While you were on the search for the best weight loss diet or strategy, you’ve probably found very bad advices. Most of it is either unproven or proven not to work.

When you do a Google research for “weight loss tips” or “weight loss diet” there are around 68 millions results. However, there are some terrible weight loss diets that will lead you into harming your health and not lose weight at all. In this article you will learn about the top 12 biggest myths about weight loss, so if we’ve got your attention let’s get started!

Myth 1: Food That Tastes Good Is Always Bad for You

Truth: If you assume that healthy foods taste bland and that highly processed, sugary and fatty foods taste great, than your taste buds might be in need for a tune-up.

Most of the people who believe that healthy foods don’t taste good, they actually don’t know how to prepare them to increase their natural flavor.

Added artificial sweeteners, sugars and human-made fats can seize your taste buds. Once you start consuming more natural foods, your taste buds are starting to value the subtle sweetness of berries and the tartness of cranberries, cherries etc. You will adore the way onions, garlic, peppers, ginger increase their flavor.

You simply need to learn how to get the most from these natural flavors when cooking your meals and you will give your taste buds the treat they deserve.

Myth 2: Losing Weight is an “All or Nothing” Game

It’s tempting to try to change everything all at the same time when we are thinking about where we want to be. Actually you don’t have to do everything at the same time or even make radical changes.

You must not become the person who is wrapped up in the “right” and “wrong” things you have been reading about health. All you have to do is to adopt a few easy things like upping your daily activity and start writing down your daily food intake. After some time, those small changes will add up to bigger unexpected results and long-term weight loss.

In one study by Cornell University’s Food and Brand lab has been shown that people who lost the most weight were the ones who made small, consistent changes to the way they ate.

Myth 3: You Have to Cut Out Certain Foods to Lose Weight

Truth: Some researches show that low-carbohydrate eating strategies can help people to lose weight in a very short-term; however there’s no strong proof of the long-term effectiveness or practically of low-carb eating for weight loss.

You should know that if you decide to cut out carbs from your diet, which means you will reduce the calorie intake, you will achieve great results in losing weight in very short time. This has nothing to do with the carbohydrates themselves, as a matter a fact it’s most likely the sources of carbohydrates that people are cutting out are products like baked goods and chips, which actually pumps more calories from fat than from carbohydrates. Find Out the 25 Most Weight Loss Friendly Foods on the Planet

Gluten-free diets are another popular choice. While people with gluten intolerances and celiac disease have reason to avoid foods with gluten, there’s no proof that doing so is helpful for those who don’t.

Actually those who follow a gluten-free diet for weight-loss strategy may start eating of gluten-free products lining supermarket shelves, which in fact are often full of more sugar and fat to help copy the flavor and texture of items containing gluten and can have more calories.

To achieve great results with losing weight and keeping it off it is very important to consume meals that have a healthy balance of carbs (40%), fat (30%), and protein (30%) in the proper amounts.

Myth 4: All Calories Are Equal

Truth: Your brain processes calories differently depending on the food, so all calories are not equal. It’s not enough to reach your daily calorie count; you need to make sure you are consuming quality calories.

Different foods go through different metabolic ways and have different effects on hunger, metabolism, and the hormones that regulate your body weight. For instance, changing carbohydrates with protein can boost your metabolism, optimize the function of some weight-related hormones and reduce appetite and food cravings.

However you should know that you won’t turn into a calorie-burning machine just by making your diet with protein. By adding more protein and workout to your fitness plan, you will be building muscle mass, which in turn will raise your metabolism.

For example, let’s say your daily calorie target is in the 1,200-1,500 range. If you are achieving that target with foods full of flour, fat and refined sugars it’s not going to be as effective as an eating plan in the same calorie range packed with high-quaility, nutrient-dense foods in the proper amounts.

Myth 5: Cardio Is the Best Exercise for Weight Loss

Truth: Doing cardio isn’t the most effective strategy for sustained weight loss. You may see pounds drop off at first, but over time probably quickly, your progress will likely stall. There are two reasons for this:

First, it’s highly repetitive (meaning: running the same route at the same pace every time), so your body adapts to it quickly. As the adaptation slows down, weight loss will too.

Second, it’s low intensity and it targets your slow twitch muscle fibers. To put your weight loss into high gear, you have to target your fast twitch fibers- which are bigger and have more growth potential with activities like weightlifting or high intensity interval training or commonly known as HIIT.

HIIT not only burns tons of calories while you workout, but also boosts your metabolism for up to 72 hours afterward as your body repairs the micro trauma caused by your workout which is very normal and natural and also adds muscle tissue so you can handle it better the next time.

Muscle repair and growth requires increasement in energy expenditure, and those processes are triggered to a great degree with high intensity workouts.

Myth 6: Fast Food is Always Fattening

Truth: Not all fast food is bad. As a result to the increased health problems in the world, many fast food chains have started offering healthier options.

