Drop pounds fast! Freeze fat now! Stop eating these five foods!
Sound familiar?
Messages endorsing weight loss are everywhere: on billboards and social media, at family gatherings, and in doctors鈥 offices. It鈥檚 widely known that obesity is associated with health risks, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and some cancers. That鈥檚 a scary list. To reduce those risks, who wouldn鈥檛 want to lose a few pounds?
But the story isn鈥檛 that simple. Common ideas about weight loss often aren鈥檛 based in science and can actively harm your health. Here are some of the most common weight-loss myths that could be holding you back, along with some tips to improve your health sustainably while maintaining a healthy attitude toward weight and food.
Meet Our Experts
- professor of nutrition and integrative physiology in the College of Health (COH) at 麻豆学生精品版
- professor of health and kinesiology in the COH at U of U Health
- MYTH: The only way to get healthier is to lose weight.
FACT: 鈥淭hinner doesn鈥檛 automatically mean healthier,鈥 Franklin says. Better physical health 鈥攊t can mean lower blood pressure, better blood sugar control, more energy for daily tasks, and an overall improved quality of life. Thinking beyond the number on the scale to the activities and behaviors you鈥檇 like to build into your routine can help What does a healthy, active, and fulfilling life look like to you? - MYTH: Anyone can lose weight if they try hard enough.
FACT: Weight isn鈥檛 just a 鈥渃alories in, calories out鈥 equation鈥攊t鈥檚 also affected by many and factors that are outside of individual control. Even factors like air pollution and a family history of food insecurity can affect how our bodies metabolize food. Losing weight and keeping it off But everyone can make good health choices to improve their well-being and feel healthier. - MYTH: Dieting is the best way to lose weight.
FACT: Fad diets, like the celery juice diet and other detoxes and cleanses, come with serious health risks and tend to be ineffective in the long run. Excessive calorie-restrictive dieting can lead to and And most people who rapidly lose weight which can lead to an Instead of unsupervised dieting, Woodruff encourages anyone who wants to lose weight to talk to a registered dietitian about establishing a supervised, evidence-based weight management approach. - MYTH: You can shame yourself or others into losing weight.
FACT: Weight shaming is counterproductive and causes physical harm. 鈥淲eight stigma is the message that someone鈥檚 body weight is not acceptable, that they need to be smaller in order to be healthier,鈥 Woodruff explains. The experience of weight stigma鈥攔egardless of someone鈥檚 actual weight鈥攃auses chronic stress and is associated with and - MYTH: Getting healthier is going to hurt.
FACT: Healthy behavioral changes are ones that you can which means they work best when they鈥檙e enjoyable. Instead of picking a workout regime based on what will burn the most calories, it鈥檚 more important to move your body in ways that feel good to you, like going dancing or riding a bike with your kids.
Similarly, instead of trying to remove 鈥渂ad鈥 (and tasty) foods from your diet, Franklin and Woodruff recommend eating more of the foods that can support your health goals, like fruits and veggies, while still enjoying other foods in moderation. 鈥淲hat can I do in my day that will bring me joy?鈥 Franklin recommends asking yourself. 鈥淩ecognize that food and physical activity are part of that.鈥
These weight-inclusive attitudes to nutrition contradict negative messages about body weight and shape that are everywhere in modern life. But shifting toward a body-positive approach can improve your health and the health of those around you. Finding a weight-inclusive medical provider is crucial, Woodruff says. She also encourages health care providers who are unfamiliar with weight-inclusive care to get curious and start learning how to better care for every patient鈥檚 unique body and needs.
To replace weight-shaming attitudes with a more positive outlook, Franklin and Woodruff recommend spending time around peers with similar goals, avoiding comparing your body to others鈥, and speaking with a mental health provider if body image issues are impacting your quality of life.
While changing attitudes is important, it鈥檚 not easy. 鈥淪elf-acceptance doesn鈥檛 come at the snap of your fingers,鈥 Franklin says. 鈥淏e kind to yourself and recognize that this is a journey that you鈥檙e on.鈥
Woodruff adds, 鈥淲hen we know it鈥檚 hard work, we can expect that it鈥檚 going to be a process. We can roll up our sleeves and get started.鈥
