The Myths and Facts About Fighting Obesity: What Is Scientifically Sound?

There are many ideas circulating about the best way to promote fat loss, change lifestyles, and maintain the changes you make. Today, let’s look at a few of the popular ideas surrounding weight management.

• Small lifestyle changes are enough to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. 
  

Though efforts like parking further from your destination are a good place to start, latest research is showing that this may not help as much as we would like to think. The fact is that the amount of time in which we are sedentary greatly outweighs the effort of walking 20 extra yards once a day. Experts say once again the most effective means of substantial weight loss and management is consistent dietary management and exercise. 

•  Setting realistic goals is the best approach. 
  

The current thought about goal setting is to create a small manageable goal and progress once that goal is reached; however leading fitness professionals are recommending a more progressive approach. Personal trainers are familiar with this concept, and there is no reason that you should not be too: micro goals and macro goals. Set a higher weight loss goal but then break it down into smaller goals. This will allow you to celebrate small successes while continually challenging you to meet your true goal.  Click HERE to review a previous blog entry on goal setting.

• Rapid weight loss is always bad. 
  

Researchers are saying this is not always true. The key is finding a program that is sustainable.

• Regularly eating breakfast prevents obesity. 
  

Researchers have found that a person’s baseline breakfast habits set the nutritional standards for the rest of the day. So a healthy breakfast fostered healthier eating for the remainder of the day, but an unhealthy breakfast led to poor meal choices for the duration of the day.  Click HERE to read a blog about eating breakfast.

• Eating more fruits and veggies results in weight loss. 
  

Research has concluded that there is no evidence to support or reject this theory. Eating fruits and veggies allows you to reap the nutritional benefits, but if the key in weight loss is creating a calorie deficit. 

Still frustrated and confused about how to go about losing weight the safe and effective way?  Schedule an appointment with one of our trainers AND one of our nutrition specialists.  Let's talk about what got you to where you are today and how we can help you with your "scientific body transformation".  Remember, all you have to do is ask for help...we won't turn you away.

This blog was adapted from: "What Really Works In fighting Obesity."  IDEA Fitness Journal. Jan 2014 pp 16-17