The fitness & health industry is packed with lies, misleading information, scams and bad science. Here are the worst weight loss lies we heard so far.

Exposed & Solved: Biggest Lies And Myths About Weight Loss 

The fitness and health industry is packed with lies, misleading information,
scams and bad science.

Nowadays, we've been duped into thinking that health isn't our natural state and
that we have to work extremely hard and buy a lot of fancy stuff to reach our
ideal body size. Nothing is further from the truth.

Here are the worst weight loss lies we heard so far. Exposed and solved!

Don't eat after 6pm (especially not carbs)
Why? Because eating carbs late at night will go right to your hips? Not true!

The main reason why eating at night has been associated with weight gain is
because of people who snack excessively or binge at night. But those people have
also been eating improperly throughout the day.

Let me be clear, your weight loss success is influenced by several variables.
But time of the day isn't one of them.

Losing weight at a sustainable pace takes many days of being in a caloric
deficit, which gradually burns excess stored fat. The calories you eat are
balanced against the number of calories you burn. It's that simple.

The time of the day you consume these calories doesn't affect the long-term
process. Therefore, just not eating after 6pm does not guarantee any weight
loss.

In fact, some studies show protein consumed near bedtime gets fully digested and
boosts muscle-protein synthesis while you sleep. Furthermore, it's even better
to eat in the evening, because if your meal contains carbs, you'll sleep better
due to higher serotonin levels.

The only benefit from not eating after 6 pm is a long fasting period (from 6pm
until you eat breakfast the next day). But again, this won't affect your weight
loss.

Some people will have success with this method and preach it, not knowing WHY it
worked for them (caloric deficit due to not consuming the calories they were
consuming before in the evening). If it works for you, go ahead. But make sure
to understand how it works and that you might as well eat your last meal at 7,
10 or 11 pm and have the same effect.

You must eat only 1200 calories per day to lose weight
Why would you do that? That's torture and I can tell you, that you won't stick
to your diet for longer than a week. Or you will and mess up your hormones in
the process.

Starting your weight loss journey by eating 1200 calories leaves you no room to
further reductions once your weight loss stagnates. What's then? Cutting down to
under 1000 calories per day?

You surely will fight against unbearable hunger, nutrient deficiency, slowed
down metabolism and giving up.

Everybody's metabolic rate is different. The rates at which our bodies burn
calories differ, so do our activity levels. People with more muscles burn more
even during their sleep.

Therefore, there is no set number of calories that everybody should aim for. Use
our free calculator
[/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/], which uses one
of the best formulas out there, to accurately estimate the calories you need on
a daily basis.

You can eat what you want as long as you exercise
Hell, no!

Working out is essential for your health and provides weight loss benefits, but
it's a myth that spending countless hours at the gym while eating crappy food
will lead to weight loss.

Dieting is roughly 80% what you eat and 20% exercise. You can't out-run a bad
diet!

It's so much more important to be mindful of the food that you're putting in
your body, not just if you want to lose weight!

You need to do cardio
I don't know why, but many people think that cardio is the best way to lose
weight. Sure, increasing your cardiovascular activity is important. But what's
more important is to incorporate strength training to build muscle.

Weight lifting helps to build strong connective tissue in the body, to perform
better in daily activities, it enhances bone density and builds lean muscle.

While you burn only up to 10 calories per minute lifting weights, compared to 12
for cardio, you continue burning calories after you put those dumbbells down.
Your metabolism stays elevated by up to 10% for the day after you lift.

And you'll look better in the end! Spending hours on jogging every week will
certainly help with creating a caloric deficit, but you'll look skinny and just
plain thin rather than athletic and healthy.

Fruit makes you fat
Oh please. Everything can make you fat if you are in a caloric surplus. Even
lettuce.

Shocking truth is: Most people didn't become overweight by eating too much
fruit.

Some believe the fructose causes fat gain. However, fruit contains relatively
low levels of fructose compared to sweetened beverages. For example, a medium
apple contains around 13g of fructose and 90 calories. A Coke has 65g of sugar
and 240 calories.

Fruit is packed with nutrients, contains fiber and has a high water content
which makes it more filling. It's an excellent choice as a healthy source of
fast carbohydrates.

Again, excess calories cause weight gain. If you eat more calories than you
burn, you will gain weight. Doesn't matter where those calories came from.

Diet sodas are perfect to lose weight
Don't get fooled by those 'zero calorie' labels. They may have a very small
amount of calories, but most of them contain artificial sweeteners, such as
aspartame. Artificial sweetener can also lead to weight gain, because they make
you crave carbs, increase your appetite and trigger fat storage.

As the body gets tricked by the sugar substitute, you crave more and begin to 
overeat. Plus, some people react rather harsh to such drinks and their bodies
start to hold a ton of water. Which is not fat, but makes people look fatter.
And if you're overweight and/or a beginner, you can't tell the difference
between water and fat gain.

