3 Common Fitness Myths Debunked
There is a lot of confusion in the fitness space nowadays; my goal is to empower you by clearing up some common fitness/ diet myths that I have been asked by my clients and many others online.
In this article, I will discuss some of these fitness myths that people believe are true but, in reality, lack nuance. Beliefs such as carbs make you fat, abs are made in the kitchen, and why fasting works.
Myth 1: “Carbs make you fat”
When people are overweight, carbs are blamed most of the time, and those people are correct, but it is not for the reason they believe.
Many people believe that carbs make you fat for many reasons; it makes you hold more water, which is true, but cutting down on carbs will only make water leave your body, which is different from fat loss. Many might think they are losing fat when it is just water weight.
This is not ideal for losing weight correctly because the body will not be able to efficiently build muscle after training when people cut out carbs, as highlighted by this study, where two groups had the same caloric intake but different ratios of proteins, carbs, and fats. One group was fed a high-carb diet, and the other a high-fat diet.
The study found that “Both nutritional approaches were effective in terms of reducing body fat mass. The High-carb, low-fat group achieved greater skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Significant decreases in body circumferences, especially in the abdominal area, were observed for both dietary approaches. Maximal strength significantly increased in the High carb low-fat group and decreased in the Low carb high-fat group.”(Kruszewski et al., 2024). (Kruszewski et al., 2024).
The findings in the study demonstrate that a calorie deficit is most important for fat loss, not cutting carbs. If you cut out carbs, you risk losing strength through muscle loss. If you are not building muscle, you will have a more challenging time keeping the weight off once you reintroduce carbs. It is unrealistic to think one will never have carbs again.
So, find out what carbs you like best (fruits, rice, potatoes) and consume them while in a calorie deficit so you may get the best results from your training.
Myth 2: “Abs are made in the kitchen”
This has more truth than the last myth, but abs need more than just a calorie deficit to grow and be visible.
Like any other muscle, you must train them with intensity between the 8-20 rep range. Use exercises that you can load and provide a stretch for the core on the eccentric, such as cable crunches/ weighted ab machines. For bodyweight ab-building exercises, use exercises where the body purposely places the most tension on the abs, such as a decline bench leg raise, hanging leg raises, or ab wheel rollouts.
Many people mistakenly do high-rep bodyweight exercises that are more aerobic than anaerobic, such as mountain climbers or the bicycle crunch; because these exercises can be performed for such high repetitions without getting close to failure, these exercises will not increase muscle mass, nor tone the body. Please do not let your abs gains be the victim of poor exercise selection.
Myth 3: “You should try intermittent fasting”
On a case-by-case basis, there can be reasons why a person might want to try fasting.
It is reasonable to use this strategy if it helps them consistently sick to a calorie deficit. Still, it is just a strategy for eating in a calorie deficit. Moreover, many can only stick with fasting for a short time because it is impractical for many people’s lifestyles.
Many people on social media claim that fasting causes weight loss through some hormone mechanism triggered when you do not eat for a specific time; I have even seen some influencers say you can be in a calorie surplus and lose weight because of this hormone mechanism that occurs when you abstain from eating for a certain amount of time, which these are just pseudo-science statements with no scientific proof.
Being in a calorie deficit causes a decrease in body weight (Vargas, 2018). So, the driving factor for weight loss is a calorie deficit; we can achieve that by eating throughout the day while staying within a calorie deficit. Doing so will allow the brain to function efficiently, providing glucose from your first meal upon awakening. People can feel more alert from I.F., but this stems from the release of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and elevated cortisol levels can lead to muscle breakdown and hinder muscle building. Doing so will make it more challenging to lose weight once the standard feeding window resumes.
Studies have shown that groups who would eat throughout the day while staying in a calorie deficit tend to experience more gains/retention of gains than those in the I.F. group (Androulakis, 2023). So, I would suggest minimizing your body’s exposure to that fight or flight response and instead figure out how to stay under your calorie maintenance while feeding throughout the day. How can you do this? By eating a lot of protein!
Protein Formula for Fat Loss
How much protein should I eat? Shoot for .8-1 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight. So, if I wanted to be 100 pounds, I would have 80-100 grams of protein daily.
I hope this helps, and be on the lookout for the next issue of debunking fitness myths so you can continue to expand your fitness knowledge!
Author: Brandon Irwin, Medicinal Movements
References:
Androulakis, P. (2023, August 1). Making gains while fasting. Biolayne. https://biolayne.com/reps/issue-15/making-gains-while-fasting/
Kruszewski M, Kruszewski A, Tabęcki R, Kuźmicki S, Stec K, Ambroży T, Aksenov MO, Merchelski M, Danielik T. Effectiveness of high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets on body composition and maximal strength after 15 weeks of resistance training. Adv Med Sci. 2024 Mar;69(1):139-146. doi: 10.1016/j.advms.2024.02.008. Epub 2024 Feb 28. PMID: 38428587.
Vargas, A. (2018, August 21). A primer on fasting and time-restricted eating. Biolayne. https://biolayne.com/articles/nutrition/a-primer-on-fasting-and-time-restricted-eating/
