Introduction

If you're trying to lose weight then you'll no doubt have stumbled upon at least one, if not all, of these infamous fat loss myths.

In this report we'll be exploring the top 10 most popular fat loss myths that are currently 'doing the rounds' on the Internet. We'll uncover the truth behind the myths and find out if they really work.

So, without further ado, turn the page and we'll jump right in with myth number one...

Fat Loss Myth #1

"Your workout needs to target a troublesome area."

I thought it prudent to start with this one as it's a myth that many people believe without question. It's also something that, on the surface, seems perfectly logical.

The myth goes like this... If you want to burn fat from a specific area (like your bum or your belly) then you need to exercise that specific area. The myth is responsible for the sale of many ab machines, that all promise to give you a sexy flat belly and rock hard 6-pack.

In truth, they probably do give you a rock hard 6-pack. Stomach muscles do tend to 'pop' very quickly when you start doing crunches. But that 6-pack is hidden beneath layers of fat, and as it grows, it pushes all the fat forward, making you look even bigger.

Why is this?

Your abdominals muscles are small. Exercising them really doesn't require much fuel so they don't burn up much energy. When you exercise a muscle your body is forced to use up some of your energy reserves in order to meet the demands of the muscle. And where does it get this stored energy from? From your fat.

You may have lots of energy stored as fat around your belly, but it really doesn't matter how many crunches you do, your body won't need to use it. As previously stated, the abdominals are simply too small.

In contrast the muscles that make up your thighs are huge. When they are active they demand a lot of energy. And where do they get it? That's right, from your stored fat.... even if it's all around your belly. Your body doesn't care what muscle you're exercising it will take the energy from wherever you store it. But if the muscle group is too small to demand extra energy from your fat reserves your fat will be staying put.

So, if you really want a flat belly and rock hard 6-pack, do some squats. Let those huge muscles eat up all that stored energy, then focus on the crunches if you want to sculpt your mid-drift after you've deflated that spare tire!

Knowing the truth behind this myth can save you a huge amount of time. Getting that super sexy flat belly that you desire doesn't take very long at all, especially when you know how to force your body to burn up all that unwanted fat.

Fat Loss Myth #2

"Cold drinks make you thinner!"

The logic behind this myth does make sense. When you drink cold water your body needs to use energy to warm it, and thus burn calories. But, unfortunately, the truth is not quite so exciting.

There is no evidence that supports this myth and even if it were to be true, the calorific requirements for warming a consumed drink would be almost negligible.

That said, drinking water of any temperature IS very important for your overall health and most certainly has a knock on effect that will assist your weight loss efforts.

Drinking water helps to flush out your system, keeping it free of toxins, and while the temperature isn't much of a factor, consuming water can indeed help you to lose weight, so this 'myth' isn't completely false...

How can water help you to lose weight?

When you're hungry, what do you do? If you're like most people, you grab a bite to eat. Seems perfectly logical, right? But did you know that sometimes you feel hunger not because you need food, but because you need water.

It's a sad fact that many people do not drink nearly enough water. And for some of us, the main source of this life giving liquid isn't in what we drink, but in what we eat. This can lead to feelings of hunger and even cravings for foods that contain water, simply because your body has been conditioned into believing that's where water comes from.

To counter this confusion, the next time you feel hungry stop yourself from grabbing that bite to eat and instead reach for a refreshing glass of water. Drink it, and wait for a few minutes, then do a little self check to see if you still feel hungry. You'll be surprised to discover that more often than not the hunger has completely subsided because your body got what it really wanted.

So drinking water really can help you to lose weight, not because your body needs to burn calories warming it up, but because it can satisfy a misguided hunger and prevent you from eating food that you really didn't need.

Fat Loss Myth #3

"Eliminating fat from your diet causes fat loss."

This one hits a little close to home for me as I have a close friend that did this for many years. As a result, she now has early onset osteoporosis in her early thirties.