Drink plain water, tea and coffee instead! Without sugar that is.

Fat makes you fat
One of the fattest lies ever told! Fat is absolutely essential to your overall
health. It's one of the body's main building blocks and fuel sources.

Our cell membranes are made from fat and our brain is 60% fat!

Not all fats are created equal, though. There are good and nasty ones.

Focus on avocados, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter, fish
and flax oils and skip on cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, margarine (no,
it does not help with anything!) and most importantly trans fats. Our fat guide
[/the-basics-what-is-dietary-fat/] has more info on that by the way.

I need supplements to reach my ideal weight
Stop thinking this way. There are no magical pills, potions, creams or shoes
that help you grow muscle or get leaner.

Drinking tons of detox teas and taking fat-burning supplements is not the key to
weight loss. Relying on them to get in shape is totally unrealistic. Rather
follow a wholesome diet and exercise regularly.

Anything that promises a quick and easy solution is probably a scam. In the end
it all comes down to hard work and your mindset.

For instance: detox tea does not help with fat loss at all. It might detox your
body a bit, but only if you don't put toxic stuff in your mouth while you drink
it. Fat burners are all utter nonsense. There are actually fat burners that do
work, but they are not legal! If you can buy one in a normal online shop or a
supplement store, it will not work. Period.

The best legal and working "fat burner" is caffeine. Have a cup or two of coffee
every day. It will increase your metabolism (up to a certain point of course),
is safe, cheap and tasty.

Do X or eat X to lose belly fat
There's not much you can do to change the way your body burns fat. Based on the
receptors in your fat cells, some body fat (abdominal, legs, hips) will be more
stubborn than others (shoulders, arms).

No, crunches will not burn belly fat. Actually, if anything, it will make you
look fatter, because abs are just muscles like any other muscle. And what
happens when we train muscles? They grow. And body fat is one layer above
muscles. Hence, the bigger the abs, the bigger your belly. Your belly fat will
just stick out even more. Common sense.

Also, don't put foil around your mid section or other stupid stuff like that.
Just because you sweat more, doesn't mean you lose fat in that area. Unless your
sweat is yellow-ish and thick, you are not losing body fat there! It's just
water and minerals.

The only way to lose belly fat is to get lean. If you're lean at the areas where
your body wants to lose weight, it will start to burn belly fat as well. 20%
body fat for women and 15% for men [/how-to-determine-your-body-fat-percentage/] 
is roughly the point where you'll start to see a difference.

If you want to improve belly fat reduction, you can try HIIT workouts, which
have be shown to change the aforementioned receptors ratio. Normal cardio like
jogging and walking will not have any effect on belly fat whatsoever though.

But HIIT, of course, is no magic. It might speed up the process a tiny bit
though.

Fat loss foods
This one should be quite clear if you read the paragraphs above, but just to hit
the point home: there are no fat loss foods. You can lose and gain fat with any
food. It depends on the amounts! It's certainly harder to overeat on lettuce,
tuna and tomatoes - hence they are nice to incorporate into your diet, but if
you eat too much tuna, you'll gain fat, as with any other food.

Also, vegetables are not "free". They have calories! So advice like "eat as much
of X as you like" is dangerous!

Conclusion
Stop spending the days looking for the "secret" or the magic supplements. Weight
loss isn't tricky, there are just too many misconceptions out there that throw a
roadblock in front of your diet plan.

Follow common sense and a science based fat loss program, and you will see
results, guaranteed!

Exposed & solved: Biggest lies and myths about weight loss

There are so many people out there, that will tell you what you should be doing, instead of encouraging you to make your dreams come true. 


The Importance of Failure - 1 Minute Motivation

There are so many people out there, that will tell you what you should be doing,
instead of encouraging you to make your dreams come true.

The thing is, only you know what your goals and your personal objectives are.
You know what you've planned for tomorrow and the opportunities you have at
hand.

Always be confident in your dreams because if you don't, it's so much easier to
let these comments and opinions drain you. Remember, that the only person who
needs to believe in your dreams and visions is you. People will never fully
understand it because it's not their dream.

Let them think what they want, while you work on what you want. They are the
last thing you need to worry about. People tell me all the time that I work way
too much and that I should take a break. But at the same time, they ask me how I
stay so motivated, driven and focused.

Passion. If you love what you do, it's always easy to work for it. Discipline
isn't easy when you're not motivated or driven. Always envision your dream and
work towards it. Even if you fail. Because 95% of what you gonna do will be a
failure. But you do it for that 5% of winning.

