The number of people who have lost weight and managed to keep it off, by statistics, is put at less than 20 per cent, which implies that at least 80 per cent of us are constantly struggling to lose weight. It is no wonder then that out of the billions of google searches each month, millions specifically relate to weight loss. What is really unusual about these searches is that more than 50% of the keywords refer to losing weight “fast” or “quick”. This need to lose weight “quickly” has led to the existence of various myths about food and fitness. So let’s debunk few of the more common myths and get to know 5 facts women need to know about weight loss.
FACT #1 – Eat fat to burn fat
It is known that eating foods that have a low GI keeps blood sugar levels steady and helps your body metabolize fat more efficiently. But what is often not spoken about is that adding fat (like ghee, coconut, white butter, peanuts, cashews etc.) to your carb-rich food, lowers the overall GI of the meal thereby enhancing your insulin sensitivity, bringing hormonal balance and lowering body fat levels.
FACT #2- Sugar is not the bad boy
Fat used to be Dietary Enemy No. 1. Today, it’s sugar. But reductions in the consumption of both have done little to curb obesity rates. Why? Because we are not looking to cut down sugar from the right places. We are still consuming a lot of packaged food (biscuits/ cereals/ juices) with “hidden” sugars. What we need to know is that sugar from daily traditional diets (kokum sherbet/ chikki/ laddoos etc.) is great and not the problem; but packaged, processed food is.
FACT #3 – Spot reduction does not exist
Doing endless number of crunches for a flatter belly or side lifts to burn stubborn fats from the hips? The truth is there is no spot reduction and no exercise will eliminate fat from a specific area of the body. Doing sit-ups or lunges will only work the muscles underneath the fat, the fat itself is not used in the exercise. Instead, choose to work on bigger muscle groups (back/ legs/ chest) as that will increase your metabolic rate and lead to greater fat loss.
FACT #4 – Strength training will not make you look muscular
It is impossible for any woman to look like a body builder (unless she is using exogenous testosterone/ steroids) as women don’t have the testosterone (male hormone) to get big muscles. Instead, structured strength program offers exercises to get you stronger, burn more calories (or fat) and bring out the definition in your body, without adding any bulk.
FACT #5- Cultivating a hobby helps to lose weight
As women, one thing that we lose out on while juggling between work, family, kids etc. are our own selves. Pursuing a hobby will not only add value to your well-being but is also proved by “research” to be fat burning. Our brain tissue is metabolically more active than muscles. Learning a new skill or enhancing an old one leads to increase in the number of brain cells thereby, accelerating the process of fat burn!
About the Author:
Munmun Ganeriwal, founder of Yuktahaar is a Nutritionist & Fitness Consultant. She is India’s only professional to have acquired both a Master’s Degree in Nutrition Science and International Certification of Health Fitness Instructor from the American College of Sports Medicine. Over the last 15 years, Munmun Ganeriwal has worked as a Nutrition and Exercise Consultant with a diverse set of clients from all walks of life, of all age groups, varying fitness levels and varying medical histories across the globe. For more details- www.munmunganeriwal.com