People around the world want to lose weight, so much so that many even undergo botched surgeries to look lean. Not to mention the boom in the sale and consumption of weight-loss drugs. Many around the world have reportedly used them without consulting an expert.
There are two primary reasons behind this: first, many people are unwilling to put in the hours and hard work, and second, others consume misleading information through social media. American obesity expert Dr Spencer Nadolsky recently shared a video debunking three common weight-loss myths.
If you are on a journey to shed some weight, it is important to understand these hard‑hitting facts. They may be difficult to accept, but knowing them will help you follow a healthier and more consistent approach to losing weight.
Your Goal Weight Might Be Wrong
The obesity expert noted that many people chase the wrong target weight. Their entire goal may be a misguided number because many individuals randomly pick a weight they believe is "healthy" without considering crucial factors like strength, body composition, and muscle mass.
How a person feels every day also contributes to how much weight they should lose. "Health is not a scale weight," he said. The expert noted that it is about lab markers, energy, performance, and a body that a person can maintain without hurting themselves.
There Are No Dies That Burn Fat
This must be the mind-boggling myth that many people believe, courtesy of viral reels with attention-grabbing headlines like 'Burn fat with this drink' or 'Fat-burning salad recipe'. There is no magical diet on this planet that can help you shed a few kilograms without exercising.
"There is only a diet you can live with," the expert said. The ideal diet, contrary to what social media preaches, is the one that nourishes your body, keeps you full, and releases energy slowly. If a diet calls for you to starve, feel weak, and suffer through endless cravings, it is not designed for you to lose weight, at least not in a healthy and sustainable way.
Once you lose weight and return to old habits, you will likely regain the weight faster than you lost it - especially if your previous diet made your body suffer for weeks or months.
Seeking Help Is Not A Sign Of Weakness
For many people, weight loss can be extremely difficult, and they might need medication or even surgery. Dr Spencer Nadolsky noted, "Needing a GLP-1 is not cheating. Needing surgery is not a weakness."
He added that if someone is seeking help from tools, it is not a sign of weakness. It does not mean that they did not try hard enough. It just means that their body needs a little push.
"They reduce food noise, regulate appetite, and create space to build habits that actually stick. That's not taking the easy way out. That's practising medicine," he added.
However, taking the drugs without seeking consultation or going overboard with the dosages following a viral reel on social media is not encouraged. Everything has limitations and side effects. Even if you seek help, you have to follow a healthy process to lose weight so that you remain consistent with it after stopping the drugs, else you will put on the weight in less than two years.
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