Failure and mistakes are so important and nobody gets it. Everybody only focuses
on success, but you have to fail in order to win. Everybody wants to win, but
nobody dares to fail. I aim to fail, so I know how to do it better the next
time, and I know what works and what doesn't. Dare to suck at something and then
do it better. It's that easy. Stop letting mistakes define you. Mistakes are the
most important part of the game.

In today's world, it's so much easier to talk about success rather than
struggles. The truth is, I struggle every day. Whether it be with my company,
with my nutrition or with my workout. But I don't let it hold me down. I fuel my
actions with my struggle. Anyone can preach about success. It's so easy. But
isn't it more satisfying to talk about all the obstacles you have to overcome
and might be an example to someone else?

Keep making mistakes. Keep learning. You can't be perfect right away. I know
it's not easy. Working on yourself isn't fancy. But you aren't born to live an
easy life. Live a life full of challenges and failure. In the end, the most
important thing is that you've tried.

I’m smart because I make mistakes. A lot. Every day. You rarely learn anything
from successes or the good things in life. It’s struggle and falling on our
knees that makes us better.

Failing is better than never trying.

When suffering from diabetes it's important to move your body. In fact, along with diet and medication, exercise will help you lower blood sugar levels.

Living with diabetes 3 -  Diabetes and fitness / Diabetes Series

When suffering from diabetes [https://blog.slickcoach.com/what-is-diabetes/] 
it's important to move your body. In fact, along with a proper diet
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/diabetes-and-nutrition/] and medication, exercise
will help you lower blood sugar levels, lose that extra weight you're eventually
carrying and increases the glucose uptake by the cells.

However, I know the prospect of starting a regular workout regime might feel
intimidating. And it's possible that you haven't exercised for years or ever.

But don't worry. I have some tips and tricks for you to start slowly.

Fitness and type 1 diabetes


Regular workouts will help to control blood glucose levels and improve HbA1c 
(glycated haemoglobin, which develops when haemoglobin joins with glucose in the
blood). Furthermore, you will see improvements in insulin sensitivity and
glucose metabolism.

You might have to increase your carbohydrate intake before the workout to avoid
exercise-induced hypoglycaemia. Eating more carbs isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Even when you're diabetic, carbs are not evil!

Many people who suffer from type 1 diabetes, have to use an insulin pump, which
is needed to deliver a calculated dose of insulin at certain intervals.

With physician approval, you can safely disconnect the pump for 1–2 hours. Make
sure to inspect your pump insertion sites before and right after exercise.

Activities that require special accommodations for an insulin pump


If swimming is your exercise of choice, you might have to disconnect the pump
before you're going to the water, since the most pumps aren't waterproof.

If you plan to be disconnected, it's important to make sure you're replacing at
least one portion of your missed basal insulin. Disconnecting shouldn't be a
problem at all, just do a bolus correction or increase basal when you're
finished with your workout session.

Diabetes and physical activity
There are three main categories of exercises. You should aim to have a good
balance of all of them: cardio, strength training and flexibility.

Being more active will not only improve your insulin response
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/definite-insulin-guide/], but it will also improve
the way your body uses blood sugar. Furthermore it helps with weight loss and
lowers the risk for heart diseases. And it also lifts your mood!

Before you start an exercise


It's crucial to keep your blood sugar levels in check
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-to-maintain-healthy-blood-sugar/] before and
after every workout, because if they're too high or too low it might not be safe
to work out!

If your blood sugar level is below 100md/dL (5.6 mmol/L) you need to eat some
carbs before you begin your workout (30 minutes prior your workout). You have to
skip/postpone the workout, if your blood sugar level is higher than 250mg/dL
(13.9mmol/L), with ketones in your urine.

Having a high amount of urinary ketones means that your insulin levels are too
low and your body is breaking down fat for fuel. Don't exercise until you’ve got
your glucose levels up to normal and your ketones down to just traces.

Please, don't do any resistance training, if your blood sugar levels are higher
than 300mg/dL.

Make sure to always have some form of fast-acting carbs with you while you
workout, such as glucose tablets, juice or a banana, to prevent exercise-induced
hyperglycaemia and quickly boost your sugar levels if necessary.

Check your meds


Ask your GP, if the medication you're taking might affect you during exercise
and if so, how.

There are some medications, that make your blood sugar levels drop too low. This
might cause dizziness, fainting or seizures.

If you're on insulin medication, ask your doc if you need to adjust dosages on
days where you workout.

Set realistic goals


Before you start with your workout routine, you need to set realistic goals. If
you haven't really worked out before, you aren't going to jump into running a 5k
or squat your own bodyweight right away. You need to build strength and stamina, 
both of which take time.

Give yourself the time your body needs, to adapt to a steady workout routine and
slowly increase your activity level. Consistency is more important than one
killer workout!

Increase your everyday activity


Getting back to working out after a pretty long time off? Then it's wiser to 
start slow. Aim for 30 minutes per workout session to begin with. Make sure to
warm up and cool down properly for 5 minutes by doing some stretching.

