Don’t Believe These 5 Things About Weight Loss

If you’re planning to trim down in 2015, first off, congrats! We here at P4 applaud and support your decision to get fit. (And we can certainly help — have you seen our array of amazing and clean sports supplements yet? Go here if you haven’t.)

Second, there are some things you should know about weight loss before you embark on your journey to shed excess poundage. Namely, not all of what you know, or think you know, about weight loss, is true. And buying into the myths can derail your progress and set you back. In other words, avoid believing these five myths …

#1. Losing Weight Quickly Isn’t Healthy

The faster you see results the more motivated you’ll be. But starving yourself to see rapid results? Bad idea. Aim to have each meal contain three elements: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Just keep your portions in check and base your calorie count on the body you want to have, not the body you currently have.

#2. All Fats Are Bad

Um, we just told you that you need fats in your diet, remember? But one fat you do not need is trans fat. Too much of that can boost your risk of heart disease and add a layer of blubber around your waistline. And although you need some saturated fat in your diet, if you want to stay trim and toned you really have to be on top of your intake.

#3. You Need To Train Daily

Exercising too often can actually prevent weight loss. Even worse, it can wear your muscles and joints down and lead to injury. Ideally, if you train one body part per workout, give that body part at least 48 hours of rest before training it again.

#4. Cardio Reduces Body Fat

Studies show that it’s how much energy you expend that translates to the burning of fat tissue. So if you have visions of eating Bonbons and pizza all day, every day and maintaining and logging a few hours on the treadmill to keep your weight in check think again.

#5. No Pain, No Gain

It’s a great slogan and you’ve certainly heard it enough, but simply because something is repeated over and over doesn’t make it true. If you’re feeling serious discomfort or pain, stop what you’re doing. Pushing yourself into overdrive when your body is telling you to slow down is a guaranteed way to find yourself on the sidelines with an injury.