Top 5 Fat Loss Myths Only an Idiot Would Still Believe

Well it’s that time of year again folks…its beach season!! It’s time to stop eating everything in sight, and show off all of the hard work you have put in over the winter months.  Ever heard that saying “Winter Miles for Summer Smiles”?!

It’s popular within the fitness industry to “bulk” during winter months. This is where the primary goal is to add muscle mass, eat more food, do less cardio, and have a valid excuse for when people you fat. Seriously – we’ve all hid behind the “im bulking” on a night out when some random asks you to show them your abs.

Then, on the run up to Summer, the trend changes to lose body fat, and show off your hard gained muscle.

Generally, people enjoy their winter bulk a little too much, and before they know it, summer arrived. This is when panic sets in and people take drastic measures.

As a result, each and every stone is unturned to try and get ripped as fast as possible. Most of the time following bro-science and myths from within the fitness industry. Myths that add nothing to what they are trying to achieve.

The media, supplements companies and fitness brands have bought into the idea of walking around with popping abs and road map like veins, and now that the sun is starting to show off, pressure is growing to show that you really do lift.

If, like many, you have left things a bit late, and enjoyed your bulk a little too much, for a little too long, fear not and definitely do not panic!! There’s still plenty of time to get ripped, just make sure you do it the right way.

Carry on reading as I de-bunk what I believe to be the five biggest fat loss myths in today’s fitness industry….  Oh and forget what the media have been saying, girls are not digging the “dad-bod”.

Myth #1 – You need to starve yourself everyday

During your bulk you have increased the amount of calories you are consuming. You have eaten more than you require to maintain your bodyweight. Maybe from regular whole foods. Maybe from a ton of junk foods and IIFYM essentials (poptarts anyone?) . Hopefully you gained some muscle, underneath all of that excess winter insulation.

For you to lose this body fat, you basically need to consume less than your body requires on a consistent and day to day basis.

But how much is too much and too little is too little? Research outlined in a review article from Westman et al., (2007) has shown that those who slowly decreased there calories on a weekly basis were more successful in their target of fat loss whilst maintaining muscle mass. This means that you really need to give yourself a decent amount of time to slowly decrease your calories so that you can lose body fat but also maintain muscle mass.

In theoretical terms, it is easy to lose body weight. However, this is just a number on the scale at the end of the day. What you should really focus on is how you look in the mirror and perform in the gym, set your calories too low and both will suffer.

Hopefully you are comfortable with tracking your macros when bulking or cutting. If not, you may have an idea of exactly how much you can consume without gaining body fat. Once you know this information you will be in the best possible position to start your fat loss journey.

Personally, I would recommend initially decreasing your calories below those that allow you to maintain your bodyweight , or “maintenance calories” by 150 – 200 calories in the first week. This may seem like a fairly insignificant amount, and you may not notice this on a day to day basis, however, the aim of the fat loss game is to take things as slowly as possible and consume as much food as possible whilst still losing body fat.

After the first week or so, re-assess things, are you losing body fat? Is your performance being maintained in the gym? Can you see any noticeable differences in your body composition?

Once you have honestly answered these questions you will be in a position to make further changes to your diet and training where necessary. If you have not lost any body fat then you may need to re-think the number of calories you are consuming.

As I have said above, you should aim to eat as much as possible whilst still losing body fat. This will make you’re the cutting phase of your diet both mentally and physically easier.

Take Away – Don’t Starve Yourself

Do not go from eating all of the calories under the sun to eating nothing, yes you will lose bodyweight, however, it is hard to say how much of this loss in bodyweight will be from fat or muscle. In the first few weeks of your cut you should not notice any drastic effects, however, things will get tougher towards the end and unfortunately, you will get hungry. It’s how you deal with this that will be important.

Myth #2 – Fat Burning Supplements Will Get You Shredded

Fat loss supplements are taking the industry by storm. The market is beginning to grow and grow, and I predict that in the next couple of years there will be a greater number of fat loss supplements on the market than anything else. Gone are the days of the simple Whey Protein and Creatine supplement stack!

Supplement companies have really jumped on the fat loss bandwagon and offer a huge number of fat loss supplements. From your traditional fat burners such as Thermopure and Grenade’s fat burning range of thermo detonator & black ops, to non-stimulant green coffee beans mixed with CLA and green tea pink raspberry ketone fat binders…. Confused by it all? Don’t worry you’re not alone.

The question you should really be asking yourself is do any of these supplements really have the fat burning effects that they claim to?

Research on fat burning supplements and their effectiveness is controversial, there are number of methodological flaws and difficulties that should be acknowledged before looking at fat loss supplementation studies.

