According to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NJEM) , it is possible to identify various myths surrounding obesity . The authors defined it as myths that are believed to be true, so many people who want to lose weight follow them without hesitation; however, these lack a scientific basis.
In fact, these myths also provide misinformation that can prevent people from reaching their goal of healthy weight loss.
Learn what these myths are and start losing weight wisely today.
4 myths you must forget to lose weight in a healthy way
1. Small changes lead to big long-term changes
Unfortunately, this is not true. Small changes just don’t add up, since physiologically, the body tries to maintain the same weight.
This is not to say that small healthy decision-making doesn’t matter, as they keep you healthy. It only means that it is not likely that you will achieve a significant weight loss, for example, minimally reducing the portion of your dishes or changing one food for another.
2. You must set realistic goals to try to lose more weight
Often there are patients who arrive with ambitious goals about their weight loss, and family doctors almost always encourage them to do so, always within limits and safety. This means that there is no evidence that dreaming about what you want to achieve leads to frustration. Broader goals can lead to better weight loss results .
3. Losing weight quickly will not keep you at your ideal weight
Studies show that when you start a workout you lose a greater amount of weight, perhaps because you are much more motivated. This has been very much associated with less long-term weight loss, but there is no evidence to say that if you are slow and steady to lose weight, you will lose more weight in the long term .
4. Having sex burns as many calories as walking 1 km
The truth is that an average sexual encounter (lasting 6 minutes), an average man in his 30s will only burn 20 calories. Thus, the evidence indicates that you will only burn 14 more calories than simply sitting and watching TV.
Conclution
How do you expect people to lose weight if most don’t know the basics around it? You don’t have to go very far before you realize that these myths are still in the popular media. In some cases, doctors themselves can be victims of these myths.
Of course, medical professionals must give evidence-based advice on weight loss in order to optimize your chances of success.
Studies have shown that when doctors provide weight loss advice, patients are more likely to try to change their weight-related behaviors, however, giving the best advice may not be enough.
The first step is to recognize that patients are prone to being influenced by myths that are easily found on the internet, in addition to advice from friends and family. The solution to losing weight in a healthy way is to seek health information and train yourself on the subject from reliable and trustworthy sources.
Reference
- Chang, T. and Wang, A. 4 Common myths about weight loss that you shouldn’t believe. For Businessinsider [Revised August 2016]
