5 Weight Loss Myths That Are Holding You Back

I have compiled this list of weight loss myths based on my own experiences trying to lose weight over the last few years. I’ve believed all these things at one point or another. Once I finally started to lose weight, I realized these things were holding me back all along. Here are the 5 myths I no longer believe.

1. YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT FAST!

You are overweight and have been most of your life. Then, one day, something happens, and you want to change. Not just change but FAST change, and because you are suddenly inspired to make some major life changes, you get online to find someone – anyone – to give you some direction. Instagram and Facebook flood your feed with ways to “lose weight fast.” You see all the moms who just had a baby and are as fit as ever. You see “the” plan that promises you’ll be down 10 pounds in two weeks, but can it actually work?

Well… it can work… but  more than likely you will be MISERABLE the entire time, and you will only last a couple of days before you give up. Cue the post-diet feast where you gain back everything you lost (and then some) because losing weight fast is all about deprivation and it’s not sustainable or healthy.

Maintainable weight loss isn’t actually supposed to be fast.

When you see a diet promising fast results run in the opposite direction. If you want to be successful, accept the proven fact that slow and steady wins the race when it comes to losing weight.

Weight loss isn’t for the faint of heart. It isn’t fun, it isn’t easy, and it isn’t fast. Buuuut if you chose to lose weight at a reasonable pace, you will find yourself succeeding because you won’t have to be deprived, you’ll just have to exhibit some mild form of self control!

2. CHANGE IS ALWAYS HARD.

It is overwhelming when you want to lose weight and you realize that you have a laundry list of bad habits to break. How in the world are you not just going to give up soda, but replace it with 8 glasses of water?! How are you going to fit in a workout every day? The realities start to pile up, and upon these realizations, you can be tempted to give up before you even start. You know you can’t change all of your bad habits, so you walk away discouraged and hopeless. “I’ll never be healthy. I have too many bad habits” you think to yourself. NOT TRUE!

Change does not have to be hard

I am living proof! Look at your laundry list and figure out one small thing you can change. Maybe you can’t quit soda. Maybe you can’t get your 8 glasses of water in, but can you replace just one soda a day with a glass of water? Does that seem like a doable starting place for you? I think it can be, and this is how I encourage people to start. Just make small changes and they will lead to big changes. Before you know it, you’ll be drinking 7 glasses of water a day and just one soda. It CAN happen, and you can do it at a pace that is comfortable for you to ensure success! 

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There was a time when I couldn’t even go into a Walmart without picking up candy, ice cream, or chips. I used to eat several pints of Ben & Jerry’s every month. I would bake sweets weekly and consume whatever junk food I could get my hands on. It’s crazy to sit here and think about the things I used to eat because I don’t even remember when or how I broke those habits. They just gradually faded away as I made one small healthy habit after another. Start small and don’t get overwhelmed! I promise that small changes lead to big changes. The big changes that evolved from my small changes are what have propelled my weight loss!

If you don’t know which small change to make first, just start by reading this book. (It helped me lose 18 pounds after I hadn’t lost any weight for a full year!)

3. YOU CAN’T LOSE WEIGHT UNLESS YOU EXERCISE.

Obviously exercise is good for you, but exercise alone is not going to get you to your weight loss goal. Results are going to come from getting your eating under control. Take it from someone who runs 22 miles a week and is at the gym 5 days a week but still struggling to get those last 25 pounds off; exercise will not erase a bad diet.

When I hear people say they need to “eat right AND exercise” in order to lose any weight, I think, “No. You just need to eat right.” Once you start making smarter choices with your diet, you will lose weight. I find that healthier eating and the weight loss that flows from it naturally encourages people to start exercising.

4. ONE WEIGHT LOSS SYSTEM WORKS FOR EVERYONE

People crack me up with this (I was once this person). You see someone who lost weight and you ask them, “What did you do?!” You want to know every single thing they put in their mouth and every single workout they did… you think “this is my hot ticket!” I have news for you. They didn’t crack the weight loss code. What they have done is found what works for them. They have found a way to be consistent with their changes because whatever they are doing works for their personality and lifestyle.

Personality has SO much to do with weight loss.

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone would create a weight loss personality quiz? Maybe that can be my next adventure… but let’s be honest, I can’t create something like that on my own…  #poorjames.

Choose a weight loss program that doesn’t make you feel like you are dying. When I started BBG, I was successful because it fit my life at the time. I didn’t want to workout every day (check), I didn’t want to spend hours at the gym (check), I didn’t want to have a long impossible workout to do (check), I don’t mind walking (check). It ticked all the boxes, and that is what kicked off my consistency and success!

That’s the secret weight loss code. I cracked it. You’re welcome. Find what works for YOU and stick with it.

5. CALORIES DON’T MATTER

Tracking sucks. IT SUCKS. It is way more fun to sit down with a bag of chips, than a sad 1 oz portion of chips. Unfortunately, calories matter. No one will ever change my mind on this. Don’t even try. I don’t want to know about your aunt so and so who lost weight eating 5000 calories a day in nothing but pork rinds. No. Just stop.

Diets where entire food groups are removed can often help you lose weight without tracking, but the reason this happens is because you have major restrictions on what you can eat and/or the food you do eat is naturally lower in calories (keto, vegan, sugar free, paleo, etc.).

So there are some exceptions to this, but if you don’t want to be extremely restricted with your diet, you need to track your calories. Even with some of those diets you can eventually stall out and still find yourself needing to track in order to keep losing weight.

Myfitnesspal is a great place to keep track of your calories for free. If you are interested in tracking calories, but need more support, check out Noom. Give WW (weightwatchers) a try if you don’t want to track every single thing you eat!

Need support with your weight loss journey? Join Mom’s Kids! It is run by someone who understands how you feel 100% – ME. Hope to see you there.

Conclusion

Have you believed any of these weight loss myths? How have they kept you from reaching your goals? I would love to hear any other misconceptions you’ve believed about weight loss!

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