Common Weight Loss Myths

  • High Protein Diets

    Although high protein diets may offer fast weight loss initially, most of the numbers moving on your scale are derived from water loss. Because our body requires carbohydrates to perform at its best, once you return to carbohydrate consumption all of the water will return and, ultimately, so will your weight.
    Also consider this, individuals consuming few carbohydrates often find themselves feeling lethargic, irritable and with headaches, nevermind the cravings!
    So, if you’re interested in long sustainable weight loss that will allow you to eat healthy, lose weight and feel good, high protein diet may not be the right path for you.
    At LightenUp Lifestyle, you will learn how to incorporate lean meats, fish, beans and other forms of healthy protein, while making room for healthy sources of carbohydrates.

  • I Am Genetically Predisposed To Be Heavy

    My grandparents were overweight, my parents were overweight and now I am overweight, I must be genetically predisposed to be overweight. This is a common belief of people who have suffer multi-generational obesity.
    Most likely, you are overweight, not because of a genetic predisposition, but because of the social lessons you learned as a child. For example, who is a member of the Clean Plate Club? Never knew one existed but I certainly was a member of this as a child. These are the habits we learn while growing up that promotes a lifestyle of weight gain as an adult.

  • Dietary Supplements Equal Sustainable Weight Loss

    There are the ones that speed up your metabolism and there are the ones that are just a meal in a scoop. Choose your path… Think about it, do you really foresee your future involving three scoops a day of nutrition to supplement the foods you eat?
    The habit we create with supplements is not sustainable from a nutritional standpoint, but more importantly from a social standpoint. Meals are a time for us to engage in social interactions, not to isolate ourselves in a corner while sucking on a straw…
    Sustainability means to be able to make the right decisions no matter what the environment. We may be out at a restaurant. We may be with family at the dinner table. Or, we may be reading a great book at a local coffee house. In all those environments, we need to develop the choices that allow us to thrive in any environment, with or without supplements.

  • Salad

    This food category can be deceiving. There are so many restaurants opening up that offer this “healthy” option. As much as eating a variety of vegetables can be beneficial, it depends on what has been added to the those vegetables. In order to make salads more appealing, restaurants typically add bacon, cheese, eggs, nuts, fried chicken and a rich creamy dressings on top. While you may find these items appetizing, they all contain large amounts calorically-dense nutrients, making your healthy salad nutritionally equivalent to a burger with fries.

  • Eat Less, Move More

    Many health clubs promote the way to your perfect body is through a regiment of great workouts. However, research suggests that after a great workout we tend to justify “recovery eating”. Recovery eating is when we justify a snack or meal because we had a killer workout. More time than not, that snack or meal more than makes up for the calories we burn in the workout.
    In order for the exercise to make a difference in your weight, you need to focus on, not only, the physical workout, but the nutritional inputs. This focus on the nutritional and physical not only improves your overall workout, but shows great progress on the scale.

  • Fast Food Is Bad For You

    That depends! Sure, the triple cheeseburger topped with a half-pound of bacon, though so appetizing, is probably not the best choice for you. However, the small burger or breakfast sandwich by itself will most likely be a great choice from a nutritional standpoint. All you need to do is understand how to navigate our current environment from a healthy, sustainable perspective.

  • I Can Lose Weight By Myself And When I Want To!

    Sure you can! And, you can most likely sell your house, invest in the market and file your taxes by yourself, as well. However, there are some times that the time it takes to build up the competency is not attainable and therefore you hire a professional. Whether it is a real estate broker, a personal financial advisor or an accountant, there are times it is not worth the effort to teach yourself the skills necessary to accomplish your personal goal.
    Similarly, your weight loss target is a personal goal. You can go out into the market and try to decipher the confusing messages from the various “gurus” or you can rely upon a health coach to help you navigate through the noise to provide you with a program that is sustainable from a weight loss and lifestyle perspective.