Now I'm certainly not a doctor, or qualified in any way to say categorically that her diet choices caused the disease but I am a gambling man and I'd definitely wager that it had a very big part to play.

Your body needs certain types of fat, and in some cases the only way to get those is via the food that you eat. What my friend did was to completely eliminate all fats from her diet. The good and the bad ones.

Reducing your intake of saturated and trans fats is most certainly a wise decision but not all fats are created equal and some play a very important roll in the healthy functioning of your body. Ideally, you should strive for a well balanced diet, while staying away from the trans fats that are so prevalent in processed junk food.

Why do you need fat?

It's common knowledge that fat provides your body with energy to fuel your muscles but it also plays many other very important roles, some of which are essential to your mental and physical health.

Your body needs the essential fatty acids found in dietary fats for growth development and cell functions, but it cannot process them itself so it must rely on the fat that you eat.

Myelin is a fatty material which wraps around our nerve cells allowing them to send electrical messages. In order for our brains to function correctly we need to consume foods containing the essential fats that support this process. Studies have shown that people suffering from Down syndrome have abnormal myelin levels which hinder the brains ability to function as intended.

Some vitamins, such as A, D, E and K are fat soluble and require fat to transport them via the blood stream to where they are needed. Fats are also needed to form steroid hormones, which regulate many bodily functions.

Fat Loss Myth #4

"Reducing calorie intake leads to fat loss."

While partly true, this myth comes with a stark warning. Do it gradually! If you suddenly drop your calorie intake your body starts to panic and enters 'starvation' mode. Starvation mode is your bodies way of keeping you alive. If you stop eating suddenly it'll assume that there is a lack of food. So, when you next eat it'll try to save as much as possible in the form of fat.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. As we've just seen in myth number three, your body needs fat to function, and it knows this all too well. If it thinks that fat is scarce it'll hold on to it for you. In addition to entering starvation mode, a sudden decrease in calorific intake can also lead to a lowering of your bodies natural metabolic rate, which makes it even more difficult to shift those extra few pounds.

By far the more sensible option is to gradually lower the number of calories you consume while increasing the amount of energy you demand from your fat reserves, in other words... exercise!

Fat Loss Myth #5

You must workout at specific times

This one always amuses me because it constantly changes. Over the years I've read so many articles that insist that there's a 'best time of day' to work out, but whatever that time of day is, it seems to keep changing!

Regardless of the actually time stated, the myth always follows the same basic idea...

You need to work out at specific times for maximum results.

Again, although not completely true, there is a little more to this myth than meets the eye. The simple truth is that the time of day has no direct bearing whatsoever on the effectiveness of your exercise. However, it most certainly does have an indirect one.

For most people that are trying to lose weight, exercise is not fun. So it's all to easy to procrastinate, skip a session or give up completely. And this is where 'time of day' is a factor.

Our minds love patterns. When we do something consistently it becomes a habit and habits are much easier to keep when they have structure. If you decide that you'll visit the gym three times a week 'whenever you can fit it in' you'll probably not even make it to the end of the first week. But if you set a specific schedule and plan your life around it accordingly it'll very quickly become so automated that it'll feel natural and easy.

The time of day that you select is only important to you. How does it fit into your life? Or perhaps more importantly, how does it fit into your personality? If you're not really a morning person and it takes you umpteen cups of coffee just to drag yourself off to work every morning then perhaps a morning workout is not really your thing, even if others swear by it.

Just find something that suits you and stick with it. It's the consistency of a habit that will keep you going to the gym when you'd otherwise have given up and it'll also make it easier, more effective and much more fun.

Fat Loss Myth #6

"It takes XX minutes to enter fat burning mode."

I used to believe this myth myself. The idea behind it is that your body must "warm up" for a period of time before it shifts into "fat burning mode", and so anything before xx minutes simply doesn't count.

