Myths about weight loss
Since the beginning of time or least when people began to worry about what they looked like rather than just being functional, there have been many myths one person has shared with another about how to get rid of those annoying extra pounds, especially after winter. Many of us naturally put on a few extra pounds over winter time, and there can be all sorts of excuses and reasons why (cold weather, indoors more, holidays, etc.), but the bottom line is when the weather warms up, usually everyone wants to drop the extra they added on. This is where gossip and rumors come in. People began to feel desperate and want the quick shortcut and alternative to hard work, and I hate to tell you, there isn’t one.
Myths
1000+ sit-ups-Doing an absurd amount of sit-ups will flatten your stomach, false! The only way to get rid of fat is use it for what it is, a source of energy.
Spot Reduction-Working a specific area will reduce fat in that area, false? It will only work the muscles in that area. Fat is a layer that is spread throughout the body.
Sweating them off (water weight)-many people believe that sitting in a hot room will burn off fat, false? You will only lose water and sodium through sweating which is good for the body and skin, but will not burn fat. The body is almost 70% water, so it is easy to lose 5-10lbs of water weight by sweating, but once you start drinking it will come back.
Starvation-If I don’t eat I will lose fat, both! Initially, you will lose some fat because the body will look for sources of energy, but eventually the body will go into a survival mode and preserve that fat and use muscle (catabolism) for energy.
Magic pill-I will just take “this pill” and the fat will come off, false! There is no magic pill to burn fat. The one and only true method for burning fat (energy) is diet and cardio (more energy out, than more energy in).
Diet with no exercise-I am just going to diet and not exercise to lose fat, true! A controlled diet and help you lose weight with no physical activity, but the downside it your muscles, tendons, and bones need physical activity or resistance training to be resilient, if not more you may be prone to more injuries.
Ripped all year round-I want ripped Abs all year round, neutral, but mostly false. To be a completive bodybuilder and be ripped all year around is extremely difficult. Our bodies go through phases of adding weight and losing weight. To keep shredded abs, your diet would have to be perfect while exercising. The problem comes in how much energy will you need for your goals. If you plan on going into the gym and add muscle and strength you have to feed the body with fat, carbs, and protein in good quantities, which tend to leave a little extra on the waistline. Any time you cut calories and diet down you will lose strength and become weaker. Typically after a show, it takes around a month to get back to 100%, so doing it all year round is very difficult.
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