Weight Loss Myths & Facts

Information about weight loss can be contradictory and confusing. Even worse, though, are the numerous widely-believed weight loss myths. These are a formidable obstacle for people trying to lose weight in a permanent, healthy manner. Here are a few of the more common weight loss myths.

Fad Diets Work

• There is no good fad diet. While they often cause weight loss because you're eating less, the weight comes back as soon as the diet is stopped, often with additional weight. In addition, fad diets are all unhealthy.

Cutting Carbs Works

• Low-carb, high-protein diets are fad diets, though they've remained popular for many years now. A healthy diet is well balanced, meaning it's inclusive of all the food groups, and is not too disproportionately heavy on one or two groups.

Cut Out Starch

• Starches have a bad reputation among dieters, but they're an important low-fat source of complex carbohydrates, a key provider of energy.

Some Foods Burn Fat

• Some of the more widely-circulated diet myths these days, particularly as part of fad diets, are that certain foods like grapefruit, lemon, celery, cinnamon, chili peppers, and cabbage burn fat. While some (like chili peppers or caffeine) can create a slight, short-lived acceleration of metabolism, no food actually burns fat.

Herbal Weight Loss Products Help

• Supplements touting themselves as natural or herbal weight loss products are big business. There is no good evidence that these products have any benefit to dieters, and, more importantly, there are serious, legitimate concerns about their safety.