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10 top myths of fat loss
1 Rapid weight loss is good: Rapid weight loss is often due to dehydration followed by loss of functional lean muscle mass that contributes to the largest component of weight lost. This will result in a reduction in performance.
2 Going without breakfast will aid weight loss: Skipping meals will reduce your metabolic rate and lower your glycogen stores (carbohydrate energy in the muscles and liver). It’s important that you feed your muscles regularly to aid performance so that you don’t overeat later in the day and risk excess storage of fat.
3 Reducing carbohydrate considerably will aid weight loss: If carbohydrate stores are low you will fatigue faster and recovery time will increase. You may also risk the loss of muscle as it starts to be broken down as a source of fuel.
4 Avoiding dietary fat completely will assist weight loss: Dietary fat plays an integral role in maintaining optimal function at rest and during physical activity. Reducing the intake of dietary fat too much can hinder performance and, therefore, weight loss.
5 Using sweat bags or saunas will aid weight loss: This will only lead to dehydration, which results in a reduction in performance, further hindering weight loss.
6 Lifting weights will bulk you up and not aid weight loss: Resistance training should form an important part of your fat loss plan to increase energy expenditure and build more muscle. Muscle tissue is very metabolically active and will increase your resting metabolic rate.
7 Fad diets are good: Fad diets often lead to a yo-yo effect of weight loss and weight regain. Restricting certain food groups so severely also means you will lose muscle and lower your metabolic rate, which makes it harder to achieve further fat loss.
8 Eating after 8pm is bad: Fuelling your muscles after exercise is really important. Low glycogen stores lead to poor recovery and reduced performance on subsequent training sessions. This in turn reduces energy expenditure and fat loss.
9 Muscle can be converted to fat: Muscle and fat are two different tissue types. An increase in physical activity will cause an increase in muscle tissue and a decrease in fat tissue.
10 A high consumption of dietary protein will lead to large gains in skeletal muscle: As long as there is adequate protein in the diet, muscle will adapt and hypertrophy (get bigger). A consumption of more than 2g of protein per kg of body weight will not lead to greater gains in muscle mass but may increase fat storage.
Source: Gavin Reynoldson MSc, University of Bath, Department of Sports Development
