Losing weight can be an extremely difficult task, especially if you’ve experienced failure in previous attempts. The key to weight loss is down to fat burning, but before you begin the process yet again, here are five weight loss myths that need to be clarified.
 
1.     Counting calories
 
Despite what many would have you believe, counting calories is not the be all and end all in weight loss. In fact, it’s often recommended to keep your calorie intake at the guideline daily amount, making appropriate adjustments to ensure you’re eating healthier.
 
Rather than reducing your food intake, consider combining your eating plan with an appropriate amount of exercise will create the calorie deficit that calorie counting attempts to create, therefore helping with weight loss. 
 
If you find that you’re really struggling to lose weight, consult with a professional nutritionist to discover how to appropriately reduce your calorie intake.
 
2.     Carbs and Fat are a big no-no
 
Once again, cutting out certain foods is not guaranteed to increase the speed of your weight loss. But equally as important, just because you eat foods that include fats and carbohydrates, doesn’t automatically mean you will gain weight. 
 
Your body actually relies on a certain amount of carbohydrates and fats to get you through the day. Moderation is the key with this one, so as long as you’re keeping to a balanced diet go ahead and choose the full-fat yoghurt, or help yourself to an extra slice of toast.
 
You don’t, therefore, need to cut out some of your favourite foods in order to successfully lose weight. But remember, this also doesn’t give you the freedom to binge on foods with high fat, carb and sugar content.
 
3.     Intense cardio is the only solution
 
Exercising is a very personal thing. You might benefit from an intense cardio session, or you may prefer to take it slow with regular light training sessions. However, cardio alone may not necessarily achieve the weight loss you’re hoping for. 
 
Fat burning during exercises is achieved when your heart rate is increased and you begin breathing more heavily, which is what cardio achieves. Consistent, low-intensity exercise will help burn fat, whilst high intensity workouts, like HIIT, are more likely to burn calories.
 
 Combined with weight training, and strength and conditioning workouts, cardio can indeed be an effective method for weight loss and fat burning. 
 
4.     The illusive fat-burning zone
 
The fat-burning zone is the ideal point in which an increased percentage of body fat is burned. But what is the best method of reaching this crucial goal, and how long should you remain in this zone?
 
In an interview with Men’s Health, a personal trainer identified that the ideal fat-burning zone is the point your heart rate reaches a certain level during exercise. This is identified on the coloured graphs that appear on cardio machines. Therefore, everyone’s ideal fat-burning zone is different depending on weight, height, age, and other factors.
 
How long you remain in this zone is up to you, but you should never over exert yourself and risk illness or injury.
 
5.     You can burn fat from specific areas of your body
 
No matter how many crunches, bicep curls, or lunges you do, it does not mean that you will burn the specified fat around your stomach, arms, or legs and bum. 
 
Before you begin your weight loss journey, it’s important to know what kind of fat is being stored throughout your body. With this knowledge, a more comprehensive diet and exercise plan can be built to suit your body, and therefore more successfully lose weight.
 
Bodyscan UK uses medically developed DEXA technology to accurately identify and measure your body fat. To begin your weight loss process that will ensure results that stick, contact our team today.