A nice way to start getting more active
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/the-best-13-habits-and-tricks-of-fit-people/] is to 
take the stairs instead of the lift at the office or to do regular morning walks
for 30 minutes at a brisk pace.

Nearly everything you do to move your body is better than inactivity. Consider
parking as far away from your work as possible, so you have to walk more.

Workout 5 times a week


Aim for exercise 5 times a week. Have strength training
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/bodybuilding-myths-in-the-media/] and cardio at
least twice a week. This is appropriate to see beneficial results from the
respective type of exercise.

It's also better to workout more often, but to do lighter workouts, than go all
in and heavy right away. Stimulating every muscle twice per week leads to better
progress in the long run.

Prioritise strength training (weight lifting)


Strength training [https://blog.slickcoach.com/full-body-workout/] is a very
effective way to control blood glucose, increase strength and improve the 
quality of life in individuals with diabetes. You really should give it a try!

Building muscle mass will help you to control your weight and diabetes: More
muscles means a higher basal metabolic rate, which means better weight control 
and a much better insulin sensitivity (meaning, you need less insulin).

Implementing a good weight lifting routine, with a proper form, can help with
losing body fat and controlling blood sugar levels.

2-3 sets per exercise is a good starting point. In general use lower reps/higher
resistance for strength and higher reps/lower resistance for endurance.

Resting time between each set should be 60-90 seconds or 120 seconds for very
hard compound exercises (squat, deadlift, bench press).

Forget about “No pain, no gain”


If suddenly something hurts, it feels too hard to do a particular exercise, you
feel dizziness, shortness of breath or disorientation: stop immediately! Slow
and steady wins the race, when it comes to fitness and better health for
diabetics.

In fact, especially for starters it's better to work out every day with lighter
workloads, because lighter weights will not increase blood pressure as much as
higher loads do.

Pay more attention to your feet


People with diabetes are at much greater risk of developing problems with their
feet. The reason behind that, is the damage raised blood sugar levels can cause
to sensation and circulation.

Left untreated, these problems can cause infections and - worst case - might
lead to amputation.

Therefore, make sure to wear very comfortable and safe footwear. Never run in
inappropriate shoes, because your feet need special support.

Also, properly check your feet after every session for any blisters or
irritations. Moisture-wicking socks or gel insoles might help with feet
protection.

If you need help, hire somebody


This is especially important, if you're new to exercise. Consider booking a few
workout session with a personal trainer, who is experienced in working with
people that suffer from diabetes.

Hiring a professional can be very beneficial to learn the basics and avoid
injuries. But don't with the next best "personal trainer" at your local low cost
gym. If you spend the money, get somebody with experience and a proven track
record.

Make sure to drink enough!


Getting enough fluids in before, during and after your workout is crucial. Don't
wait until you're thirsty, because then you're already significantly dehydrated.
Aim for 1 litre per 20 kg/10 lbs of body weight per day.

Track workouts, meals, medications and blood sugar levels

It can be very motivating
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/stay-on-track-with-your-weight-loss/] to track
every workout session and seeing improvements.

But that's not all: Analysing journal entries helps to spot patterns and figure
out how your body reacts to different types of exercise and food.

Something isn't working? Change one variable at a time and see if that helps.
Maybe you need to change your pre-workout meal or how much insulin you have to
take. All this will be much easier to figure out, when you keep tracking
everything in a journal.

Plus, stick to the same routine and diet for at least 3 to 4 weeks, so it's much
easier see trends. Trying stuff for 2 days in a row is just not enough, to see
results.

Reconsider your insulin levels


If you're working out regularly and you're on medication, you could consider
changing your insulin levels. Why? Working out will increase your insulin
sensitivity. A lot.

If your blood sugar levels are consistently high or low throughout the day, it
might be time to adjust your medication.

Get a training partner


It can be a huge motivation to train together with a friend or somebody who is
on the same mission.

Furthermore, you will be more likely to stick to your new workout routine, if
you know that there's somebody waiting for you to come. Accountability is a huge
factor for success!

There are workout groups in most cities and you can join Facebook groups for
tips and support. A supportive and helpful community can make a huge difference.

Never give up!


Becoming more active has only good sides, even if you don't see or feel all of
them right away.

Stick with it, even if it sucks and you'll soon see the results.

Conclusion
Keep in mind, exercise and diet should go hand in hand. Even if you exercise
regularly, a diet rich in sugar and unhealthy fats and with just very little
micronutrients [https://blog.slickcoach.com/ultimate-vitamin-guide/] can not be
out-run.

On the other hand, if you are on a healthy diet, but you rarely move, your
cardiovascular health will suffer at some point. Your body needs both!

So get out there and kick butt!