This article is meant to address some of the common misconceptions and myths that occur around nutrition and healthy weight loss. A lot of nutrition ‘experts’ out there claim that there is only one best way to lose weight. And this can create a lot of confusion when multiple ‘experts’ are claiming their way is right - when both claims are almost opposite. By reading on, you’ll learn what some of the common nutrition myths are for weight loss, but also why they are not correct. We’ve had to bust these myths with hundreds of our clients at Inside Out Strength, and I’m happy to do the same for you so that you can better understand what’s actually needed (and what’s not) when it comes to weight loss.

1: Fat Will Make You Fat

A couple decades ago there was a wave of fear around dietary fat making you fat and unhealthy. I mean, it’s called fat - why wouldn’t that make sense? But this was all based on a poorly interpreted study that led to a surge of low fat and fat free foods and an unhealthy relationship with fat. As the keto diet, and other similar approaches have proven, fat on its own will not make you fat.

Fat is nothing to be afraid of and has several health benefits. But as with carbs, controlling the quantity is key if your goal is weight loss. 

2: Carbs Will Make You Fat

As with anything in nutrition, the pendulum tends to swing towards the extremes. As soon as fat was welcomed back into the equation and accepted as healthy, carbs became the enemy and the reason for fat gain. It’s a myth that carbs contribute to weight gain. While many point out that carbs are not a necessary macronutrient, that doesn’t mean they aren’t extremely important for weight loss and performance.

Carbs are nothing to be afraid of and can help with energy and exercise performance. But as with fat, controlling the quantity (and timing) is key if your goal is weight loss. 

3: Frequent, Small Meals Help Boost Your Metabolism

It’s been said that you need to eat every 2-3 hours to keep the ‘metabolic fire’ burning, which is not true. There is a fear that you will start to lose muscle if you go too long without eating, which certainly isn’t the case as proven by the intermittent fasting community. Frequent, small meals left me much hungrier while thinking about food much more often. Many clients we work with find the same thing and do much better with three or even two meals a day.

Do what works best for you, whether that’s smaller frequent meals or fewer bigger meals. Neither are superior to the other, but you don’t have to worry about the negative effects of longer windows between eating.

4: Calories Are ALL That Matter

This one is a tougher one, as it’s hard to argue that when you burn more calories than you take in that weight loss will happen. The myth comes from how incredibly complex our bodies are and this equation really is, as well as how inaccurate calorie tracking can be. To say that calories are all that matter doesn’t take into account food choices, protein intake, fiber, nutrients in food, speed of digestion, insulin response to food, etc all impact diet adherence in the long-term. 

While it is true you need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight, this equation is far more complex than most people realize. There are several other factors above and beyond total calories that will impact how much weight you are losing (or not losing). 

5: Calories DON’T Matter

This is a common argument made by those subscribing to the low carb/keto/bulletproof coffee movement that claim if insulin is kept low by not eating carbs and staying in ketosis, then your body will not store fat regardless of how much you consume. This is a myth - as your body can still store fat regardless of WHAT you eat too much. I’ve seen this first hand with myself and with many others when going low carb.

Just because many people can do well and lose weight without counting calories doesn’t mean that calories don’t matter. It just means that they’ve found a way to eat that allows them to stay in a calorie deficit without tracking calories.

6: Losing Weight = Eating Only ‘Healthy’ Foods

To lose weight I need to only eat salads, chicken, brown rice, and broccoli. If you’ve ever thought this you’re not alone, but it’s a myth to think that you can’t enjoy the foods you love and still lose weight. The nutrition industry has incorrectly labeled foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ contributing to an unhealthy relationship with certain foods.

There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods when it comes to losing weight, although you might find that certain foods are good or bad for your situation. You can lose weight eating the foods you love if it’s done in the proper context of total calories, protein, and fiber intake.

Don’t blindly accept the newest study that comes out or the next ‘influencer’ that claims a certain diet is superior. Stick to the principles that truly move the needle forward when it comes to weight loss - eating whole foods (with plenty of fiber), and nailing your calorie and protein targets. You can always fine tune as you go, but starting there will get you 80% of the results you’re after anyways.