1) One of the quickest ways to lose weight is to starve yourself:

This is perhaps the most widely circulated of the myths, and it is also one of the worst things you can do to lose weight, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is both unsafe and unhealthy to go for long periods of time without eating, unless you are under a doctor’s strict guidance. Secondly, it is very unpleasant and not a way of life that you can sustain. And thirdly, it doesn’t work.

When you don’t eat food for extended periods, your body’s metabolism slows down because it thinks it is starving. Thus, you burn fewer calories and stay near the same weight. When you return to your normal diet, even though your body is no longer in the starvation mode, the slow metabolism will persist, making it very likely that you will even gain weight.

2) You must exercise to lose weight:

While exercising certainly has its place in a healthy lifestyle, it is not totally essential to quick weight loss. Granted, there are other health reasons to exercise, but if you want to lose weight, it’s all about the calories. If you make substantial changes to your diet, enough to create a calorie deficit, you’ll lose weight no matter what extra activities you do.

3) A special shake/pill/machine etc. will help me lose weight without really trying!:

Sorry to say, but there is no magic bullet. If you want to lose weight quickly, it’s going to take some work. Now it may not take as much work and heartache as you imagine, but it will take some effort and some lifestyle changes, even if they are only small changes. If losing weight were easy, I can’t imagine that anyone would be overweight.

4) I only need to do this for a few weeks/months, then go back to my old habits:

This will simply lead you back to your original weight. The most effective weight loss tips are the ones that encourage you to lose the bad habits that led to your weight gain, which will eventually result in losing weight. You need to see your efforts as a total lifestyle change, not something temporary – a quick fix. That is the secret to losing weight and keeping it off.

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