Myth #1: Weight loss requires a ton of money
If you have convinced yourself that the only way every single person on the planet has lost weight is because they spent thousands of dollars, I've got news for you. There are people across this planet who could never afford a gym or a fancy food service if they wanted to. Many people in third world countries are fit simply because of their labor or because they walk everywhere which requires the spending of zero dollars. I know it's difficult to believe because the weight loss industry, and IT IS a for profit industry, has convinced you that you need pills, and gyms, and creams, and frozen food plans, that it's impossible to do on your own, but it's not. Put your shoes on and go for a walk. Work out on the equipment at the local park. Lift some heavy bags or books up and down, use your own body weight for resistance.
Myth #2: You can lose 20 lbs in a week
If you are morbidly obese and you start massively cutting your calories and hitting the gym for an hour each day, sure, it's possible because you have more weight on the body that would be responding to the massive shock and caloric deficit that would create, but for the rest of you not in that extreme category, this is nothing but an empty promise made by every quack out there looking to make a quick buck off of your naivete. Whatever will be required to get you to this point is going to be something that I guarantee will be extremely unhealthy, extremely dangerous for you, if not totally impossible, and completely temporary as opposed to long term sustainable weight loss. I get it. You desperately want the weight gone now, but it's time and effort that is required, especially if you intend to actually keep it off.
Myth #3: You need (fill in the blank) supplement, tea, pill, etc.
I cannot repeat this enough: weight loss companies are out to make money off of you. They do not care if the products work at all. In fact, many make such disclaimers that the products might not work because odds are they won't, and as long as they make that clear, they can sell you whatever they want. You should not have to use chemicals or stimulants to achieve your weight loss goals. You need a clean diet and exercise, period. The only time that you will require a vitamin pill is if you, as stated by your doctor are extremely deficient in some area or perhaps you're pregnant. Otherwise those "vitamins," are found in the food you eat which I might add, is much more satisfying to ingest.
Myth #4: If you aren't bleeding from the eyes, it's not working
One of the major reasons people soon quit a weight loss plan, is because they go so hard on the first two weeks, that they are just exhausted and in a lot of pain, and figure it's not worth it to keep going. The same goes for their diet. They go from eating burgers and fries to drinking a mug of tea and eating three peas and wonder why they are hungry and bitter all the time. You do not have to kill yourself working out or going insane with a diet in order to see results. If you give yourself a realistic time frame to try and lose weight in the first place and make achievable goals like being able to make it around the block without being totally winded or only going out to eat once a week vs. the 4 times you were doing before, these changes will allow you to adapt to them, and then expand on them later.
Myth #5: You need to be motivated all the time
Yeah, um, no! Slogans and motivational posters are great when they work, but they aren't necessary to your success. Think of this one example...how did you manage to graduate from HS or college which is a really long term goal? Was it because every single day of your educational career, you woke up full of pep, totally prepared for everything that came your way, super motivated by everything, and just ready to go, go, go? NO. You had good days, bad days, days you didn't even want to go, but you did. This is the same way for weight loss. Some days you're all in, and others you want to quit, but that doesn't mean you should quit. It means you need to learn to push through complaining all the way if you have to. This could mean, just walking today instead of running. Or eating five bites of the cake instead of the whole cake. You don't need to be motivated all the time or be the "perfect dieter" or love everything in the world about exercise, you just need to keep going, keep moving, and trying your best to stick to your plan. If you fail today, so what, keep going.
Myth #6: Perfection by comparison
If your friend lost 30 lbs really fast, be happy for her, but you are not her. She cannot lose weight for you, or put muscle on your body where she has it, because your body is your own. Comparing yourself to friends, family, or celebrity is a waste of time. You have different lives, different bodies, different abilities, and different genetics. You need to bring the focus on to working out in a way that gets good results for you instead of wasting a ton of time trying to be someone else.
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