Five Metabolism Myths Holding You Back from Losing Weight

When you are trying to lose weight, the first thing you normally do is count calories. You count how many calories you consume, and how many you burn. And yes, that is the standard way to lose weight. After all, if you consume 1,500 calories, but you burn 2,000 on a daily basis, that means you’ve lost weight.

However, losing weight is much more than just counting calories. When you count calories, and usually that means consuming too little calories, the result is surprising and unexpected. What you do not know, and what nobody is telling you that consuming little to no calories actually slows down your metabolism. A lower metabolic rate means slower burning calories and increased hunger. The end result is you are doing more harm than good. There are many factors that contribute to losing weight, not just diet and exercise. That being said, let’s take a look at five myths that counting calories are usually suggesting. All of these myths are holding you back from losing weight.

Myth 1: You can burn fat and build muscle at the same time

Yes, this is possible but extremely hard. For starters, you need a very strict diet that focuses on muscle building foods and fat burning foods at the same time. They are not the same. If you want to lose weight, the better option would be to start focusing on one first, and then move to the other. In other words, burn some fat first, and then you can start building more muscles.

Myth 2: You need to worry just about calories

Wrong on so many levels. It is more about the quality than the quantity. For example, some people might get 2,000 calories per day, but they source their food from healthy sources like fruits, vegetables, lean meat, nuts, and so on. Others get 1,000 calories, but most of them come from processed and junk food. Who will lose more weight? Well, if you answered Person B, you are wrong. Calories matter, but they are not the magic wand for weight loss. Do not focus just on calories, but also on what you eat.

Myth 3: Hormones are either good or bad

What happens is our metabolism sends messages through hormones. That means they do not work in isolation. In fact, hormones work in concert. If you are experiencing hormone havoc, that means one hormone is affecting others. The ultimate action of hormones in your body is determined by the combination of the hormones you produce.

Myth 4: You have to do a hormone test

Yes, a hormone test is great to assess the balance of your hormones. However, some techniques like energy, hunger, and cravings will give you good enough understanding of what is happening in your body.

Myth 5: Metabolism works in the same way, no matter if you are lean or overweight

We all have a different metabolism and different hormones in our body. Therefore, the metabolism cannot work in the same way. For starters, overweight people usually have a slower metabolism. The trick is to speed up your metabolism, whether you do that with exercise, food, or anything in between.