Anyone who has ever dieted has probably heard or read a number of different assertions about weight loss. There is so much conflicting advice out there that it can be hard to know the best way to go about losing weight.
Dieters also find that everyone suddenly becomes concerned for their wellbeing and offers so-called helpful advice about what they should or should not be eating (or not eating) in order to reach their weight loss goals.
While all of this is done with your wellness in mind and with the very best of intentions, unfortunately a lot of what is considered common knowledge about dieting is, in fact, pure myth. Even a lot of what is published in the media is misinformation, and can even be detrimental to weight-loss efforts.
Firstly, people will tell you to set small, realistic goals in your weight loss journey, an idea refuted by David B. Allison, University of Alabama’s Director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Centre. Allison claims that two studies actually show that more ambitious weight-loss goals help you to lose more weight in the long term.
People will also tell you that slow weight loss is better than fast, but science refutes this too. There is no significant data to support this, and in fact research shows that people who lose weight fast tend to lose more overall, and have an equal chance of keeping it off.
Small changes in lifestyle (such as taking the stairs or switching to skimmed milk) also do not benefit weight loss. People who make these little changes will not see a change on the scales.
With regards to childhood obesity, the expert also believes that it is a myth that having children take part in gym classes will help them to have a healthier build. On the other hand, being active at home and having a healthy diet does have a beneficial effect.
Children are also not believed to benefit from breastfeeding, in terms of their weight, according to the expert, as Allison claims that the research which backs up claims that the World Health Organisation makes about the link between breastfeeding and healthy weight is skewed.
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