7 things everyone is afraid to tell you about weight loss
Weight loss is that its one of the most lucrative parts of the fitness industry. Where there is a fortune to be made, companies will gladly lie to make a buck. Here are the 7 things they are afraid to tell you about weight loss:
Its not “weight” you need to lose, its fat. FAT, FAT, FAT, FAT, such an ugly word. Nobody wants to think they are FAT, that makes them feel bad about themselves, they just want to lose “weight”. To get rich selling supplements or have viral weight loss videos, tell people what they want to hear and use the word “weight”. The thing is, its FAT you want to lose - not weight, not water, not muscle, not bones. This is not just semantics, its crucial to success to know exactly what it is you are trying to achieve. The problem with thinking of it terms of “weight loss” is that leads people to measure “success” in the wrong way by fixating on the scale which hinders them in their real goal. Fixating on “weight” also makes people do stupid and dangerous things. If you restrict your water intake, you lose “weight” really fast until you end up in the emergency room. If you do an extreme fad diet you might lose 100lbs weight in 3 months but you will also lose most of your muscle mass which lowers your metabolic rate and virtually insures that when you go off your diet, you will be even fatter than before. The worst tool you can use in measuring your fat loss success is the scale. The best way to measure your fat loss progress is a skinfold caliper but nearly as good, and much easier is simply measuring your waist! Throw out the scale and get a measuring tape.
Fat loss requires patience. There is no FAST way to lose weight, period. To be able to maintain muscle or gain muscle while losing fat, use no more than a 25% caloric deficit – for most people this means losing less than 5lbs a month. If you use more extreme of a caloric deficit in an attempt to lose “weight” faster, you will end up burning off muscle. If you are a hundred pounds overweight, it could take more than a year to lose the weight but as a bonus, you can couple your sensible caloric deficit with a weightlifting program and get your 15lbs of newbie muscle gains.
Eating delicious food results in overeating. In fantasy-land, you can eat delicious, mouth watering food for every meal and still lose weight but not on planet Earth. When food tastes too good, people overeat - period. Only obese people claim it’s possible to lose weight eating delicious food. Rely on the subtle, natural flavors of home cooked, minimally processed natural foods rather than artificial flavors, MSG, and gobs of salt and sugar. Food should not taste like a party in your mouth if you want to lose weight. Remember that the goal of restaurants is to get repeat customers and they do that by using huge portion sizes and making food so delicious that its addictive.
Supplements are a waste of money. EAT REAL FOOD. Almost every google link you follow about weight loss (except this one) will recommend you buy some supplement and its because weight loss supplements are embarrassingly profitable. You have the vitamins, you have the weight loss shakes, you have the meal replacement bars, and then you have the “fat burners”. Green tea extract products, coffee bean extracts, Ephedra products, Garcinia Cambogia products, Ancient Tibetan herbal weight loss, extreme fat burners, “women’s fat burner”, then the stimulant products. What is a “woman’s fat burner” anyway? Last time I checked, women and men are of the same species and women do not require any special products for fat loss. Reality check here people, a third of Americans are clinically obese and probably 60% of Americans would love to lose weight. If ANY of these products actually worked, don’t you think word would get around? You do NOT know some secret that nobody else knows. These products do not work so buckle down, learn about good nutrition, learn to batch cook, and incorporate self-locomotion into everyday life.
Fad diets never work but they become best selling books! The fad diets almost always rely upon dangerously low caloric intake that cannibalizes muscle. Old-school weight loss thru a bit of exercise and a lot of good nutrition provides far superior results. These books are always full of anecdotes of people who lose massive amounts of weight in very little time but what they don’t tell you is that at the end of the diet they were literally weak as a kitten from losing all their muscle.
Mental illnesses like depression and anxiety are the root cause of many peoples obesity. Maybe fat loss is not your top priority. If you are depressed or have anxiety issues, losing weight will probably require you work on these important issues first. Medications for these illnesses can also make losing fat more difficult. You and your doctor need to decide how important fat loss is for you because perhaps all your energy needs to be put into mental health improvement. A big problem is that America does not seem to recognize the importance of mental health. 10% of Americans suffer from depression. 27% suffer from anxiety. If you are lucky enough to have any mental health coverage at all, it will only cover 12 sessions which is simply inadequate. Losing fat is hard enough but if you suffer from depression or anxiety then it becomes 10x harder. If you are suffering, do not give up hope. If you have insurance, USE it! If not, see if your work or school has any resources for you. You can also try taking a meditation class and get daily exercise of some sort as this has been shown to improve mood. Its unlikely it will completely solve your issues but it could make them a bit more bearable. Scooby is rooting for you!
There is no such thing as spot fat removal. Any device, program, or supplement that says it is for spot fat removal of the love handles or “stubborn belly fat” is a waste of money and time because they will not work. Doing situps or crunches for an hour in an attempt to get rid of your belly is a waste of time that would better be spent jogging. The only way to do “spot fat removal” is thru cosmetic surgery and that is expensive and can be dangerous as well.
You don’t deserve anything. I know, tough love. Does this sound familiar to you? You have been exercising every single day and dieting hard all week long eating clean, minimally processed food you make at home - truly flawless nutrition. Then your friend invites you out to dinner and you think to yourself, “why not, I DESERVE at treat!” Two problems with the “I DESERVE” mindset. First is that a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake can literally neutralize an entire weeks work of dieting. Its not a scoreboard where you count good days and bad days. All that matters is that at the end of the month you are a 25% caloric deficit. The other problem with the “I DESERVE” mentality is that you had your cheat meals for literally years which is why you are now having to lose weight. Now is the time to pay for all your cheat meals, you don’t get any more.
Next week I continue with weight loss but on a much more positive note. Next week I will cover the simple basics of how to lose fat in a healthy fashion while gaining muscle.
Comments?
Have been following you for a decade or so Scooby-- thank you for the straight talk and the great advice over the years. Looking forward to seeing you on substack!