BUSTED! 10 weight loss myths

In a series of articles for rediff.com, weight loss expert Dr Vidyut Sodha shares his insights on obesity.

Everyone has a theory on weight loss. They'll tell you to go to the gym, do weight training, kill yourself on the treadmill and what not.

The fact is that quite a few of these 'theories' are in fact myths that have become accepted as realities over the years.

Weight loss expert Dr Vidyut Sodha busts these myths for us:

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Myth: Having more water will cause water retention

Fact: Having less water daily will cause weight gain and cellulite formation. Having ideal water for your body will actually cause weight loss and reduction of cellulite!

Myth: Do weight training for weight loss
 
Fact: Doing weight training for targeting weight loss will not help you look skinny you have to do cardio everyday for direct fat loss!

After you come down to your target weight then for maintaining weight do 3-4 days weight training combined with cardio.

Myth: Will eating only fruits in the day cause weight loss?

Fact: Eating only fruits can cause weight loss initially due to water loss but if the required carbohydrate levels are exceeded then excess is stored as body fat.

Also some fruits contain a lot of fructose which indirectly causes weight gain for example don't eat an apple after 4 pm in the evening.

Myth: For weight loss I don't eat fatty foods at all!

Fact: Body fat is required by our bodies for the absorption of vitamins a,d,e,k and also it acts like an insulator in the cold temperatures so each diet should contain between 15-20 per cent fat as a source of food!

Myth: Walking helps in weight loss
 
Fact: Well, not entirely. Walking is a good exercise but only if it is accompanied with a healthy diet. Walking an aerobic exercise, which burns direct body fat. But it needs to be done at a certain speed and of course it HAS to be coupled with a proper diet

Myth: Eating only once a day will make me lose weight

Fact: As you eat less food the body goes into a shut down phase (starvation mode) and then whatever we eat is converted into body fat and stored also there is a slowdown of metabolism so body starts gaining weight rather than losing it!

Therefore you need to actually eat food to lose weight!

Myth: My metabolism is low so I can't lose weight.

Fact: Each body has a different rate of metabolism and the more weight you have the higher is the metabolism.

In fact fat people lose weight faster than thin people or people who have previously lost weight and are trying to lost weight again.

Take for instance, a stone that weighs 100 kilos and another one that weighs 60 kilos. You will need more energy to move the 100-kilo stone right?

The human body here is a stone and the pulling power is your body metabolism!

So stop giving excuses and start losing weight!

Myth: Only high proteins cause weight loss.

Fact: High protein diets are very ketogenic and no doubt initially they cause weight loss. But you must remember that all of that weight loss is water and the person will stop losing weight after the initial 5-10 kilos.

Since body muscles retain 70% of water and this helps to boost metabolism, the loss of water from the busy makes your metabolism very low and therefore the weight regain is very fast.

Thus following a healthy diet of 60 per cent carbs, 20 per cent proteins and 20 per cent fat is the healthiest way to lose weight and maintain it.

Also high protein diets are ketogenic, cause altered sensorium, high body fat levels and rebound hunger pangs thus the weight regain is faster and cellulite deposits are more!

Myth: Non-vegetarian foods cause a faster weight loss!

Fact: Non-vegetarian foods are high in saturated fat; they do not have any dietary fibre and lack nutritional values.

Also according to a research, having high non-veg foods can cause cancer due to archidonic acid present in a few foods.

Another recent study found that people on a vegetarian diet lost 30 per cent more weight than people on a non-veg diet.

The vegetarians also decreased the total cholesterol and the bad cholesterol and increased the good cholesterol content whereas the non-vegetarians did not show any changes in the body fat levels!

Myth: I have Hypothyroid so I can't lose weight.

Fact: Hypothyroid is a condition in which thyroid gland does not function properly thereby decreasing the busy metabolism.

However if the thyroid medications are started and you have been taking them for more than two months then you're probably just finding ways and means to escape the weight loss programme!

At our clinic we achieved the highest results ever in Mumbai when we made a 24 year-old-hypothyroid boy lose 92 kgs in just 14 months!

If he can do it so can anyone suffering from Hypothyroid can lose weight too.