Weight Loss Myths

[almaty 19]

I have had an alarming number of emails that asked similar questions about quick weight loss through diets, diet pills, or profuse sweating. Here is one email question that I would like to discuss in order for others to understand the facts and the myths of healthy weight loss.

I was looking at your website on how to lose weight. I have been running with a sauna suit to lose weight and want to lose about 20 pounds in 2 weeks. Is that even possible?

First, a healthy amount of weight loss is 2-3 lbs a week. Some health professionals lean more towards 1-2 lbs a week as a healthy amount of sustainable weight loss. So no, 10 lbs a week is not possible to do it in a healthy manner. Sure you could do it, but it is all water weight. I remember at SEAL training, during a six-mile ocean swim in December, most of my class lost 10-12 lbs in less than four hours. But we gained it all back as soon as we started eating and re-hydrating (drinking).

The remaining focus of this article are the myths of weight loss and a discussion on how to lose weight, keep it off, and get healthier at the same time.

Sweat Suits

For decades, many people have used sweat suits, garbage bags or saunas in order to lose weight quickly. You will lose weight in the form of sweat, which is water and electrolytes, but you will gain it back as soon as you eat again or drink water. This myth seems to have spread through the wrestling, boxing, and other sports gyms where guys need to lose a few pounds in order to make a weight class. But sweating excessively has no useful purpose in health weight loss. The dangers of sweating to lose weight are severe -- they include overheating (heatstroke), extreme loss of electrolytes (kidney damage/death), and other cardiovascular related emergencies.

The Diet Pill

The only way to lose weight is to burn fat by reducing caloric intake, exercising more, or a combination of both moderate eating and exercise. There is no pill that can help you burn fat or increase your metabolism while sitting on the couch eating chips and soda. Sure, there are pills that can reduce your appetite, but if you want a healthier version of a natural hunger suppressant, just drink more water - try 3 to 4 quarts a day.

In fact, your body needs water in order to burn fat. Sweat too much water out and your body will first have to make adjustments for its dehydration by retaining water and fat.

Fad Diets

Fad diets are popular because they promise rapid weight loss. However, fad diets or crash diets do not allow the body to burn fat calories as you would think, they actually produce a net loss of lean muscle mass, water, and stored energy. As a result, most people on such diets become tired and have a hard time finding the energy they need to exercise.

You have to burn calories through cardiovascular activity such as walking, running, biking, swimming or even household chores. Lifting weights or doing calisthenics burns calories and spikes your metabolism to build lean muscle and stronger bones. You may not see a weight loss immediately, but you will see inches lost, because muscles takes up less space than fat and weigh more. But, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.

Here is a free plan to get people started on weight loss 45 Day Beginner Plan. This will help you with ideas on how to eat moderately and burn calories without having to take pills, sit in a sauna or starve yourself.

Some recommended websites are Diet And Nutrition from the American Heart Association. The National Institutes of Health, the Heart Diseases Prevention Page and the Nutrition Page are loaded with interesting information about health and fitness.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle - check out the Military.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at Military.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

[Jenn! 918]

I just can't get my husband to understand the "Sweat Suits" myth. He's convinced that working out in warm clothes will make you lose weight faster.

Though why is it that they talk about how great that yoga in a hot room is so much?

[DeadPoolX 9]

One other thing I've found that gives a lot of people problems when dieting is how they limit their intake. In other words, most people on a diet tend to believe they must only eat "diet food" (whatever that is) and never touch another piece of chocolate cake or a bag of potato chips again. You could try that, but ultimately, you'll fail. Eventually, you'll want some sort of food item you're depriving yourself of so badly that you'll "break down" and get it, binging out on it, causing far more damage to your diet than if you merely allowed yourself to have it once in a while.

That's the key right there. You can have junk food (or whatever it is you're craving) every so often, just so long as you remember to diet most of the time and keep your indulgences to a minimum. So have a piece of cake once a month. That's perfectly fine! That won't harm you in the least. If you remember to watch your intake the other days and exercise, that slice of cake will get burned up in no time flat.

Edited April 16, 2008 by DeadPoolX

[morocco4ever 63]

FAD - Body wraps. They are the same as sweat suits. What is the point of losing weight if its just water?

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

go put up more fences if you want to lose weight.

[LuzyC 0]

go put up more fences if you want to lose weight.

:idea: * for hubby and Robin*

[greeneyedgirlfl 0]

To lose the amount of weight I have lost (80 pounds), I had to drastically alter my eating habits...changing my diet instead of "dieting"...fads don't work, I've tried many...exercise and a healthy diet, that's the ticket!!!

[Not Available 0]

For me, limiting my portions and then exercising was key. I would always load my plate with food and then be too full to move. Whenever I eat, I serve myself way smaller portions that satisfy my hunger but don't make me feel like I am carrying a a whole baby inside of me, which makes it way easier to exercise after! If I happen to be hungry later, I have a little snack

Edited April 17, 2008 by Stina

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

go put up more fences if you want to lose weight.

:idea: * for hubby and Robin*

oh great, gary is so gonna hate me now

[Jenn! 918]

I just can't get my husband to understand the "Sweat Suits" myth. He's convinced that working out in warm clothes will make you lose weight faster.

Though why is it that they talk about how great that yoga in a hot room is so much?

Seriously, can someone explain this?

[45495 1]

well sure, increasing sweat makes you loose more water, but producing 1 liter of sweat actually burns 600 calories, so there's acually a reason why people do it.

i havent gone on a diet in my life yet, so i'm not saying it helps, so dont shoot me here. just putting in my 5 cent...

[HAL 9000 96]

Stop going to buffets at dinner time.