Many of the studies that have shown fat loss supplements to be effective have compared two groups, one taking the supplement and the other a placebo. However, calorie intakes were not matched between the two groups. This means that it is difficult to show that the supplement itself was having an effect and not a difference in the calorie intakes and restrictions.

Further studies have suggested that fat loss supplements are not effective and caused no significant difference in fat loss effects or efforts between two groups.

Before you go spending your money on a fat loss supplement you should ensure that all other aspects of your diet are on point, that you have introduced cardio and generally have hit a fat loss plateau. Once these things have been taken into consideration, then and only then would I consider reaching for a fat burner.

Fat burners may offer the additional 5% increase in performance you are looking for, however, be weary, and use a bit of common sense. How likely is it that taking 6 pills a day really got the guy that has been dieting for the last 20 weeks shredded in just 4?

Don’t be tricked into thinking that your favourite fitness models are taking these supplements, yes, they are plastering their social medias with them and how they are making their fat loss so easy, but their intention is not to help you meet your goals, it’s to help line their pockets.

If you are using a fat burner to get a buzz from one of the main ingredients, you may be better off with a black coffee or alternatively a pre-workout. Check out our supplements discount codes page to pick up a fat burner at a decent price.

Myth #3 – Fasted Cardio is a Must

This is one of the most common myths within the fitness industry, as soon as somebody embarks on their mission to getting shredded, they go from doing zero cardio to an hour every morning after consuming their black coffee, fat burners and BCAA’s. But is it necessary?

Horowitz et al., (1999) states that fasted cardio is performed on the basis that stored energy (body fat) will be utilised as energy to fuel any exercise where food has not yet been consumed. However, recent research has suggested that there was no difference between the effects of cardio if completed in a fasted state or after consuming calories (Schoenfeld et al., 2014)

Based on this, the evidence suggests that fasted cardio may not be necessary and does not create a greater fat burning effect than performing cardio workouts after consuming a meal.

However, we should take in to consideration what cardio, not necessarily fasted, can achieve. It allows us to create or enhance a calorie deficit, as well as providing numerous health benefits including cardiovascular wellbeing and overall fitness.

Personally, I think that it’s all well and good looking like you lift, but it’s even better to look like you lift and be able to do something with it like run around playing football.

People are all quick to moan and gripe about how boring cardio is, that’s because they are slaving away walking on an incline treadmill. They need to get outdoors and mix things up! Vary the form of cardio that you perform, get outside and do some hill sprints, set up a weight circuits, go for a nice long jog, play five a side football or walk along the beach.

Exercise and especially cardio can be seen as a punishment and it’s a myth that you can’t enjoy the journey of losing fat. It isn’t a punishment and you can most definitely get the same benefits by doing something that you enjoy.

I believe that cardio is another tool in the tool box, it should stay in there for as long as possible. When all of the other tools have been used and aren’t doing the job anymore, we need to introduce something fresh and different, for me, this is when cardio comes in to play. Hold off for as long as possible before introducing a fresh stimulus to really reap the full rewards.

When undertaking cardio, it is important to understand that you are going to be burning more calories. Depending on the type of cardio you are performing, you could be in a position to be burning upwards of 500 extra calories each day. Luckily this means that more food can be eaten!!

Make sure that you are taking into consideration your extra expenditure and factor in more food to ensure that you are staying in your determined caloric deficit. This will help ensure that you burn body fat but do not waste muscle.

If you truly enjoy getting up in the early hours and doing a powerwalk then that’s fine, however, don’t feel that this is a necessity from the outset.

Myth #4 – Your Diet Will be Fish & a Rice Cake

It is popular within the fitness industry to go to extremes when aiming for fat loss, as a former strict clean eater I could not have even dreamt of the day where I would eat chocolate or bread during the cutting phase of my diet.  Everyone has seen the video of the poor sod trying to explain his diet of rice cakes and fish six times a day.

Just because your target has now changed to fat loss, this does not mean that you can’t incorporate foods that you crave and enjoy every now and again, or on a daily basis if that’s what you’re into.

Sure, in the first instance you should aim to eat single ingredient nutrient dense, and satisfying foods, however, if having one square of chocolate each day means that you can stick to your diet without it derailing and resulting in an all-out binge then so be it.

Doing this is much more likely to help in your long term fat loss goals, rather than having one day a week where anything goes and the other six are miserable.

Towards the nitty gritty end of your diet, where calories are starting to get real low you may find that you are unable to incorporate the foods that you crave as regularly as before. In this instance, as traditional, single ingredient foods are more satisfying and likely to keep you fuller for longer, it would be recommended to consume as much of your calories as you can from these sources. Think of it as getting the best bang for your buck.

