Don’t fall for these weight loss ideas
We have all been there.
A few pounds (or maybe much more) away from our ideal weight, we get desperate. We know that if we eat better and increase our activity we will succeed, but we panic. We make quick fear driven decisions. Why?
Maybe we had a poor plan to start with. So, we panic. We settle for the quick fix. We romanticize about a thinner sexier self, get sucked in and stoop to a level that is almost laughable, but at the same time unfortunate.
Remember the Low Fat fad that dominated the food industry in the 90’s? Well the average person still believes that fat is bad (lipid hypothesis)…….despite overwhelming evidence that illustrates the contrary. This school of thought has only made us sicker and created and obesity situation that is out of control!
Avoiding fat because you think it makes you fat……..Bad idea.
What about overweight marathon runners? They must be fit if they can run a marathon. Some runners are in great shape, but not all of them. Every year thousands of couch potatoes decide to train for a marathon in an attempt to ditch their gut. Sure, there are success stories, but many more broken dreams, and bodies as a result.
Training for a marathon or any running race for the sole purpose of losing weight….bad idea….
Herbal weight loss pills? I wish I was above them, but they somehow made their way into my daily routine once upon a time. Seriously, over $50 billion/year is spent on diet pills and diet food items in America alone. How sad. I fell for it too. Devastatingly ineffective and expensive.
Taking weight loss pills….bad idea.
Following government recommendations for daily food intake. Why should we adhere to a set of guidelines that intentionally attempts to confuse the public? The average person can not correctly identify food items as a carbohydrate, fat, or protein, but we push hundreds of terms down the throats of our citizens anyway. Public Health agencies are a joke in most countries. They serve the interest of lobbyists and multinational agriculture companies. Don’t forget it.
Following government nutritional recommendations…bad idea.
If you know of any other bad weight loss ideas, please share in the comments section!
It’s funny that you mention the fat marathon runner. Unfortunately so many people get in with all the motivation in the world and do long cardio sessions of 60 minutes on the treadmill and it always ends the same… burnout after a week or two.
Having a good plan, taking baby steps and training smart can take anyone far.
-Sam
Sam,
It’s been 2 years since I really made a commitment to change my ways, and my weight has fluctuated a bit, but consistency is so important. Even if the routine changes, just sticking with any plan is usually effective.
Excellent ( and a very mature ) way of looking at fat loss.
I’m sure we all get caught up in the myths at some stage, I probably still do, in hope of a result too many get disappointed and give up I’m sure.
Reading sites like this keeps a check on reality and what works.
Raymond
Raymond,
Thanks buddy! it is hard to ignore the myths sometimes, especially if we get stuck in a rut. That’s when we begin to question the validity of what we are doing.
Jordan,
Here’s one for you… eating 6 times a day. Can work for some people, but the meals have to be so tiny you’re pretty much setting yourself up for failure.
Alykhan
Alykhan,
I’m sure people out there will blast you for that, but I agree with you 100% (based on personal experience)!
Nice job laying out some bad ideas for weight loss. Unfortunately there will always be fad diets and rapid weight loss approaches. People naturally want a quick and easy approach. Patience is a virtue many have long since left behind.
Dave,
Patience is a difficult trait to learn. People have a hard time thinking long term about anything these days. There are ways to drop weight fast, like you have written about, but people forget that when it’s over they need to eat well to maintain what they got.
fats are given a bad rap, when in fact it is these carbohydrates which trigger insulin the most and make these fats get deposited. Admittedly there are some bad fats such as trans fats. Excessive cardio is also a bad idea as you said but I do like to get in some steady state cardio for health reasons as well as burning excess fatty acids pulled out by my HIIT workouts, check out my site http://www.hiitworkout.co.uk for some great sample workouts.