are so many delicious foods to choose from, that are nutritious and low in calories, that marketing gimmicks like the “chemical reaction” and any “cleanse” diets should never be a necessity. Plan your meals around good nutrition, and you won’t have any need for them.

Bonus: "I just want to get toned."

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Eventually, when fitness seekers begin to near their target weight, the word “tone” starts to crop up. The client will want to begin doing weight training, but with many repetitions—sometimes as high as fifty, in order to tone their muscles.

I would tell them this: there’s no such thing as toning.

The term, “toning,” has no real meaning, and so if a fitness seeker sets out with the goal of a toned body in mind, they set themselves up for disappointment—especially if they follow the traditional misconception that weight training with light weight and extremely high reps will result in “tone”.

What most people think of as toning is actually just weight loss. The body’s fat layer thins, and the muscle is now more exposed, and thus, its definition is more apparent. Doing a huge number of weight training repetitions does little to help this. If you want a hard body, remove the soft fat.

Doing fewer repetitions of a heavier weight, however, does help. Doing 10-12 repetitions of a weight training exercise, and choosing a weight that is so challenging that a 13th repetition is not possible, is the key to an attractive musculature—the goal of most people looking to “tone”.

But if the fat layer is too thick, no amount of repetitions is going to help. Aerobic exercise and a nutritious, low-calorie diet should supplement weight training until enough fat is lost to expose muscle definition.

If you know, precisely, what your goal is, you’re more likely to achieve it, so removing generalities like “getting toned” from your goals is often helpful. Say, instead, that you want to either lose fat, or gain muscle—or both!