This is complete nonsense! While you should always work towards incorporating a warm up period (as well as a slow down process) during your workouts, you actually start burning fat from the moment you begin.

Fat Loss Myth #7

"Eat fat burning foods to lose weight."

If you ever truly find a food group or item that will cause instant weight loss, please, let me know!

Realistically, there are no foods that instantly burn fat, however there are food types that can increase your metabolism (which will subsequently, help you lose weight).

Celery is often cited as being a negative calorie food, requiring more energy to digest than it provides, but this is simply not true. In reality, celery has a thermic effect of around 8%, which is much less than the 100% or more required for a food to have "negative calories". A single stalk of celery provides approximately 6 calories, but the body only needs half of a single calorie to digest it.

Fat Loss Myth #8

"High protein and low carb diets are the best."

These diets are typically difficult to stick with because they are very limiting in what you are allowed to eat. Furthermore, the reality of the matter is that while you may lose weight quickly at first, your body will plateau and you will find it difficult to get past the "hump".

Instead, focus on following a healthy eating plan that encompasses foods from the four food groups, ensuring that you not only are given added flexibility in your meal options, but that you are receiving the minerals and vitamins that your body requires.

Fat Loss Myth #9

"Eating less often will help you to lose weight."

Did you know what there is such a thing as a "Sumo Diet"? It's thought that Sumo wrestlers eat just before retiring for the day, and rarely eat throughout the day itself as a way of packing on pounds.

The reason for this isn't because eating after 7pm actually causes major weight gain (the number of calories you have stored at the end of the day will still be transformed into fat regardless of when you ate), but instead, they do this because when you eat less your body ends up storing more fat, while decreasing your metabolism rate.

It's important to eat regularly throughout the day, preferably 6-8 times (three meals and healthy snacks every two hours will keep you satisfied and trigger your body to stay in constant fat burning mode).

Fat Loss Myth #10

"You are what you eat."

I saved this one for last because it's my absolute favourite.

While it's important to eat a healthy balanced diet, and drink plenty of water, by far the most important factor isn't what you eat, but what you think and what you feel.

If you feel fat then it'll be very difficult for you to lose weight. The thought of going to the gym will be very intimidating and all diets will leave you feeling somewhat dissatisfied. It's hard to get motivated to take the right action when your thoughts and feelings are working against you.

However, if your thoughts and your feelings are in alignment with your desire then change is not only easy, it's almost natural.

Think of this as developing a fat burning mindset. Like a foundation that supports your dietary changes and exercise plan. This foundation is critical for your success.

Changing what you think and feel may seem impossible but there are many tools available that can do this for you. Subliminal audio programs that re-program your mind as you relax and listen to calming music are very effective for this purpose, as are hypnotic audio recordings, guided mediations, inspiring books and motivational speeches.

I'm sure you'll appreciate how much more effective a workout becomes when you have a coach. Well the same things goes for your body and your mind, your mind IS your coach, and when you have the right thoughts and feelings you are giving it a command to re-program your body in a way that supports your goal. In other words, your bodily functions naturally change to support your changing mindset. As a result you'll begin to see changes that make it easy for you to lose weight naturally. These will manifest in all kinds of ways, you'll no doubt experience a boost in your metabolic rate, making it easier to lose weight without changing anything! Many people notice a shift in their pallet. The sugary fatty foods that they once loved seem to gradually lose their appeal and healthy nutritious meals suddenly become much more appetising and desirable. You might find that you start to enjoy exercise or take up a new hobby that keeps you naturally fit and healthy.

I've seen these changes time and time again in my clients when I've worked with them to change their mindset. For me, this is the most powerful and effective change that you can make. Most people automatically focus on their diet, because 'we are what we eat', right? But humans are much more complicated than that and shifting your mindset first has such a powerful and lasting impact that everything you used to do to try to lose weight, that always felt like an uphill struggle, suddenly becomes natural and effortless... and the results are permanent too!

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