There are even entire chains that have become popular that focus on serving healthy foods such as Chipotle. It is always possible to get something relatively healthy at most restaurants for example, a steak or hamburger without the bun, with a baked potato.

Even the most cheap fast foods places are offering something healthier or at least less unhealthy than their main offerings, such as chicken salad. However, these foods may not satisfy the demands of rigid organic eaters, but these options are still a decent choice if you can’t cook a healthy meal.

Myth 7: You Just Need To Have Willpower to Lose Weight

Truth: After many researches finally it was proven that relying on willpower alone to lose weight will work only in the short-term. The idea that weight loss success is highly related to willpower for example, the ability to resist unhealthy cravings, eating unhealthy food etc. is just incorrect.

There are many factors that affect weight in which is included stress, hormones and genetics. Weight loss is complex, so you don’t have to beat yourself up over a “lack” of willpower or over biological factors you can’t necessarily control. Instead of thinking of willpower as a superpower, and wondering about whether you posses it or not, do as much as you can to make it a non-issue. Keep your healthy snacks on the kitchen counter where they will be more accessible than the donuts in the cupboard.

Keep your running shoes next to your bed to make slipping into them convenient and to give yourself one less excuse to stay under the blankets when your alarm goes off. Cut your gym membership that you never use and follow our workout programs where you can find hundreds of workouts you can do it at home.

Myth 8: Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day

Truth: Having breakfast isn’t guaranteed weight-loss tool. After all, if you are getting up from your bed and consuming a bunch of pancakes covered in syrup with a side of bacon and a muffin, the only thing you will be guaranteed is weight gain.

In one study has been found that there was no remarkable effect on weight loss in some people who ate breakfast versus the people who skipped breakfast. However the people who were in this study weren’t told what to consume, so if you are having a breakfast that contains a lot of sugar or comes from a package, then no, it’s not going to help you lose weight.

This being said, eating breakfast can be a very important part of your weight-loss strategy, but if you do it do it right. Breakfast comes to the “most important meal of the day” so make sure it’s a healthy balanced meal with a mix of carbs, fat and protein.

Having breakfast can also help you into setting the tone for the day and make you establish healthy eating habits, which will give you an edge in the long-term weight loss.

Myth 9: The Number on the Scale Is the Ultimate Goal

Truth: Losing weight is not normally a linear process, like most of the people think. You might find that you are gaining weight after starting a workout program, so the number on the scale isn’t necessarily exact reflection of the hard work that you’ve been doing.

You should know that when you workout, you are making small “tears” in your muscle fibers as your body rebuilds and repairs those tears, it retains liquid (temporarily) as part of the process, so what you see on the scale is mostly water weight. Your weight can fluctuate from hour to hour, based on how much food, fluid and sodium you are consuming during the day. A scale can’t tell the difference between actual weight meaning fat, muscle etc. and temporary weight meaning food and drink.

Your weight can vary up or down as much as 15 pounds based on your level of salt intake and hydration. This being said, don’t throw your bathroom scale out the window. A two-year study has proven that frequent weigh-ins will help you to stay on track by keeping you aware of your current progress and giving you positive thoughts. Keep your scale and weigh yourself, but keep in mind that the number you see isn’t the final result on how you are doing.

Myth 10: “Diet” Foods Can Help You Lose Weight

Truth: A lot of junk food is labeled as healthy for instance, low-fat foods, fat-free foods, disguised high-sugar beverages like vitamin-water and gluten-free foods. You should keep in mind that you can’t trust these foods. The labels and health claims are usually put there to deceive, not give informations. Some unhealthy food marketers are really immoral. They will actually lie to you just to make you buy their harmful, fattening food for you and your family.

Keep this good rule in your mind always: If the product of a food tells you that it’s healthy on their labels, then it’s probably bad for you.

Myth 11: Weight Loss Diets Actually Work

Truth: The weight loss industry wants you to believe that diets actually work. But, many studies have shown that dieting almost never works in the long-term. About 80% of people end up gaining the weight back within a year. Also many researches show that people who decide to go on a diet are actually the ones that will most likely gain more weight in the future. In reality, dieting is a stable predictor of future weight gain and not loss.

You probably shouldn’t go towards weight loss with a dieting state of mind. Instead, make it a goal to change your lifestyle so in that way you will become happier, healthier and fitter person.

Myth 12: The Sugar in Fruits Will Make You Gain Weight

Truth: While consuming too much of anything, even healthy foods, can thwart your weight-loss efforts, consuming a few pieces of fruit every day as part of being healthy, balanced diet will not cause weight gain.

You should know that fruit does contain natural sugar, but it also contains vitamins, fiber and minerals that are great for your health, so please do not completely cut fruit from your diet.

What you should really watch out for is sneaky sugars in foods like pasta sauce, granola, ketchup and salad dressings.