There are a lot of ways to go about weight loss– some are sustainable while others are not; some are meant for only a certain population while others can be generalized for a larger population; some are flat out horrible approaches while others are backed-up with evidence and logic; and some are basic and general, while others are extremely specific.
What happens when people embark on their weight loss journey is they gravitate towards the myths that float around the fitness world, such as the following:
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To lose weight, you must do endless amounts of cardio.
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Fasted cardio is optimal and burns more fat.
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You need to cut carbs drastically in order to reach your weight loss goal.
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If you want to lose weight around your stomach, you must do exercises that “target” the area…aka spot reduction exercises.
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Exercise is the only (or best) way we burn calories.
All of the myths above are things we try to debunk, because they are not true and they are more detrimental than they are good.
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To lose weight, you must do endless amounts of cardio.
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No, you don’t. Cardio is a tool, but do not push it in excess. There are only a select group of people who do hours upon hours of cardio, and they are usually endurance athletes who have built up to that and who do this as their sport, professionally or recreationally.
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Instead of going crazy with cardio, look at what you’re doing now and adjust based on how you’re feeling, what you’re capable of doing, and what is reasonable. Cardio is not always the answer, however it is a tool in the toolbox. Things to avoid: doing hours of cardio, putting cardio over strength training, draining yourself with cardio to the point that you have no energy for anything else, and prioritizing cardio over nutrition.
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If you are adding more cardio, do so appropriately and incrementally, do not just slap on an extra 45 minutes per day. Instead, add 10 minutes of cardio and use those extra 35-minutes to meal prep and plan your week on the nutrition side.
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Fasted cardio is optimal and burns more fat.
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You do burn more fat when you do fasted cardio (cardio on an empty stomach, i.e, when you wake up) as an acute response…however, at the end of the day there is zero difference between fasted and non-fasted cardio. How is that so? Since you burn more fat in a fasted state, your body adapts throughout the day and burns less fat and more glucose. And vice versa– if you do cardio with food in your system, your body will use the glucose in your body and burn less of it throughout the day. Essentially, it cancels out at the end of the day.
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You need to cut carbs drastically in order to reach your weight loss goal.
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The best approach to take is one that is sustainable. Instead of slashing carbs out of your life, decrease the amount incrementally in a way that does not cause stress, but don’t cut them down to a point that is too low. This is where a nutrition coach can be beneficial, because they can guide you on the direction you should take and they can help you determine when your carbs do not need to be decreased any more. Cut out the carbs and/or foods that aren’t beneficial:
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Instead of sodas, which are calorically dense and provide minimal nutritional value, aim for sparkling water.
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Instead of having a large caramel macchiato drink, go for a small or go for something less calorically filled, such as a non-fat latte.
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Replace your midday Oreo snacks with fruits and veggies.
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If you want to lose weight around your stomach, you must do exercises that “target” the area…aka spot reduction exercises.
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There is no such thing as spot reduction. No exercise will burn the fat in a specific area, the only way to get rid of fat in a specific area is to lose body fat and it will begin to show more. However, remember that we are all built differently and everyone has fat pre-dispositioned throughout their body in different ways. Some people hold fat in their legs more than their stomach, some people hold it around their midsection, etc. Therefore, two women who are 20% body fat may look very differently even if they’re doing the same exercises/workout routine because their genetics hold the weight in different areas.
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Exercise is the only (or best) way we burn calories.
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We burn calories through several avenues, and exercise only makes up a small portion of it. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is how much energy you expend per day, measured in calories. It is used in the energy balance calculation. TDEE consists of the following:
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Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the energy needed to sustain the major body functions; it accounts for 60 to 75% of the TDEE.
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Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): Calories expended from the cumulative small movements throughout the day; this includes small twitches and movements that are not considered “working out”.
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Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): Calories expended from physical exercise and purposeful activity. This only accounts for a small fraction of your TDEE, however it should still be used to optimize your approach since it is the factor that is the easiest to control and manipulate.
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Thermal Effect of Food (TEF): TEF is the cumulative increase in energy expenditure from food digestion, after you eat a few meals. It makes up about 10% of daily energy expenditure.
We have a lot of nutrition blogs that we will list below. If you’re interested in one-on-one nutrition coaching, please feel free to reach out!
Nutrition blogs: