As the chart depicts there are many factors on why we gain weight and the obesity epidemic. Most of us have an idea of what we should be doing to lose weight, yet we struggle
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How to see through the pseudoscience and bullshit... We are constantly bombarded with false information through advertising, the mainstream and social media and in stores. We constantly hear about those magical breakthrough diets and products with the metabolism boosting super ingredients that’s going to help “melt fat”, shed those winter pounds, improve vitality, limit the signs of aging etc. etc. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.......The downside is many of those products are filled with overhyped, misleading or false claims and will have little or no impact on fat loss. The marketing will try bamboozle us with pseudoscience with advertising and labelling designed to appear scientific, however dig a little deeper many of those products lack any of the substance of science and will often cite weak evidence. Before you believe everything they tell us look a little deeper at the “science” cited about the product. A question that gets asked a lot "is this food good for you or is this one bad"? I even get people sending me a picture of a food product they have just purchased and asking is if it good or bad. The thing is it is hard to give an answer. It isn’t so black and white. Categorising foods as just good or bad is too simplistic. 1) ASK YOURSELF- WHY DO YOU WANT TO START EXERCISING? Many people start an exercise program but in a couple of months will end up giving up. Many just view exercise as a chore and it will eventually go by the wayside. For long term adherence for exercise it is important to find activities or exercise programs that you find more pleasurable. It is a phrase that keeps getting repeated but I feel it is an unhelpful statement for people who struggle with their weight as it just too simplistic and vague.
It is a bit like telling an alcoholic that all they have to do is stop drinking or advising someone with depression that all they need to do is “pull themselves together”. Many people already know that to lose weight we need to expend more energy than we consume. However how many people try to lose weight, diet and exercise but still struggle with their weight. Things are not always so black and white. I have seen written and heard lots of people give the BMI a bit of a bashing saying its worthless and dismissing readings. Their argument is it doesn’t distinguish between muscle mass and fat and that muscle is denser than fat. However……. lets be brutally honest here- the average person is not heavy because they are overly muscular...........! The BMI is a relatively straightforward and convenient method of assessing someone's weight. The BMI will give you an indication if your weight is appropriate for your height I am often asked about supplements, if they are needed and what are the benefits.
Some supplements may have beneficial effects however no amount of supplementation will compensate for inadequate dietary intake. When you are looking at supplements ask yourself 3 things- 1) How will the supplement benefit me? (Eg am I deficient, in any essential nutrients and will this supplement help or how will it help improve performance) Detox- What do these products actually do?! There is an abundance of products, diets and supplements which claim to "detox or cleanse " and help undo all the damage done with the boozing and poor lifestyle choices with quick fixes. They are typically marketed as amazing products that help "cleanse" your body and aid in weight loss. However..... It is very hard to find any proper research to back the claims of these products or find any evidence as to how effective they are, either for long term weight loss or being able to eliminate waste products from the body. In fact a lot of companies don't even know what toxins their product targets or can give a definition of what detox is. WHAT IS A CLEANSE OR DETOX......??
It is difficult to get a specific definition for what a "cleanse" is. Many Cleanse products will tell us the body accumulates toxins through our lifestyle choices, pollutants etc. |
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March 2021
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