People who count kilojoules want you to believe your body is a rudimentary calculator that only engages in adding and subtracting: Eat too many much and/or use too few, and you gain weight. Add in more food and subtract out any exercise, and you gain weight.
What they don’t tell you is that doing this causes the metabolism to respond in a way that increases hunger, lowers energy, increases cravings, and lowers metabolic rate. This is no small thing. This metabolic compensatory effect—the existence of which is undisputed in research on weight loss—means the harder you push on one end of your metabolism, the harder and more forcibly it will push back in the other direction.
Here are five metabolic myths that are holding you back from fat loss:
Myth 1: The body can easily burn fat and build muscle at the same time
For anyone beginning to exercise or those using anabolic hormones, simultaneously building muscle and burning fat is very difficult. It is best to focus on one, then switch and deal with the other.
Myth 2: All you need to worry about are kilojoules
Hormones directly influence how much we eat and what we choose to eat, so they play a key role in getting your body on track. kJs matter, of course, but they aren’t the magic bullet of diet success. And focusing solely on kilojoule intake and expenditure is the main shortcoming of traditional “eat less, exercise more” routines.
Myth 3: Hormones work in isolation and are either good, like human growth hormone, or bad, like cortisol
The metabolism uses hormones to send messages about how to function elsewhere in the body. Hormones work in concert (so find out if you’re experiencing hormone havoc), and their ultimate action in cells is determined by the combination of hormones produced.
Myth 4: There is no good way to assess the balance of hormones without blood testing
While testing is required to diagnose disease, biofeedback techniques, like your hunger, energy, and cravings, can give a good, subjective indication of metabolic hormone activity and balance.
Myth 5: The metabolisms of lean people and overweight people work in the same way
Overweight and obese individuals often have multiple hormonal imbalances that make it more difficult for them to control hunger, stop cravings, and feel motivated to exercise. On this plan, you’ll do the detective work to unlock your specific metabolic needs.
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