Be creative with your foods and eat a varied diet that will keep you mentally strong and help you achieve those fat loss goals.

There are some amazing recipes out there that will help to keep you sane and keep your goals on track. Wheather its a homemade lucky charms quest bar, or a coconut and lime chicken and rice dish – don’t be lazy, add some flavour to your food!

You can even make some great protein recipes. Here are 10 you should definitely try! But don’t try them before you read these 6 beginners tips for baking with protein!

Keep yourself sane, vary your protein, carbohydrate and fat sources. As long as you are eating in a calorie deficit, there is no reason that these foods cannot be enjoyed.

Myth # 5 – Carbohydrates… Are you crazy?

It’s hard to for a day to go by where carbohydrates aren’t blamed for the nation’s obesity crisis, and within fitness there is a misconception that carbohydrates are the sole reason for making us fat and stalling our fat loss goals.

Whilst trying to lose fat, as I have explained, you need to be in a calorie deficit. Protein should not be tampered with too much, an adequate or higher than average protein intake has been shown to help preserve muscle mass whilst dieting (Halton and Hu, 2004).

Based on this, your calorie deficit should be a result of the reduction of both fats and carbohydrates. Fats come in at 9 calories per gram, whereas carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, this means that a calorie deficit may be easier achieved by limiting fat intake.

However, the reduction of fat intake below a certain level can have an effect on hormone production, therefore, many professionals within the fitness industry will not allow fat intake to drop dangerously low. Ruano et al., (2011) has confirmed that an adequate intake of fat is necessary on a daily basis for general health and well-being, remember, walking around with a chiselled body does not automatically mean that you are healthy.

Eating your fair share of carbohydrate is essential in maintaining your performance in the gym which will then allow your body to perform and lose body fat, the myth that automatically going from eating as many carbohydrates as possible during your bulking phase to eating none in your cutting phase is not supported by the scientific literature, and you should remove carbohydrates only as and when necessary.

If people have completed the bulking phase of their diet correctly, there is no reason that they will not be able to consistently consume carbohydrates throughout their cut.

It is important to note a further myth surrounding carbohydrates and consuming them after a certain point in the day. This myth has definitely been laid to rest and I wont be adding any further comments about it because frankly, it hurts my head to even try and explain it to people who still try and argue the fact that carbs after dark are just stored as body fat.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that at some points during your diet you will be required to restrict the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming, however, like calories overall, you should aim to eat the highest amount possible whilst still losing body fat. Let’s face it, carbs are great!

Take away messages

There you have it, some fat loss myths debunked.

Don’t be a fool, and make sure that you don’t fall victim of making the same mistakes again this year.

Follow these five simple rules and make sure your fat loss goals stay on track;

1. Keep calories as high as possible.
2. Don’t waste your money on fat loss supplements that haven’t been shown to work.
3. Do cardio if you enjoy it but don’t do it because you think that cardio alone is making you ripped.
4. Eat a varied diet of foods that you enjoy on a daily basis.
5. Don’t unnecessarily restrict carbohydrates.

Final Message

Fat loss is not easy and at some points during your diet you will think “F**K it, I am just going to bulk again”.

That little voice in your head is your subconscious saying that it’s too hard, you need to turn those doubts into motivation and show yourself and everyone that has ever doubted you what you can achieve.

Turn the doubts into motivation and use that motivation to help provide energy and focus for your workouts. If that doesn’t work, ignore the label and take three scoops of pre-workout… that’ll work.

References:

Halton, T. and Hu, F. (2004). The Effects of High Protein Diets on Thermogenesis, Satiety and Weight Loss: A Critical Review. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23(5), pp.373-385.

Horowitz JF, Mora-Rodriguez R, Byerley LO, Coyle EF: Substrate metabolism when subjects are fed carbohydrate during exercise. Am J Physiol 1999, 276(5 Pt 1):E828–E835. 15.

Ruano, C., Henriquez, P., Bes-Rastrollo, M., Ruiz-Canela, M., del Burgo, C. and Sánchez-Villegas, A. (2011). Dietary fat intake and quality of life: the SUN project. Nutr J, 10(1), p.121.

Schoenfeld, B., Aragon, A., Wilborn, C., Krieger, J. and Sonmez, G. (2014). Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 11(1).

Westman, E.C., Feinman, R.D., Mavropoulos, J.C., Vernon, M.C., Volek, J.S., Wortman, J.A., Yancy, W.S. and Phinney, S.D. (2007). Low-carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(2), pp. 276-284.